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 no pupil has 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 5.00 p.m. 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:
• Service (helping the community)
• Skills, for either three or six months (a hobby,
skill or interest);
• Physical Recreation, three or six months (sports,
fitness);
• 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 expected to have completed their Skill, Service
and Physical Recreation strands before 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.
Expedition Dates 2009/10
Sunday 27th to Monday 28th June
Wednesday 30th to Thursday 1st July
See new documents below for Bronze Expeditions
Second
Letter to Parents, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh 2010
Medical
Consent Form, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh 2010
Kit
Request Form, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh 2010
Letter
to Parents, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh 2010
Sample Service
Book pages 6 and 7 and pages
8 and 9
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 two 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.
Expedition Dates 2009-10
Saturday 17th to Monday 19th October
Saturday 27th to Tuesday 30th March
Silver
Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, Letter, April 2009
Silver
Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, Medical Consent Forms,
posted June 2009
Gold: Miss A Dean
Gold
Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, Letter, posted January 2010
The Gold Award follows logically from the previous sections, but requires a longer time commitment focusing 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. However, the Gold Award does have 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. 80 pupils took part in the Gold Award during 2008/2009.
Gold Expedition Dates 2010
Departures will be at 9.00a.m. on the first day from the swimming pool car park, expected return times 7.00 p.m. at the Swimming pool car park on the final day.
For the walking and cycling practice the Peak District at Easter pupils have the option of joining at 12:30 p.m. on the 15th and leaving at 3pm on the 17th from Hope Station. Please contact me directly should you wish your son/daughter to do this.
For All Walkers-
Practice Peak District 15th -17th April 2010 . Assessed Yorkshire 26th -30th
June 2010
For All Cyclists-
Practice Peak District 15th -17th April 2010 . Assessed Coast to Coast 26th
-30th June 2010
For all Katacanoeists-
Practice River Nene 27th -29th March 2010. Assessed River Trent 26th -30th
June 2010
For All Horse Riders-
Practice Yorkshire 12th -15th April 2010. Assessed North Wales 26th -30th
June 2010
Sample route cards, and the Green Form, will be available for download from the School internal servers. Please contact Miss Dean if you experience any difficulties.