Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

The Duke of Edinburgh Award has been running in the school very successfully for 9 years. In that time over 500 young people have achieved the Award at either Silver or Bronze level. This year we have over 200 pupils taking part in the Bronze and Silver sections of the award and are currently hoping to begin the Gold award with a small number of S5 pupils.

As part of the Award pupils will become involved in three sections these sections are: Service, Skill and Physical Recreation.

As part of their service section pupils give up there spare time to become involved in community based activities. Many pupils last year helped in the local nurseries, charity shops and old folk’s homes. The skill involves the participant taking up a new skill and developing it over the course of the Award. The physical activity section involves the participant taking part in a physical activity of there choice and developing their fitness.

In June we had 40 pupils complete their silver expedition at Loch Lomond. The pupils all gained valuable experience by working in teams, conducting projects and having to put up with the odd midge or two!!!

This term we are running our second Silver expedition to Loch Lomond with 45 pupils. The group will undertake their practice expedition on the 13th and 14th of September. The group will then undertake their Qualifying expedition in October (Friday 3rd-Sunday 5th October)

The Bronze award is also proving very popular among our S4 pupils with over 90 pupils beginning the award this term. The pupils are currently being issued with their logbooks and will begin to start each of the sections involved with the Award.

For parents and Pupils
Why should I take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award?

People do the Award for lots of different reasons but the most important reason to get involved is because you will enjoy it. Let's face it: there's no point in doing the Award if you don't have some fun along the way.

The flexible Programme and the wide range of options means you can try something different without having to do anything you don't want to do.

Everyone gets different things out of the Award but there are some common benefits which we've listed here... In taking part, you'll develop:
• Self-belief
• Self confidence
• A sense of identity
• Independence of thought and action
• A sense of responsibility
• An awareness of their potential
• New talents and abilities
• An understanding of strengths and weaknesses
• The ability to plan and use time
• The ability to learn from and give to others in the community
• New relationships
• Skills including problem solving, presentation and communication
• The ability to lead and work as part of a team

So why bother with The DofE?

A CAREER
No doubt about it: an Award looks good on your CV.

Bosses often notice when a person applying for a job has an Award. It sounds corny, but all those skills and qualities associated with the Award - teamwork, drive, dedication, perseverance, problem-solving abilities and communication skills - are just what employers are looking for.

So it's no wonder how many people say that the Award helped their career, and it's no surprise more and more businesses are encouraging their workers to take up the Award.

FRIENDS
Friends are a bit like Jaffa Cakes; you can never have too many. So even if you already know more people than Chris Evans, you're going to meet a whole lot more if you do The Award. You're practically guaranteed to make new friends of all ages. And let’s face it, that's cheaper than making those Premium Rate calls.

ADVENTURE
You're half way up a mountain. It's raining. You're hungry. And somebody forgot to bring the can opener. Doh!

Adventure? It's probably not what you'd call it at the time, but getting through these sorts of dilemmas makes for great stories in the future.

It's often the Expeditions Sections of the Award that people enjoy most. Whether you're hitting the highlands on foot or taking a major waterway on by canoe, there's always going to be a sense of adventure involved.

Some people even use the Award as an opportunity to take in more exotic excursions - Indonesia, Uganda, Pakistan, Namibia, Bolivia... There has even been a camel expedition through the wilds of Morocco. You don't have to be a rugged out-doors-type person to do the Award, but don't be surprised if you develop a taste for Adventure.

AN AWARD
Yep, you get an Award.

Okay, so we're stating the obvious here, but what does getting an Award actually mean? Well, for a start it is seen by educational institutions, employers and governments all over the world as a pretty impressive achievement.

And if you complete your Gold, you will get to rub shoulders with Royalty itself. Presentations take place in the Royal Palaces and you receive your Award in the presence of The Duke of Edinburgh himself. Flash, huh?

NEW SKILLS AND INTERESTS
Cacti growing or egg decorating? Fly fishing or map making? The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the perfect platform for learning new skills or discovering new interests. There are Award Programmes in place for over 200 activities and if you find your chosen interest isn't one of them, don't fear: a new Programme can be created especially for you and your passion.

