Duke of Edinburgh

What is the Duke of Edinburgh Award

A life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers. 

The DofE is many things to many people, supporting generations to successfully navigate adult life. 

14-24 year-olds can do a DofE programme at one of three progressive levels which, when successfully completed, leads to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Here at Heath Lane Academy we offer the Bronze award.

There are four sections to complete at Bronze. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition. 

Three of the sections that need to be completed must be for a 3 month period and the third lasting for six months. These will be recorded through sessions logs/photographs. All sections must be then signed off by an assessor which cannot be a relation to the participant.  

Through a DofE programme participants fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem, and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing college, university and job applications.  

If you have any further enquiries as to how you can get involved with the DofE by enrolling or supporting a young person through their Bronze DofE please get in contact with our DofE manager.  

You can expect to see participants develop in the following areas as they work through their DofE programme:
  • Self-belief and self-confidence 
  • A sense of identity 
  • Initiative and a sense of responsibility 
  • A real awareness of their strengths 
  • New talents and abilities 
  • The ability to plan and use time effectively 
  • Learning from and giving to others in the community 
  • Forming new friendships 
  • Problem solving, presentation and communication skills 
  • Leadership and team working skills. 
DofE meeting programme

DofE meeting programme

Bronze D of E Expedition details

As part of the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award all participants must complete a practice walk, along with a qualifying expedition, participants much show their confidence with navigation, map reading, camp craft and team work.  

Day walk: Saturday 18th March 23 

Expedition: Saturday 29th April – Sunday 30th April 23 

Participants will only need a small rucksack for the day walk with a packed lunch/snacks and plenty of fluid. 

For the expedition they will need full kit along with food/water for the weekend. Participants will be walking from HLA to Ullesthorpe scout campsite (Frolesworth Rd, Lutterworth LE17 5BZ) on Day 1 and then back to HLA on Day 2. 

Please see below for group meeting times for both activities. Both activities start at HLA 

Group 1 to meet at 8.30am 

Group 2 to meet at 8.45am  

Group 3 to meet at 9:00am  

Group 4 to meet at 9:15am

Approximate finishing times for all groups for both activities will be around 3pm back at HLA. We will contact you if we exceed 3pm.  

Expedition Kit List 

https://edofe.org/

  • Assessor portal link 

https://www.dofe.org/assessor

  • enrolment form link

https://forms.office.com/r/c4YM1XXkGY 

Physical section

When completing each section of your DofE, you should develop a programme which is specific and relevant to you. Many of the DofE programme activities can be adapted to meet the needs of young people with disabilities and some, referred to as adapted sports, are unique to disabled people. This sheet gives you a list of programme ideas that you could do or you could use it as a starting point to create a physical programme of your own. You can find more information at DofE.org/do and there is a range of exciting opportunities to help you complete this section at DofE.org/finder.

It’s your choice…

Doing physical activity is fun and improves your health and physical fitness. There’s an activity to suit everyone so choose something you are really interested in. Help with planning You can use the programme planner on the website to work with your Leader to plan and agree your

