In January 2022, we celebrated 28 Silver and 102 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award recipients across the two difficult years of the pandemic. These pupils were from Years 10, 11 and 12. They were presented with certificates and badges and their achievements recognised.
For their DofE, pupils have to progress in a physical sport, with a skill, and also volunteer in their community. For many pupils this required significant adaptation, with normal life being put on hold. They responded with ingenuity and resilience.
Some highlights include Cordelia and Bridget who were due to volunteer in a dementia day care centre but instead made home-baked goods and delivered in the community. Pupils also sought more novel volunteering opportunities by helping the global community; some created maps for Medicins Sans Frontieres from satellite imagery to be used in supporting the peopls of the DRC whilst some became citizen scientists identifying carbon dioxide vents on Mars or counting penguins.
Pupils also have to successfully complete expeditions testing their teamworking, route planning and map reading as well as physical stamina. In spring and summer 2020 all expeditions were cancelled due to Covid and rearranged (sometimes several times!) to be finally completed across the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021. Although camping was off the cards for many of the pupils, they still enjoyed(!) two or three day expeditions walking for up to seven hours per day with a large pack. We were lucky enough to complete two camping expeditions at the very end of 2021 with the current Year 11s and 12s which was a great way to round off this tricky period.
Mr Chuter (Teacher of Physics)