Duke of Edinburgh Adventures

Year 9 girls enjoyed a sunny DofE practice expedition last weekend, in preparation for their Bronze Award assessed expedition.

Martha reports back on the experience: ‘We learnt so much and had an amazing instructor who gave us lots of tips. We’ve all developed our map reading skills and have learnt how to keep the group aware of what’s going on so we don’t get lost. We’ve also learnt that we don’t need as much food as we originally thought! The sunny weather and countryside helped to keep morale high. Our group got to the campsite first, so we had plenty of time to get settled and find a good place to pitch our tents. When the other groups arrived it was really nice to hear about their experiences and compare journeys. Everyone’s learnt to bring warmer clothes next time as it got very cold overnight. The second day was tiring, but we all walked fast and managed to get back to the train station first. Despite all the blisters, it was a great weekend and we can’t wait for the next one.’ 

The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is well-established and very popular at South Hampstead. This year, nearly 80% of Year 9 pupils have embarked on the Bronze Award and the vast majority of Year 10 Bronze Award holders are going on to do their Silver. 15 Sixth Formers are on track to earn their Gold Awards this year, taking part in an impressive array of challenging expeditions as well as learning new skills and giving back through a variety of community work.

Girls currently working towards their Bronze Award are volunteering for a variety of local projects including helping at charity shops and looking after dogs and raising awareness for a retired greyhound trust. They commented that: “It’s been a really nice thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.”  “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my volunteering and plan on continuing to do it a few times a month.”