The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip and offers young people aged 13-24 the opportunity to gain an award by completing four different sections (5 at Gold Level) over a period of time, which shows they have made a commitment and put in effort to achieve several goals.

The award is offered at three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold with the length of time taken to complete each section increasing as candidates move up the levels. From Bronze sections taking 3 or 6 months to Gold sections taking 6 months or a year.

The sections are volunteering, physical, skill, and an expedition. At Gold level there is also a residential section. They involve candidates either continuing with something they already do or starting a new activity.

Presently at Chilwell we offer the award at Bronze (Yr9) and Silver (Yr10) levels. The award has been running at the school for many years building in numbers recently so we are regularly accommodating nearly 100 students each year at various levels.

For the expedition section small groups work together to plan and undertake an expedition. It is this section of the award that we focus on mainly within school, with many staff from all over the school volunteering to spend time after work and at weekends to train students and then act as safety officers on the expeditions. We have a dedicated team many of whom have gained specialist training in order that we can continue to facilitate the award with such large numbers.

So if you fancy a challenge during your time at Chilwell, DofE is the way to go.