Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

What is the Bronze 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. At Stratford School Academy we currently offer the Bronze Award for Year 9 students.

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

Any young person can do their DofE – regardless of ability, gender, background or location. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

Through a DofE programme young people have 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 CVs and uni and job applications. Top employers recognise the work-ready skills skills Award holders bring to their business.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a registered charity, funded by donations, Participation Places and licences. The charity works with LOs across the UK to increase opportunities for young people to gain the benefits of doing their DofE.

Why do the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award?

For the hundreds of thousands of young people who take part each year, the benefits of achieving a DofE Award at any level are endless. DofE is about helping you along the path to a productive and prosperous future. As many of our participants say, it’s life-changing.

Achieving an Award will give you skills, confidence and an edge over others when you apply for college, university or a job. Beyond your academic achievements, universities want to see evidence of so called ‘soft skills’ that you have developed through extra-curricular activities, such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork. Your DofE Award is a fantastic way to demonstrate and evidence these skills in practice.

You’ll also make a difference to other people’s lives and your community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and have memories to last you a lifetime. Our pupils also tell us that doing their DofE gives them character traits like confidence and resilience, that can boost their mental health and wellbeing and help them face and overcome personal challenges.  

Timescales

Activities for each DofE section take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period of time, so they can be fitted in around academic study, hobbies and social lives.

Development and regular progress must be shown and all activities must be completed by the participant’s 15th birthday. At Stratford School Academy we aim to complete the bronze award within the year.

It will usually take you at least 6 months to complete your Bronze programme.

– Volunteering section: 3 months
– Physical section: 3 months
– Skills section: 3 months
– Expedition section: 2 days/1 night

You also have to spend an extra three months on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections. It’s your choice which one and, though you can change your mind later, you should decide which section you want to do for longer at the beginning. Knowing how long you’re going to do it for will help you to choose your activity and set your goals for each section.

What happens once I’ve signed up?

Your DofE Leader will hold a parent/guardian meeting to ensure everyone is aware of what is required of them and how to complete the course. 

Next your DofE Leader will email you a link to your eDofE account. This is where you log your progress through your DofE programme and where your Leader checks and approves you’ve completed your activity in each section.

Once you’ve added your home address to your eDofE profile you’ll be sent a Welcome Pack with lots of helpful information and your personalised DofE Card so you can access discounts and offers on expedition kit and other items. If your pack doesn’t arrive, you can download the contents here.

Now, you can start choosing what activities you want to do and decide your goals – although you don’t have to wait until you get your Welcome Pack before you start planning your programme.

Once you’ve chosen your Assessors and your Leader has approved your plans, you’re ready to get going with your activities.

eDofE

eDofE is our digital system where participants record your DofE programme and activities online, and get each section approved by your DofE Leader. Once you enrol, your DofE Leader will set up an account for you in eDofE and you’ll then be sent an email with your signing in details. Then you’re ready to activate your account and start choosing your activities and setting objectives.

On eDofE you can easily select what you want to do for each section, and get your DofE Leader to approve your choices and Assessor. You can check your progress throughout your programme and submit evidence in a variety of formats. You can message your DofE Leader and other participants in your group from within eDofE. You can also download your DofE Voucher from eDofE, giving you savings of at least 10% at our recommended retailers.

There is so much more you can do, but please use our short guide to help you complete the minimum required steps when activating your account.

When you’ve finished a section, you need an Assessor’s Report. The Assessor can do this online or by using an Assessor’s Report card you can photograph and upload into eDofE.

When you’ve completed all the sections, your Licensed Organisation will approve your DofE Award through eDofE.

eDofE Mapping

The OS eDofE Mapping system is accessible via eDofE, allowing you to create personalised expedition maps. You can access the mapping application within the Expedition section of eDofE. Once you login, select ‘Mapping’ from the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. Need more help? Visit eDofE Mapping user guide and FAQs.

Parents and carers

Young people are responsible for creating and doing their own DofE programmes, but parents and carers can play an important role in supporting them. If you’re new to DofE, check out the basic info and FAQs in this section and get a parent’s perspective by watching the films below. If your child is already signed up, we’ve got some tips for how you can help. View the DofE Parents page. 

Contact SSA DofE Leader

Bronze DofE Award Documents