Individual sports
  • Airsoft
  • Archery
  • Athletics (any field or track event)
  • Biathlon/Triathlon/ Pentathlon/ Aquathon
  • Bowls
  • Boxing
  • Croquet
  • Cross country running
  • Cycling
  • Fencing
  • Geocaching
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Horse riding
  • Modern pentathlon
  • Motocross
  • Orienteering
  • Paintballing
  • Pétanque
  • Roller blading
  • Roller skating
  • Running
  • Static trapeze
  • Supercross
  • Ten pin bowling
  • Trampolining
  • Wheelchair fencing
  • Wrestling
Water sports
  • Canoeing
  • Diving
  • Dragon Boat Racing
  • Free-diving
  • Kite surfing
  • Kneeboarding
  • Rowing & sculling
  • Sailing
  • Skurfing
  • Sub aqua (SCUBA diving & snorkelling)
  • Surfing/body boarding
  • Swimming
  • Synchronised swimming
  • Underwater rugby
  • Wakeboarding
  • Windsurfing
Dance
  • Ballet
  • Ballroom dancing
  • Belly dancing
  • Bhangra dancing
  • Ceroc
  • Contra dance
  • Country & Western
  • Flamenco
  • Folk dancing
  • Jazz
  • Line dancing
  • Morris dancing
  • Salsa (or other Latin styles) dancing
  • Scottish/Welsh/ Irish dancing
  • Street dancing/ breakdancing/ hip hop
  • Swing
  • Tap dancing
Racquet Sports
  • Badminton
  • Matkot
  • Racketball
  • Racketlon
  • Rackets
  • Rapid ball
  • Real tennis
  • Squash
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Wheelchair tennis
Fitness
  • Aerobics
  • Cheerleading
  • Fitness classes
  • Gym work
  • Medau movement
  • Physical achievement
  • Pilates
  • Running/jogging
  • Walking
  • Weightlifting
  • Wii-fit
  • Yoga
Extreme Sports
  • BMX
  • Caving & potholing
  • Climbing
  • Free running (parkour)
  • Ice skating
  • Mountain biking
  • Mountain unicycling
  • Parachuting
  • Skateboarding
  • Skydiving
  • Snow sports (skiing, snowboarding, snowkiting)
  • Speed skating
  • Street luge
Martial Arts
  • Aikido
  • Capoeira
  • Ju Jitsu
  • Judo
  • Karate
  • Kendo
  • Mixed martial arts
  • Self-defence
  • Sumo
  • Tae Kwon Do
  • Tai Chi
Team Sports
  • American football
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boccia
  • Camogie
  • Cricket
  • Curling
  • Dodge disc 2
  • Dodgeball
  • Fives
  • Football
  • Frame football
  • Futsal
  • Gaelic football
  • Goalball
  • Handball
  • Hockey
  • Hurling
  • Ice hockey
  • Kabaddi
  • Korfball
  • Lacrosse
  • Netball
  • Octopushing
  • Polo
  • Quidditch
  • Roller derby
  • Rogaining
  • Rounders
  • Rugby (union/League)
  • Sitting Volleyball
  • Sledge hockey / ice hockey
  • Softball
  • Stoolball
  • Tchoukball
  • Tug of war
  • Ultimate flying disc
  • Volleyball
  • Wallyball
  • Water polo
  • Wheelchair basketball
  • Wheelchair rugby

Programme ideas: Skills section

When completing each section of your DofE, you should develop a programme which is specific and relevant to you.

This page gives you a list of programme ideas that you could do or you could use it as a starting point to create a Skills programme of your own. You can find more information at DofE.org/skills and there is a range of exciting opportunities to help you complete this section at DofE.org/finder.

It’s your choice…

A skill helps you get better at something you are really interested in and gives you the confidence and ability to use this skill both now and later in life. Help with planning You can use the programme planner on the website to work with your Leader to plan and agree your activity before you start.

Performing Arts
  • Ballet appreciation
  • Ceremonial drill
  • Circus skills
  • Conjuring & magic
  • Majorettes
  • Puppetry
  • Singing
  • Speech & drama
  • Theatre appreciation
  • Ventriliquism
  • Yoyo extreme
Science & Technology
  • Aerodynamics
  • Anatomy
  • App design
  • Astronomy
  • Biology
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Coding/ programming
  • Ecology
  • Electronics
  • Engineering
  • Entomology
  • IT
  • Marine biology
  • Oceanography
  • Paleontology
  • Physics
  • Rocket making
  • Taxonomy
  • Weather/meteorology
  • Website design
  • Zoology
Care of Animals
  • Agriculture (keeping livestock)
  • Aquarium keeping
  • Beekeeping
  • Caring for reptiles
  • Dog training & handling
  • Horse/donkey/llama/alpaca handling & care
  • Looking after birds (i.e. budgies & canaries)
  • Pet care – health/training/ maintenance
  • Pigeon breeding & racing
Music
  • Church bell ringing
  • Composing
  • DJing
  • Evaluating music & musical performances
  • Improvising melodies
  • Listening to, analysing & describing music
  • Music appreciation
  • Playing a musical instrument
  • Playing in a band
  • Reading & notating music
  • Understanding music in relation to history & culture
Natural World
  • Agriculture
  • Conservation
  • Forestry
  • Gardening
  • Groundsmanship
  • Growing carniverous plants
  • Plant growing
  • Snail farming
  • Vegetable growing
Games and recreation
  • Cards (i.e. bridge)
  • Chess Clay target shooting
  • Coxing
  • Cycle maintenance
  • Darts
  • Dominoes
  • Fishing/fly fishing
  • Flying Gliding
  • Go-karting
  • Historical period re-enacting
  • Kite construction & flying
  • Mah Jongg
  • Marksmanship
  • Model construction & racing
  • Motor sports
  • Power boating
  • Snooker, pool & billiards
  • Sports appreciation
  • Sports leadership
  • Sports officiating
  • Table games
  • War Games
Life Skills
  • Alternative therapies
  • Cookery
  • Democracy in action
  • Digital lifestyle
  • Driving: car maintenance/car road skills
  • Driving: motorcycle maintenance/ road skills
  • Event planning First aid – St John/St Andrew/ BRCS
  • Hair & beauty
  • Learning about the emergency services
  • Learning about the RNLI (Lifeboats)
  • Library & information skills
  • Life skills
  • Massage
  • Money management
  • Navigation
  • Public speaking and debating
  • Skills for employment
  • Young Enterprise
Learning & collecting
  • Aeronautics
  • Aircraft recognition
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Astronautics
  • Astronomy
  • Bird watching
  • Coastal navigation
  • Coins Collections, studies & surveys
  • Comics
  • Contemporary legends
  • Costume study
  • Criminology
  • Dowsing & divining
  • Fashion
  • Forces insignia
  • Gemstones
  • Genealogy
  • Heraldry
  • History of art
  • Language skills
  • Military history
  • Movie posters
  • Postcards
  • Reading
  • Religious studies
  • Ship recognition
  • Stamp collecting
Media & communication
  • Amateur radio
  • Blogging
  • Communicating with people who are visually impaired
  • Communicating with people who have a hearing impediment
  • Film & video making
  • Journalism
  • Newsletter & magazine production
  • Signalling
  • Vlogging
  • Writing
Creative arts
  • Basket making
  • Boat work
  • Brass rubbing
  • Building catapaults & trebuchets
  • Cake decoration
  • Camping gear making
  • Candle-making
  • Canoe building
  • Canvas work
  • Carnival/festival float construction
  • Ceramics Clay modelling
  • Crocheting
  • Cross stitch
  • DIY
  • Dough craft
  • Drawing
  • Dressmaking
  • Egg decorating
  • Embroidery
  • Enamelling
  • Fabric printing
  • Feng Shui
  • Floral decoration
  • French polishing
  • Furniture restoration
  • Glass blowing
  • Glass painting
  • Interior design
  • Jewellery making
  • Knitting
  • Lace making
  • Leatherwork
  • Lettering & calligraphy
  • Macramé
  • Marquetry
  • Model construction
  • Mosaic
  • Painting & design
  • Patchwork
  • Photography
  • Pottery
  • Quilting
  • Rope work
  • Rug making
  • Snack pimping
  • Soft toy making
  • Tatting
  • Taxidermy
  • Textiles
  • Weaving and spinning
  • Wine/beer making
  • Woodwork

