About the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award at Rugby High School

What is the DofE?

“A life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers. The DofE is many things to many people, supporting generations to successfully navigate adult life.

Any young person can do their DofE – regardless of ability, gender, background or location. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

Through a DofE programme young people have fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs and uni and job applications. Top employers recognise the work-ready skills Award holders bring to their business."

Our DofE Team

The DofE Manager, Janet Williams (dofe@rugbyhighschool.co.uk)- Organises the school side of expeditions and has overall oversight of the scheme.

Riannah Brook, DofE Verifier (r.brook@rugbyhighschool.co.uk) - Verifies submissions and oversees awards.

First4Adventure, Expedition Provider (http://first4adventure.co.uk/) - Our expedition provider, provides training, instruction and assessment on expedition.

Levels, ages and timescales

There are three levels to the Duke of Edinburgh Award: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The main differences between them are the minimum length of time it takes to complete them, how challenging it is and the minimum age you can start.

The earliest you can begin each award is as follows:

Bronze – Year 9

Silver – Year 10

Gold – Year 12

For full information on the differences between the levels, have a look at the DofE website: https://www.dofe.org/doing-your-dofe/levels-timescales/

If your child receives Free School Meals or qualifies for Pupil Premium because they have received Free School meals in the last six years (not through the universal entitlement) we can pay for the costs of DofE from Pupil Premium funding.

The school does not make any profit from the DofE fees, and the school's DofE staff are not paid out of student's fees.