At Brownedge St. Mary's Catholic High School we are extremely proud to offer our pupils in KS4 the opportunity to engage in and complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award. We believe that by giving pupils the chance to complete their own DofE programme they can gain and develop the essential skills, experience, confidence and resilience needed to be successful in their future.
Each participants award is made up of 4 sections; volunteering, skills, physical and expedition, each of which is tailored and personalised to that individual, no two DofE programmes are the same. Each of these sections is designed to challenge participants in different ways and encourage them to try new things, develop links with their local community and broaden their horizons.
The volunteering section of the DofE Award is all about making a difference to others’ lives. Our pupils have made a huge impact in the local community though the work they have done with local groups. This has ranged from giving up their time to work in charity shops, fundraising for organisations, coaching local sports teams and working with animals in local nature reserves. We are very proud of all the pupils for giving up their time to help others and change things for the better.
The skills section of the DofE award is a great opportunity for participants to learn something new, develop existing skills and find something they enjoy doing. This section not only hones the pupil’s skills in their chosen activity but also improves confidence, resilience, social and practical skills, all whilst learning how to rise to a new and exciting challenge.
While completing the physical section of the award each participant has the chance to focus on their own health, fitness and wellbeing. Each activity is again specific to each pupil’s programme, giving numerous opportunities to try new team or individual sports. As well as improving their fitness participants also learn how to work as part of a team and how to communicate with others effectively to reach a common goal.
The final part of each pupils DofE programme at Brownedge St. Mary's is their expedition, this gives us a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything they have achieved while completing their DofE Award. Each pupil will plan, train for and carry out a 2-day, 1-night expedition as part of a small team becoming completely self-sufficient for the duration of the trip. This is often when the memories are made and when the pupils showcase the skills they have picked up during their DofE journey from leadership and teamwork to resilience and compassion.
As well as the full Duke of Edinburgh’s Award we also offer our pupils in KS3 the chance to take part in a Mini DofE challenge. This is an opportunity for our younger pupils to get a sense of what the DofE Award entails and achieve recognition for the excellent work we know our pupils are doing in the local community and beyond.