Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a high quality, enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development activities for young people aged 14-25.
We have been running the award scheme at Elmfield for many years and can see the huge benefits it gives to our pupils in terms of increased self-confidence, social and team-building skills, and hopefully an increased appreciation for, and love of, the great outdoors. The award is widely recognised by employers, colleges and universities.
At Elmfield we run both the Bronze and Silver award schemes for our pupils in Classes 8 and 9 respectively. We also run a pre-DofE Award called The Elm Award for pupils in Class 7. The DofE team is made up of school staff and other individuals who are giving up their own time to ensure your child succeeds. The Award runs through the academic year with the hope that pupils will complete the Award by the end of the year.
Each Award is made up of four sections:
Volunteering (e.g. helping other people in the local community)
Skills (covering almost any hobby, skill or interest)
Physical Recreation (e.g. sport, dance and fitness)
Expeditions (training for, planning and completing a 1, 2 or 3-day and 1 or 2-night journey on foot).
The first three sections are completed individually in the pupils’ own time. We work on the Expedition section together during the year. This involves working through a training framework designed to provide the skills needed to carry out the Expedition, which take place in the Summer term. The Elm and Bronze groups visit local areas of beauty such as the Clent Hills and Kinver Edge. The Silver group usually travel to the Long Mynd in Shropshire and the Elan Valley in Wales.
We charge an initial joining fee which is usually around £31 for Bronze and Silver, and much less for Elm. This covers the administration costs, training, and provides students with their DofE Entrance Pack. A key element of the Award is the Expedition and this will require the student having access to a sleeping bag, waterproof clothing, walking boots and rucksack. There will also be additional costs for the expedition section to cover travel and campsites for example, but we keep these to the minimum possible.
Any parent who wishes to get involved would be welcome. If you would like to get involved or require further information please contact the school.
Every Day is an Open Day at Elmfield
“I think the end result of Waldorf education is to raise our consciousness. There is a heightened consciousness of what our senses bring us from the world around us, about our feelings, about the way we relate to other people. It taught me how to think for myself, to be responsible for my decisions. Second, it made me a good listener, sensitive to the needs of others. And third, it helped establish meaningful beliefs.”