Welcome to the Duke of Edinburgh section of the Kings website. Below you will find the basic information about how we run the DofE Award at Kings and sources of information to help you understand what is involved in the completion of your award at any level.
Overview:
DofE is a program completed by young people between the ages of 14 and 25. At Kings, we run the Bronze award in year 9 with every student in the year participating. The reason we run Bronze for all of year 9 is because we believe the benefits are so important
Silver is run in Year 10 and finally, Gold is held across the end of year 11 and beyond, with students coming back to Kings a year after they have left to complete their expedition. In total we take almost 200 students on DofE expeditions each year. It is one of the most rewarding extra-curricular choices students can make while at school. Our DofE programme is very well established which is reflected in our growing numbers each year.
Each Award has 4 sections (5 for Gold). The volunteering, physical and skill sections are completed in your own time and the timescales for each level are outlined here:
https://www.dofe.org/do/timescales/
Students do lots of different things to complete these sections, sometimes they are already completing sections without realising. Many students play team sports which is an appropriate physical activity while many already actively learn a language on Duolingo.
If students are not sure what they could do for a section they are advised to look at the DofE website here and speak to a member of the school DofE team (Miss Gill or Mr Pinder).
Expeditions:
The best-known part of DofE is the expedition. It is a chance for students to step outside of their usual environment, challenging themselves and realising their capabilities.
These are the usual timings for the different expeditions but these are subject to change depending on school activities and staff availability.
| Level | Practice | Assessed |
| Bronze | Day walk in March/April. A walk from school, within the school day. | 2 nights, 1 day in the Surrey Hills. Year group is split into 2 to accommodate staff. Held across 2 weekends in May, a Friday into Saturday. |
| Silver | 3 days, 2 nights in the New Forest in late June after the Internal Assessments. | 5 days, 4 nights in Exmoor/North York Moors (alternating years). Silver participants walk for 3 days. Held in mid-July before the end of term. |
| Gold | 5 days, 4 nights in Exmoor/North York Moors (alternating years). Held in mid-July, after GCSEs and before the end of term. | 5 days, 4 nights in Exmoor/North York Moors (alternating years) the following year after year 11 have left school. Held in mid-July and before the end of term. |
Dates for 2025-2026
Bronze Day Walk: 26th March 2026
Bronze Assessed Expedition:
· Weekend 1: 1st – 2nd May 2026
· Weekend 2: 15th – 16th May 2026
Silver Practice: 18th – 22nd June 2026
Silver Assessed: 14th – 18th July 2026
Gold : 14th – 18th July 2026
Students will require some specialist kit for the expeditions. We have some kit available to borrow and will supply students with stoves and gas for cooking. You can find the guidance for DofE Expedition kit here: https://www.dofe.org/shopping/dofe-expedition-kit-list/
Once a student is enrolled on DofE they will get a discount card that can save money on kit. Major retailers such as Go Outdoors, Millets & Blacks will also offer advice on the best kit to purchase. We will also run some sessions on what to pack and how to pack it!
Costs
Each expedition will have costs associated with it.
Firstly, each level requires registration and purchase of a participant place. The cost for Bronze and Silver is £30.50 and Gold is £37.50. This cost will be requested from families in January. We have a selection of places that we can fund due to a grant from DofE but this is limited. Please contact us if this is something you may require.
Following on from that, there will be costs associated with the expedition too. We do our best to make the trips affordable and as low cost as possible to cover transport and accommodation. We understand that these costs have the potential to be a barrier for some so we encourage families to communicate any issues with us so we can offer support where needed. Below are estimates for each expedition:
Expedition Costs:
Payment plans can be offered for those who require them.
eDofE
eDofE is the online portal for students to record their activities. Once enrolled students will be sent emails with login details. They will set up their account and log their activities. Assessor reports for each activity can enter via the assessor portal (www.dofe.org/assessors). Or, in the Welcome Pack, students will receive a booklet which can also be used by assessors upon completion of a section. Assessors must not be a relation and must be over 18. If students are struggling to decide on their activities for each section or do not have an assessor they must communicate with Miss Gill or Mr Pinder.