The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has been running since 1956 and aims at encouraging people from 14 to 24 to go the extra mile by gaining new skills, pushing themselves physically, helping others and exploring new territories. At the same time, they will gather friendships, experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

Here at Colfox, we firmly believe in encouraging students to get involved in the DofE and inspiring, guiding and supporting them to develop independence and gaining recognition for their achievements. We are fully committed to the ten guiding principles: 

Non-competitive; Achievable by all; Voluntary; Personal development; Personalised; Balanced; Progressive; Achievement focused; Commitment and Enjoyment.

The DofE has three different levels, which have different demands on the level of commitment a young person must show. In each level, they have to complete four sections.

Currently, we offer the Bronze Award to students in year 10, and we offer the Gold Award to students in the sixth from.

The part of DofE the students most enjoy is the expeditions. At Bronze, students complete their practise expedition walking south from Dorchester to Weymouth and then west to Abbotsbury. For their assessed expedition we go to the Purbecks. At Gold, the students undertake their expeditions in the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor National Parks.

Overall, the DofE is a fantastic Award that develops and recognises young people’s potential and resilience in a wide variety of settings.