Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Duke of Edinburgh Gallery

//www.youtube.com/embed/yN7wTcxK408#t=0.5

About the Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Find  out more

One student's experiences

Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form has run a very successful Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme for a number of decades, currently coordinated by Ms. L. Thompson.  The scheme is open to all students in Year 9 or above.  BGGS offers all three levels, (Bronze, Silver and Gold).

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award aims to challenge young people to be the best they can be, learn new skills, give back to their community and work as part of a team, while of course having fun with friends!  Participants gain valuable life skills by working outside their comfort zone in a safe but adventurous and exciting environment.  Many of the previous participants have found the Award to be life changing and enhancing, developing them as a person in ways they would never have anticipated.

The "DofE", as it is often abbreviated, is a widely recognised achievement and schools, colleges, Sixth Forms and employers often value applicants who have achieved the award.  Successful completion of the Award significantly increases skill sets, self confidence, resilience and employability.

Each level involves four compulsory sections; Volunteering, Skills, Physical and Expedition.  Participants plan their own activities for the first three sections and Ms. Thompson supports them planning the expedition.

[Top of the page]

To find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, follow the link to the DofE Website.  Below are some images from previous Duke of Edinburgh's Awards at BGGS.

[Top of the page]

[Top of the page]

On the 24th of September 2021, some students from Years 10 and 11 partook on a very exciting overnight expedition to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to go on a proper practice expedition, therefore we were very much going into this blindly. None of us expected the kind of difficulties we would face.  Challenging our endurance and patience, we had to be incredibly self- sufficient and independent, carrying all the necessities we needed for the stay: from clothes and sleeping bags to food and cooking material! Given solely a map, we had to find our own way to the campsite and back  -with a massive heavy rucksack on our back-  without the use of technology!  Exhausted by the end of this trip, we were pushed beyond limits and questioned several times why we did this. However, we learnt valuable lessons which will impact us for life: such as hard work will not always have instant rewards and we are capable of much more  than we believed. Many of us are looking to enrol for the silver award, which is significantly more difficult. But now we know what it will take to achieve the silver award, we can't wait!

Mahisa  B