Many people use the Award as an opportunity to take the plunge and try something they would never have thought of doing before. Some people even discover they've got talents they never knew they had.

Despite the blisters, the tent blowing away in a storm and the strange animal howlings on the moors ('Kevin? What are you doing out there?'), Award Holders always feel good about having finished their Awards.

After all, you've planned and organised everything, made the contacts with the right people, and finally met the requirements of the various Sections.

Sounds like reason to celebrate to me...

SELF CONFIDENCE
If you can do the Award, you can do anything... well, not quite, but the Award will show you how you can take on seemingly daunting challenges.

And whatever way you look at it, this belief in yourself is bound to be useful in other areas of your life.

FITNESS
Fitness may not be your main goal when doing the Award, but it’s a sure bet that once you’ve been on an expedition, you'll be in better shape than before you started.

Your Award doesn't have to be hugely active; no one is out to turn you into an Olympic athlete (though some Participants have actually become Olympic and Commonwealth athletes like Dame Kelly Holmes!). But there will be some physical activity involved which can actually be quite good fun and, as they keep telling us, is apparently good for you.

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Congratulations to all pupils who have recently achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Their hard work over the last year has resulted in them undertaking volunteer work, taking part in a physical activity of their choice and also developing an existing skill or taking up a new hobby. The final part of the award involved the pupils taking part in a walking expedition over two weekends in Loch Lomond National Park.

The following pupils have successfully met all the criteria for the award and have been awarded their Bronze Award.

• Amy Chotai
• Laura Bruce
• Katie Miller
• Fiona Martin
• Elisabeth Ferrell
• Helena Brown
• Amy Dawson
• Ruth Thomson
• Amy Kirk
• Joanne Williamson
• Kaitlin Mayne
• Katie Lormier
• Jasmine Latter
• Ross McKerral
• Zara Mohamed
• Charlie Fabian
• Euan McGonigle

Below are some pictures from recent expeditions.

Pupil’s perspective of the award of the Award

Undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh's award at school was a fantastic opportunity. The award involves doing volunteering, a skill and a sport for 6 to 12 months as well as an expedition.

Our expedition was a 30 mile walk over three days with two nights camping.

The walk was a bit more challenging than I expected but everyone got on really well together and we all had a great weekend: despite the midgie swarms!

We also had a project to complete in our groups...which if nothing else was a good excuse to stop walking for a while and take photos of the scenery.

The trip was unlike anything I had done before. However it was a very worthwhile and rewarding experience and I would certainly do it again if I had the chance. It's great for your team working skills and makes you feel really proud of yourself when you get to the end.

Also as part of the award a group of us did a first aid course at school. We all had a great laugh (as well as learning some useful skills) and I would definitely recommend it to anyone else doing DoE.

Christine Armour S6

The Duke of Edinburgh Silver award was something I had always wanted to achieve. After doing the Bronze Award I looked forward to gaining the Silver Award. What I hoped to gain from this was a sense of accomplishment. I also hoped that it would improve my team skills and it also looks good on a CV.

The actual expedition was tough, there was lots of walking which was sore on your feet, but of you have many plasters then your sorted!. The worst part is the rucksack in which you have to carry all your equipment but when you start walking you don’t actually notice it much as your are focused on getting to the campsite. The midgie is a problem that we also have to deal with so you need to make sure you are well wrapped up which is hard when it is the middle of June. Despite all this when you get to the end you have a sense of relief and a huge feeling of accomplishment. When I reflect back on the weekend, it was a really good weekend and really worth going through the training and camping.

Team work is a very important part in the expedition and you always get a good laugh with everyone. I would definitely recommend the Award to all pupils.

Louise Wallace S6

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Our New First Aiders

Congratulations to our group of recently qualified first aiders. The pupils completed a very tough First Aid course over the course of 3 months and showed tremendous commitment. The course covered all aspects of standard first aid and also anaphylaxis treatment. The qualification was taken as part of their skill section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and many have volunteered to help with the various clubs and sporting events around the school. Hopefully they will not have to provide first Aid but it is tremendous that we have such a large number of suitably qualified first aiders