DofE at Bournside
What is Duke of Edinburgh (DofE)?
DofE is a transformative opportunity for students, giving them a chance to explore new talents and develop critical skills that they will benefit from throughout their lives. To accomplish all elements of the award, students need motivation, determination, self-reliance, teamwork, and resilience. For the vast majority of students, the final excursion is the most anticipated task.
The award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of activities for anyone aged 14-24, it offers three progressive levels: bronze, silver and gold. At Cheltenham Bournside School we are proud to be able to take students throughout the whole programme. Find out more about the award timescales here - Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Within the Bronze and Silver levels, students will complete four different sections in order to construct the final award. These components entail; helping the community through volunteering activities, developing new skills, becoming fitter and finally training for and completing the much anticipated final expedition.
DofE diaries
We asked our students to share their experiences of the Duke of Edinburgh Award from their point of view. Read our student DofE Diaries here.
For live updates follow Bournside_DofE on Twitter.
BRONZE AWARD
Key Dates:
Bronze Parent Welcome to DofE Online Meeting - Tuesday 14th November 2025 7-8pm
Bournside Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening - Wednesday 27th November 2024 7pm (Invite Only)
Information Evening - Tuesday 15th January 2025 - 7-8pm
Timescales:
Expeditions 2025:
|
Event |
Date |
Location |
|
Training day |
Saturday 1st February 2025 | Bournside School |
|
Bronze Practice Expedition |
Saturday 5th - Sunday 6th April 2025 | Leckhampton |
|
Bronze Qualifying Expedition |
Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th June 2025 | Snowhill |
Silver Award
Key Dates:
Bournside Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening - Wednesday 27th November 2024 - 7pm (Invite Only)
Information Evening - Tuesday 15th January 2025 - 7-8pm
Timescales:
Expeditions 2025:
|
Event |
Date |
Location |
|
Training day |
Saturday 1st February 2025 | Bournside School |
|
Silver Practice Expedition |
Friday 9th (pm arrival) to Sunday 11th May 2025 | New Forest |
|
Silver Assessed Expedition |
Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd June 2025 | Forest of Dean |
GOLD AWARD
Key Dates:
Bournside Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening - Wednesday 27th November 2025 7pm (Invite Only)
Information Evening - Tuesday 15th January 2025 - 7-8pm
Timescales:
Expeditions 2025:
|
Event |
Date |
Location |
|
Training day |
Saturday 1st February 2025 | Bournside School |
|
Gold Practice Expedition |
Friday 14th - Sunday 16th March 2025 | Black Mountains |
|
Gold Qualifying Expedition |
Sunday 13th - Thursday 17th July 2025 | Alps |
Why complete the DofE award?
There are many benefits of completing the DofE award. Taking part in the award has given many participants newfound confidence and the opportunity to challenge themselves. It can also provide a much-needed edge over others when it comes to job and university applications, as participants can give evidence of the communication, teamwork and leadership skills they have developed over the course of the Award.
The essence of DofE is about giving people independence, confidence and skills they wouldn’t normally have acquired, and to make people ready for the world. Having something like this speaks a lot more about what you are like as an individual and demonstrates a lot of the skills we are looking for as a business.
- John Roberts CEO, Founder of ao.com
Useful Information
Please find below a few links to information you may find useful.
Introduction guide to the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bournside
The-Duke-of-Edinburgh-Award-at-Bournside.pdf
Ideas for what to do for your Volunteering, Physical or Skill
programme_ideas.pdf
Help guide logging into eDofE to record your progress.
eDofE-User-Guide-for-Participants.pdf
A guide for assessors
Assessor-guidance.pdf
Expedition Planning:
Kit-List-2024-H5-Adventure.pdf
Expedition-Menu-Planner-v2.pdf
DofE-How-to-pack-your-rucksack-poster-A3.pdf