Programme ideas: Volunteering section

When completing each section of your DofE, you should develop a programme which is specific and relevant to you.

This page gives you a list of programme ideas that you could do or you could use it as a starting point to create a Volunteering section programme of your own.

You can find more information at DofE.org/do and there is a range of exciting opportunities to help you complete this section at DofE.org/finder.

It’s your choice…

Volunteering gives you the chance to make a difference to people’s lives and use your skills and experience to help your local community. You can use this opportunity to become involved in a project or with an organisation that you care about. Help with planning You can use the programme planner on the website to work with your Leader to plan and agree your activity before you start. Before you begin, it is important to check that your volunteering meets the criteria for businesses and family members (see DofE.org/do for the requirements)

Helping People
  • Helping children
  • Helping children to read in libraries
  • Helping in medical services e.g. Hospitals
  • Helping older people
  • Helping people in need
  • Helping people with special needs
  • Tutoring
  • Young carer
  • Youth Work
Working with the Environment or Animals
  • Animal welfare
  • Environment
  • Rural conservation
  • Preserving waterways
  • Working at an animal rescue centre
  • Litter picking
  • Urban conservation
  • Beach and coastline conservation
  • Zoo/farm/nature reserve work
Coaching, Teaching & Leadership
  • Dance leadership
  • DofE Leadership
  • Group leadership
  • Head student
  • Sports leadership
  • Music tuition

Leading a voluntary organisation group

  • Girls’ Venture Corps
  • Sea Cadets
  • Air Cadets
  • Jewish Lads’ and Girls’Brigade
  • St John Ambulance
  • Scout Association  
  • Air Training Corps
  • Army Cadet Force
  • Boys’ Brigade
  • CCF
  • Church Lads’ & Girls’ Brigade
  • Girlguiding UK
  • Girls’ Brigade
Helping a charity or a community organisation
  • Administration
  • Being a charity intern
  • Being a volunteer lifeguard
  • Event management
  • Fundraising
  • Mountain rescue
  • Religious education
  • Serving a faith community
  • Supporting a charity
  • Working in a charity shop
Community Action & Raising Awareness
  • Campaigning
  • Cyber safety
  • Council representation
  • Drug & alcohol education
  • Home accident prevention
  • Neighbourhood watch
  • Peer education
  • Personal safety
  • Promotion & PR
  • Road safety
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