Dear Families,

We are writing to you with further information regarding the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award which your child is currently taking part in. The award programme started in January 2024, with weekly training sessions taking place during elective slots.

The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award involves four key sections.
1) Volunteering - completed by the student for 3 or 6 months
2) Skill - completed by the student for 3 or 6 months
3) Physical - completed by the student for 3 or 6 months
4) Expedition - completed over the course of one weekend in July

Further information about the award and the requirements for each section can be found on the DofE website https://www.dofe.org/. If students are unable to complete the expedition section of the programme, they can still achieve a certificate for participation in the scheme, but they will not achieve the full bronze award.

The expedition is due to take place on Friday 28th - Saturday 29th June. The expedition will involve 6 hours of walking on Friday 28th June, an overnight stay at a campsite and a further 6 hours of walking on Saturday 29th June. Further details regarding the expedition will be provided later in the academic year and a parental briefing will also be held. In order to support all our students to take part in the expedition, we have invested in the vast majority of equipment students will need. Belle Vue will be providing tents, sleeping bags, camping mats, camping stoves and large rucksacks.

To prepare for the expedition, students will need waterproof clothing and a sturdy pair of walking boots. A full kit-list will be provided at the parental briefing prior to the expedition. We would recommend that students buy their walking boots as soon as possible to begin wearing them in and making them a comfortable fit prior to the expedition. They will need these for the practice expedition also.

A practice expedition will take place on Friday 17th May. The purpose of this practice expedition is to ensure that students are familiar with the skills they will need on the final expedition, for example, map reading in an unfamiliar environment. Students will also need to be able to walk for at least 5 hours carrying a full backpack in preparation for the full expedition. On this date, students will come to school as normal and depart at approximately 9am. They will return to school at approximately 3pm. Further communication will be sent home closer to the date to confirm final timings and details of what students need to bring with them.

Please ensure that you complete the attached reply slip and return to school as soon as possible to confirm your child’s attendance at these events. We look forward to meeting with you in due course to share further information about the final expedition with you.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs Allsopp-Medley and Mr Haste
DofE Leads