Duke of Edinburgh Award
Enrichment Overview
The DofE is an internationally recognised award favoured by employers and universities alike. By participating in the DofE Award you will develop key skills of confidence, dedication and commitment. You can design your own DofE programme. Activities within the DofE programme can be matched with those you are already doing. For example, activities like playing football, learning an instrument or being a member of the Student Council can be used as evidence towards the DofE bronze award. Most enrichment options within this guide can be used as a skill evidence for the bronze and silver awards.
Why choose this enrichment?
Sign up to the DofE programme if you want to explore personal challenges and develop personal skills including; time management, problem solving and initiative. It will also improve your interpersonal skills and give you friendships and memories for life! You really get out of the award what you put into it.
How long will the enrichment last?
For participants at Bronze and Silver Level we meet once a week to train for aspects of the adventurous journey during year 12, these meetings will count towards your college attendance. Outside of these meetings you will spend 3-4 hours a week collecting evidence towards the other 3 strands of the award if you wish to collect all of the evidence concurrently, or less time per week for longer if you want to collect evidence for each strand consecutively. In addition to the weekly meetings there are 2 overnight trips per level.
• Bronze training event - 24 hours including 1 night camping
• Bronze Qualifying expedition - 2 days walking, 1 night camping
• Silver Practice Expedition - 48 hours including 2 days walking and 2 nights camping
• Silver Qualifying expedition - 3 days walking, 2 nights camping
For participants at Gold level and students in year 13 we run drop in support sessions for assisting with programme planning and completion. You can continue to work towards the award after you have left college up to the age of 25.
How much time a week will it involve?
1 – 2 hours per week.
What will it cost?
• Bronze award: £46.50 (including £36 registration with the awarding body and 2 sets of expedition camp fees (does not include food or transport from the expedition end point which is typically by means of public transport)
• Silver award: £96.00 (including £36.00 registration with the awarding body and 2 sets of expedition camp fees (does not include food or transport to/from the expedition start /end points which is typically by means of public transport)
• Gold Award: £40.00 this covers the fee for registration with the awarding body only – costs for expeditions and residentials are variable and paid directly to those providers
Who can sign up?
All Year 12 students are able to apply for a place on the DofE awards enrichment. If students have not previously been enrolled on the award we would recommend that they join us on Bronze level. Students who have previously been enrolled on the award elsewhere, maybe at school or with a youth organisation, can transfer their registration to us and continue with an incomplete level or start on the next level of challenge. If continuing on the same level there is no fee to transfer the current registration to us.
How do I sign up?
Applications for participants new to DofE awards and for transfers from previous organisations will open at enrolment and close at the end of September 2026. It is not only possible, but often desirable, that you do another complementary enrichment that can be used towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award.