About the DofE
The DofE is non-competitive and open to all young people – it’s about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries. There are three levels of DofE programme which, when successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.
Through their DofE, students will make friends and memories and build traits like confidence, resilience and self-esteem, which can benefit mental health. They’ll gain skills and attributes for work and life, like problem-solving, team-working and self-motivation – and they’ll achieve an Award that’s recognised by top employers and can help them stand out when applying for uni or jobs.
To achieve their Bronze Award, participants must complete 4 sections: Skills, Volunteering, Physical and their Expedition.
Every young person’s DofE programme is personal to them – they can choose what they’d like to do for their Skills, Volunteering and Physical sections, and most activities can count. We will provide guidance and support, and students can either choose to continue an activity they already do or discover something completely new.
Activities for each section take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period of time, so they can fit around studying, hobbies and social lives. For more details about programmes and timescales visit https://www.dofe.org/do/
About the expedition
The Expedition section involves working as part of a small team to plan their expedition’s aim, choose a location and do some training to make sure they’re fully prepared – before spending two days and one night in the countryside.
Ahead of this, you will take part in weekend day walks covering basic expedition principles and introducing them to expedition equipment.
There will also be a number of training sessions after school and during lunchtimes in which you and your group will plan their route and prepare. Participants will only be able to do their expedition if they attend the organised training.
eDofE and the DofE app
Participants can create their DofE programme and record their progress using eDofE, the DofE’s digital system, available online at eDofE.org and through the DofE app – downloadable for free from Google Play and the App Store.
Signing up
The initial cost of taking part in the DofE is £10 per participant. This covers your participation place and Welcome Pack, which will be sent to your home address and includes a personalised DofE Discount Card. There will be an additional cost for the expedition training which we will detail next year. It is likely to be approximately between £150 and £250.
If you would like to take part, please tick the ‘Consent’ box on Class Charts, and pay the sum of £10 on SQuid by 10th July 2023. We will then enrol your child on a digital enrolment form on 14th July. We would also ask that your child begins to complete the Bitesize Bronze Planner to help them get an idea of how they can achieve the Award.
If the cost of taking part is prohibitive, please speak to us at the parents evening, or email Mr Hinks Roberts ahinksroberts@longhill.org.uk as there may be financial support available to you.
We will hold an information event for parents and students on Wednesday 28th June 2023 in Main Hall at Longhill High School from 6pm – 7pm.