Please see the letter below regarding 2023/2024

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an internationally respected Scheme which enables young people to engage in activities which are both challenging and fulfilling. Most elements of the Award are undertaken individually, only the Expedition is a group activity. 

King Ecgbert School typically offers students the opportunity to enrol for the Bronze Award in Y10. The reasoning behind this is that students can usually complete the requirements for the Bronze Award within a twelve month period before the demands of GCSE examinations become paramount. 

Most students are already engaged in sporting or leisure activities which qualify for either the Skills or Physical sections, and have no difficulty in continuing their involvement as part of the Award. Students are encouraged to use their own initiative in setting up their volunteer work. 

The Expedition section is the only part of the Award administered wholly from school, and involves a Practice weekend where members of staff train and accompany student groups on an overnight camping trip. The Qualifying Expedition is done with staff supervision at strategic points, but student teams are expected to undertake navigation and camping independently. 

Students in Y12 are offered the opportunity of enrolling for the Gold Award, which takes longer to complete and involves a greater level of personal commitment, but students have up to the age of 25 to do it! Several do complete the Award whilst they are at King Ecgbert, and it is testimony to their organisational skills that they do so whilst still achieving excellent A level results.