Wren Academy Enfield provides students with the opportunity to complete Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards. The Award is extremely popular at Wren with us having over 120 students complete the Bronze award in our first year and are looking for approximately the same amount of students again this year, if not more. This year we will be offering our Year 10 students the opportunity to continue with the award by completing the Silver level; we are excited at the prospect of this and are confident that we will continue to have many students involved.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award aims to provide an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development for young people, which is of the highest quality and widest reach. The key principles are that the Award is:
- Non-competitive
- Flexible
- Available to all
- Balanced
- Voluntary
- Progressive
- Focussed on achievement
- Enjoyable
There are three separate Award levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each has a different minimum starting age and period of participation. The minimum entry age for Bronze is 14 years, Silver is 15 years and Gold is 16 years. At Wren, we offer Year 9 students the opportunity to undertake the Bronze Award and Year 10 students the opportunity to participate in the Silver Award. For the Bronze award students complete their required expedition training during their Core Physical Education lessons, whereas for the Silver and Gold students complete a practice expedition. The Silver and Gold Awards will also be able to be started in Year 12 (although they would not be finished until the end of Year 13 at the earliest).
While it is recommended to start with the Bronze Award and work your way up, this is not the only means to achieve the Award. Students who may not have completed the Bronze award are welcomed and encouraged to start the Silver Award as a direct entrant.
At each level participants undertake an activity from each of the following sections:
- Volunteering
- Physical Recreation
- Expedition
- Residential (Gold Award only)
Participants will undertake training sessions and some examples include:
- Camp Craft – tent care and usage
- Camp Cooking – cooking on a trangia and suggested meals
- First Aid – theory and practical sessions
- Map Reading – how to use grid references and bearings
- Navigation – practical use of maps and compasses
- Completion of Route Cards
- Countryside Code
- Rucksacks – what to bring and how to pack
Participants are able to update sections and track their progress using the online eDofE system and via the eDofE App.
Those who complete their Gold Award are invited to St James's Palace where they are presented to a member of The Royal Family and presented with their Award certificate.
If you have any questions please email the Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator via studentservices@wrenacademyenfield.org
Below is a list of links relating to the DofE Award:
eDofE login page: https://www.edofe.org
Award sections information: https://www.dofe.org/do/sections/
Expedition kit list: https://www.dofe.org/shopping/dofe-expedition-kit-list/
Activity ideas: https://www.dofe.org/do/ideas/