The Duke of Edinburgh's Award – Sweyne Park School

What is Duke of Edinburgh's Award?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a nationally recognised scheme for young people aged 14-25 and gives them an opportunity to contribute to their community, to become physically active, to learn a new skill and to experience the outdoors, in a new part of the world.

What does the Award Involve?

VolunteeringThis involves giving up an hour a week to support a local community and can be anything from mentoring to litter picking.
PhysicalThis involves giving up an hour a week to devote to a physical activity which is usually focussed around sports e.g. football or swimming.
SkillThis involves gaining a skill that can be used later in life, such as learning to cook a meal or to play a musical instrument.
Expedition (also Residential for the Gold Award).Participants are given the opportunity to learn vital camp craft skills, such as tent building and cooking a meal on a camp stove, as well as experiencing walking an assessed route. They take part in a series of journeyed routes that they themselves will design. Journeying can be on foot, bicycle, boat, canoe or kayak or wheelchair. They complete a training walk introducing them to cartographic skills they will need to complete the award and a Practise Expedition, which mimics the final Assessed Expedition. Each award has an expedition has a progressively longer timescale. The final part of the expedition section, is to complete an independently planned route, without any direct adult supervision, assessed and monitored by a Duke of Edinburgh Award Assessor. The assessor evaluates the participants and delivers their result at the end of the expedition.

Bronze

We offer this to students in year 9

Find Out More

Bronze

Year 9, who devote 3 months to volunteering, physical and skill sections as well as an additional 3 months to either volunteering, physical or skill. There is also a 2 day/1 night expedition section where they will undertake 6 hour journeying during the daytime and one night camping.

Volunteering section: 3 months
Physical section: 3 months
Skill section: 3 months
Expedition section: 2 days/1 night
You also have to do 3 more months in one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skill sections.

Silver

We offer this to students in year 10

Find Out More

Silver

Year 10, who have successfully completed the Bronze Award. The timescale involves 6 months devoted to volunteering, physical and skill sections as well as an additional 3 months to either physical or skill. There is also an expedition involving 3 days of journeying for 7 hours each day and 2 nights of camping.

Volunteering section: 6 months
Physical and Skill sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
Expedition section: 3 days/2 nights
If you didn’t do Bronze, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skill sections.

Gold

We offer this to students in year 12

Find Out More

Gold

Year 12, who have successfully completed the Silver Award. The timescale involves 12 months devoted to volunteering, 6 months devoted to physical and skill sections as well as an additional 6 months to either physical or skill. There may be a chance for participants to take the Direct Gold, in which case they will need to add an additional 6 months on either of their longest 12 month sections. The expeditions will be 4 days journeying for a minimum 8 hours each day and 3 nights of camping.

There is an additional, independently arranged, Residential Section requiring participants to undertake a shared activity, away from home, for 4 nights and 5 days.

The Opportunity-finder can help participants find a residential placement.

Volunteering section: 12 months
Physical and Skill sections: One section for 12 months and the other section for 6 months
Expedition section: 4 days/3 nights
Residential section: Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights.
If you didn’t do Silver, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skill sections.

Downloads

Programme Idea Documents

If you have any questions please contact Mr Keil in the Geography Department. Or alternatively further information about the Duke of Edinburgh Award can be found on their website.