This year, over 40 students in Years 9, 10 and 11 have earned one of the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Awards following completion of tasks in four main sections of the programme: Volunteering, Physical, Skills, and Expedition.

Our DofE scheme is offered as part of our personal development programme and managed by Geography Teacher, Mrs Fegan. Students work with her throughout the year to log the required number of volunteering hours, alongside those spent taking part in physical activities or developing a new skill. The programme culminates with an expedition involving orienteering, hiking and camping. To achieve the Bronze Award, students must complete three months of volunteering in school or in the wider community. This year, students have been involved in sports coaching at local clubs, assisting Year 7s with one-to-one support as part of the reading initiative at King James, and helping to organise events as part of our commitment to fundraising or our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiative. They must also participate in a physical activity for at least three months and students have been involved in everything from football, boxing,

martial arts and gymnastics to dancing. In terms of developing a new or existing skill, some participants have focused on progression in a sporting activity or developing their fitness levels and stamina, whilst others have been learning a language and developing their cooking skills.

To achieve the Silver Award, students must complete a six-month period in each category. For the expedition element, which involves team navigation, a countryside hike and overnight camping with cooking, students planned and completed an expedition in an unfamiliar environment. For the Bronze award, the expedition covered two days and one night, and for the Silver, students completed three days and two nights. To effectively prepare for this, students took part in basic first aid training; they also took part in practice sessions to ensure they were able to put up their tent without supervision and hike with their back packs. Students who completed the programme can now add the prestigious awards to their CV. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme, which was launched in 1956, is well respected by both universities and employers who recognise the high level of commitment and resilience required to succeed.