Welcome to the Burford Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
We have a fantastic award group here at Burford with a lot of students taking part in a whole range of activities working toward their various awards. We offer the full range of awards from Bronze through to Gold. We are always oversubscribed at all levels and it is wonderful that this is so attractive to the students.
The Bronze award starts in the March of each year with a training day that comprises of map reading skills, rucksack packing, putting up tents, learning how to use a trangia (meths) or a gas stove and the countryside code. In other words all the basic skills to enable the students to safely conduct the basic Bronze Expedition. The following weekend we go out into the local area and practice all those skills, usually with a 5-6 km walk followed by setting up camp, cooking a simple lunch on the stove and then packing away the tent, packing the rucksacks and setting off on another short walk.
Away from the expedition side of things the students independently work toward getting their volunteering, physical and skill qualifications. The students never cease to amaze me with the wide range activities that they undertake. Anything from dog training to boxing!
At Silver level, the length of time that they have to do the activities for increases and the expedition becomes one day longer. We often go to the Peak District or the Black Mountains/Brecon Beacons for Silver award expeditions.
Gold level is the big one! Some of the students that have gone into the award as direct entrants at Gold have to do a volunteering activity for 18 months, the remainder – skill and physical for 12 months. The expedition can range from canoeing to horse riding to walking. Here at Burford we usually walk but there is nothing to stop an enterprising group doing something different if they wish. At Gold level the students also have to undertake a residential – ideally by themselves – for a week. I have known students volunteer as hands on a tall ship or volunteer to help with reading for visually impaired children. All sorts of things. The common factor is they all come back with fantastic stories to tell.
If you would like to know more about the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme here at Burford then do please get in touch with me:
Mr J. Meridew - Group Coordinator. Tel. 01993 825324 or email jm2728@burford.oxon.sch.uk
Hope to see you on a hill soon!