DofE

An overview of the Bronze Award at Highworth

The Expedition section for Bronze DofE delivered by Ben Bullen Adventures

Bronze Award Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. When do I start the award?

As soon as you have been enrolled onto the award, you will receive an email to your student email account from DofE. The email will contain your log in details to complete the set-up of your edofe account https://www.dofe.org/signout

Once you have input your basic details such as address and next of kin, you will need to input what you plan to do for your 3 sections (Physical, Skill and Volunteering). Once the programme planner has been approved by Miss Judd for the section you wish to begin, you may start from 1 August. Important! If you begin your section without this approval and what you are doing is not appropriate for the section, you may be asked to start again.

Q2. How long do I need to do each section for?

At Bronze level, you decide which section (physical, skill and volunteering) will have the duration of 6 months and which other sections will be 3 months each. For example, I could volunteer for 3 months, do my physical activity for 6 months and my skill for 3 months.

Q3. Can I complete 2 sections in 1 activity?

You must have 3 different sections for Physical, Skill and Volunteering. For example, you cannot do horse riding for physical, stable management for skill and coaching horse riding for volunteering. The activities must be different and you must spend an hour per activity.

Q4. Can I do more than one activity for my sections?

You must choose one activity for each of your sections and keep the same activity for the duration of the time. If there is a problem with continuing the activity, then you should email Miss Judd.

Q5. How long do I have to spend on my sections every week?

You must spend an average of an hour per week on each activity. Therefore, if you were doing physical, skill and volunteering at the same time, that would mean 3 hours a week.

Q6. How do I evidence my sections?

You must provide evidence if your assessor will not see you physically complete the activity each week. For example, if the activity is running with a running club and the assessor is one of the members who witnesses you running each week, then this would not require further evidence. However, if the assessor was not a witness to the running, then you will need to provide evidence such as using a tracking app (e.g. strava) and taking a screen shot each week of your running data. This evidence should be uploaded to edofe and you will need to send these photos to your assessor at the end of the section time. Other forms of evidence can be diary entries, attendance log (signed by assessor each week).

Q7. Who should I choose as an assessor for my sections?

You can pick anyone to be your assessor providing they are over 18 and not related to you. I recommend using teachers within school. You must ask permission from your chosen assessor before submitting your programme planner for approval.

Q8. Do you have any recommendations for what I can do for Physical, Skill and Volunteering?

What you plan to do for each section should be personal to you and should be something that you might enjoy or would develop you as a person. However, there are strict rules regarding what is appropriate for each section and the DofE provides recommendations on their website https://www.dofe.org/do/ideas/   

For Physical, when participating in the activity it should create signs of short term exercise such as perspiring, increase in heart rate, increase in breathing etc. I recommend fitness activities such as running, walking, cycling, Just Dance and sports such as netball, football, horse riding.

For Skill, the activity should be developing something of interest to you. I recommend drawing/art, cooking/baking, researching a topic and creating a project.

For Volunteering, the activity should be helping either the community, a charity, a younger person, a vulnerable person or an elderly person. You MUST NOT volunteer at a business that makes a profit. For example, you cannot volunteer at a kennels but you can volunteer at a dog rescue centre. You also MUST NOT volunteer for someone who is able such as walking a dog for someone who does not have the time. However, you can walk a dog for someone who is elderly or for someone who is injured/unwell. I recommend litter picking, tutoring a younger child, teaching/coaching at a sports club, Wye community Farm, Cinnamon Trust (dog walking charity), Charity Shops or local Library.

Q9. When do I need to finish the award by?

I recommend students should aim to complete the award by June 1^st when they are in Year 9. This will provide time for the award to be approved by the DofE meaning that the certificate and badge can be awarded during the REACH Awards. If students are not able to complete the award by this deadline, then they should aim to complete the award by June 1^st in Year 10 to receive their award in their final REACH Awards in the lower school.