Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Coordinator: Mrs T. E. Raftery
Oundle offers all levels of the Award Scheme: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The scheme is entirely voluntary and pupils are not required to drop another activity in order to pursue an Award. It offers a constructive individual challenge, enjoyable activities and encourages personal development. It also helps to develop initiative and organisation, and always includes an Expedition, which has sometimes been completed in a foreign country. At any one time, from the Third Form to the Upper Sixth, almost half the school is involved in the scheme, making Oundle's Award Group one of the largest of any school in the country.
The Award is a four Section Programme with three progressive levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. A specific time on Wednesdays from 5.00pm is set aside for the pupils to receive instruction and guidance.
Duke of Edinburgh Award website
Midlands Region Duke of Edinburgh website
The Award Year Out, a Gap Year opportunity.
Bronze Award: Mrs T.E. Raftery
This involves:
• Volunteering, for 15 hours over three months (helping the community)
• Skills, for three months (a hobby, skill or interest);
• Physical Recreation, for six months (sporting games);
• Expedition (on foot) where pupils plan, prepare and undertake a two
day and one night venture in the area local to Oundle, which is supervised
by staff. Pupils will also undertake a practice expedition in the previous
week. Pupils are required to have completed their Skill, Service and Physical
Recreation strands by the start of the Trinity Quarter in order to take part
in the Expedition, which takes place in the last week of the Trinity Quarter.
This year the Bronze Award has attracted over 150 Third Form pupils.
Download Bronze Award Letter to Parents
Bronze Expedition Dates 2011/12
Sunday 24 to Monday 25 June
Wednesday 27 to Thursday 28 June
Silver Award: Mr R. Banerjee
At this level the participants follow a similar format to the Bronze section of the Award. However, the commitment to each section is a further six months. The Expedition section is a three day and three night venture on foot. The expeditions take place in the Michaelmas Holiday and the Easter Long Exeat. Participants who do not hold their Bronze Award must undertake a further six months in either the Service or the longer of the Skills/Physical Recreation Section. All strands must be completed by the start of the Easter Holiday. The Silver Award attracts a large proportion of the Fifth Form.
Silver Expedition Dates 2011-12
TBC
Gold: Miss A Dean
The Gold Award follows logically from the previous sections, but requires a longer time commitment, being more of a 'marathon' than a 'sprint'. In past years activities undertaken for the Expedition have included hiking, sailing, horse riding, cycling and water ventures. The Gold Award also has an additional Residential Section that pupils must undertake. This involves a shared activity, working with people the candidate has not met before in a residential setting away from home for five days and four nights. Participants who do not hold their Silver Award must undertake a further six months in either the Service or the longer of the Skills/Physical Recreation Section. Over 80 pupils took part in the Gold Award during 2009/2010.
Gold Expedition Dates 2011-12
Download 2011-12 letter to
parents.
Cycling and Hiking
Practice: Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st April 2012
Assessed: Sunday 24th to Thursday 28th June 2012
Katacanoeists
Practice: Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th March 2012
Assessed: Sunday 24th to Thursday 28th June 2012
Nepal Hiking Expedition
15-28 October 2011