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Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Dofe logoAt TWGSB we offer students the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and we are very proud of the number of students who complete the awards every year. The Award has three levels: Bronze (Year 9), Silver (Year 10) and Gold (Years 11 aged 16+, 12 and 13).

DofE Sections

There are four main sections of a DofE programme: Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. At Gold participants will also complete a Residential section. The sections are as follows:

  • Volunteering – the organisation you volunteer for must be non-profit making and have a community aspect. You will be giving time to help people, the community or society, the environment or animals. Click for ideas for your Volunteering section.
  • Physical – you need to choose a sport, dance or fitness activity that requires a sustained level of energy and physical activity.
  • Skills – you need to choose an activity (not a physical activity) that allows you to prove you have broadened your understanding and increased your expertise in your chosen skill. (Click here for an online cooking course starting Jan 2025.)
  • Expedition
  • Residential – Gold only

TWGSB advises on all sections, runs expeditions for the Bronze and Silver Award and tracks on eDofE. The Gold expedition is run by outside providers allowing students to make their own choices. Students organise the activities they do for the Volunteering, Physical, Skill and Residential sections themselves. Click HERE for further information on the sections and see the downloads at the foot of this page for programme ideas. For queries on the DofE programme at TWGSB, please contact the school's DofE Coordinator, Mrs P Fedrick. 

Bronze

Bronze Level

Volunteering

Physical   

Skills   

Expedition

3 months

3 months

3 months

Plan, train for and complete a two-day, one-night expedition

All participants must undertake a further three months in the Volunteering, Physical or Skills section.

Students enrol with the school and the tracking of all sections is managed by school. The expedition section is run in school with the support of The Education People DofE Team.  

Silver

Silver Level

Volunteering

Physical

Skills

Expedition

6 months

One section for six months and the other section for three months

Plan, train for and complete a three-day, two-night expedition

Direct entrants (i.e. those who didn't do Bronze) must undertake a further six months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills section.

The expedition section is run in school with the support of The Education People DofE Team. 

Although students generally sign up to take part in the Silver Award in Year 10 after completing their Bronze Award, students do not have to have completed Bronze and can sign up for the Silver Award as a 'direct entrant'.

Gold

Gold Level

Volunteering

Physical

Skills

Expedition

Residential

12 months

One section for 12 months and the other section for six months

Plan, train for and complete a four-day, three-night expedition

Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for five days and four nights

Direct entrants (i.e. those who didn't do Silver) must undertake a further six months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills section.

For the Gold Award, students can enrol with the school and we allow them to choose their Expedition provider from a list of DofE-recommended centres. 

Residential – Gold only

Students need to be aware that they must do a residential that does not include their own peer group. See programme ideas for the Residential section below and read the following guidelines before deciding on your activity:

  1. You must be away from home for a minimum of five days and four nights and must have identified an assessor.
  2. There must be a specific, shared course or activity to broaden experiences and interests done with an organised group, registered charity or Approved Activity Provider (AAP).
  3. The group you are resident with should be unknown to you.
  4. Before the residential, you should carry out appropriate training, briefing or research.
  5. TWGSB must have approved the planned residential.

Expedition

The Expedition sections for Bronze and Silver are run by TWGSB with support from The Education People DofE Team. Gold expeditions are organised and run by outside providers. The length of each expedition depends upon the level: Bronze two days, Silver three days, Gold four days. Please be aware that in order to complete their award, students must complete both the Practice and Assessed Expeditions.

The Bronze Expedition section comprises: 

  • ONE weekend training day
  • A practice expedition
  • An assessed expedition

The Silver Expedition section comprises: 

  • Training sessions in school
  • A practice expedition
  • An assessed expedition

DofE Bronze Expedition Kit List (Practice and Assessed)

Personal clothing (to wear) over two days

  • Strong-soled walking shoes/boots (trainers are permitted although not entirely suitable)
  • Thick socks
  • Comfortable trousers – no jeans/jogging bottoms
  • Shorts if appropriate
  • T-shirt
  • Warm jumper
  • Fleece if it is likely to be cold
  • Underwear
  • ESSENTIAL: Waterproof jacket with hood – this must be waterproof
  • Waterproof over-trousers 
  • Spare set of clothes (waterproof liner) these could be clothes to sleep in
  • Flip flops (optional, for campsite use)

Personal kit

  • Rucksack 65+ litre (Note: rucksacks are not waterproof!)
  • Rucksack waterproof liners (or strong plastic bags/rubble bags)
  • Sleeping bag (waterproof liner)
  • Sleeping mat (waterproof liner)
  • Personal first aid items/medication
  • Toiletry bag (toothpaste, tooth brush, small hand towel, wet wipes etc.)
  • Watch
  • Notebook and pen or pencil
  • Torch and spare batteries
  • Whistle
  • Emergency rations in a sealed bag
  • Complete set of spare clothes in a strong waterproof bag
  • Sun hat/sun cream/sunglasses or woolly hat and gloves, depending on the time of year
  • Water bottle
  • Food for two days
  • Matches in a small container to keep them dry
  • Knife, fork, spoon; plate, mug, bowl
  • Sponge, scourer and washing up liquid
  • Tea towel
  • Plastic bag for rubbish

Group kit

  • Tent *
  • Cooking stove and fuel *
  • Hi-vis jackets (two per team) *

This equipment is automatically provided free of charge by The Education People DofE Team. Other items can be requested for hire, also at no cost. (Students need to ensure they complete a 'Request for hire' form emailed to them before the expedition.)  

eDofE

eDofE is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award tracking facility:

  • Login – it is important that you make a note of your login details. These will have been sent to the email address used on your registration. For Bronze and Silver this will be your school e-mail address.
  • Details – provide your contact details.
  • Timescales – decide on the overall timescales. See Bronze, Silver or Gold for details.
  • My DofE – click on the heading in the left-hand column and specify what you want to do for each section.
  • Evidence – Where your assessor does not witness your activity please provide evidence in the form of a written log/diary entry or photographic evidence.

Once all sections have been completed, students should ask their assessor to upload the report to their online eDofE account via this link: Assessor’s Report - The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Students will need to provide their assessor with their ID number and the start and end time of the relevant section. Remember an assessor cannot be a family member.

Further Information

The Education People DofE Team - email address to come

Duke of Edinburgh's Award website

DofE programme ideas to download

Document Title Date Download
DofE Expedition section 12th Oct 2023 Download
DofE Physical section 12th Oct 2023 Download
DofE Residential section (Gold only) 12th Oct 2023 Download
DofE Skills section 12th Oct 2023 Download
DofE Volunteering section 12th Oct 2023 Download