The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Portobello High School
Our DofE journey started with just 15 Bronze pupils in 2016. The following year we were able to take double that, and now we usually have around 70-100 of our S3 cohort signing up to do Bronze DofE as an extra-curricular activity each year. We also run a programme for a small group of S3 pupils in timetable. This is to give extra support to pupils who may not have considered doing a DofE award previously.
Our Silver programme is also very successful, and anyone from S4,5+6 pupils can sign up, even if they haven’t completed Bronze.
We have an amazing staff team of volunteer Leaders, many of whom have Walking Leader qualifications such as Lowland Leader, BEL and Mountain Leader.
This year we have also been joined by some parent volunteers! If you would be interested in helping out either with training sessions, expeditions or in the kit store, contact hazel.taylor@portobello.edin.sch.uk to register your interest.
The staff involved in delivering the DofE at Portobello are:
Emily Munro – Art (Lowland Leader)
Hazel Taylor – Modern Languages (Lowland Leader)
Ruth Moghadam – Science (Lowland Leader)
Ewen Hardie – Science (Mountain Leader)
Emma MacDonald – Social Subjects (Lowland Leader)
Stuart Murphy- Social Subjects (Lowland Leader)
Bronze Award
The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award consists of 4 sections:
Volunteering, Physical, Skill and Expedition
Participants do their Volunteering, Physical and Skill sections for 3 or 6 months. This part of the award is self led- they choose what they want to do and identify someone to assess them (more info on Assessors below.) They should upload evidence of what they have been doing (photos and text) to the eDofE portal. They will receive a login and password for this when they register.
Please check out the DofE website for more information on the 3 sections: DofE – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Expedition training sessions take place after school on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Dates for your Diary
Click below for our training programme for this year.
Kit List
First rule of DofE kit for parents and carers- DO NOT PACK THEIR BAGS FOR THEM!
Our participants have had training on what to pack and how to pack it. They should do a couple of practice packs in the days leading up to the expedition. Bear in mind some of their kit will be shared among the group, such as tent, stove and some food. Most things can be borrowed from the school kit store, or we can rent from the CEC kit store. A forms link will be posted on the Team in advance of the expedition to order kit. Click the download link below for our kit list.
Silver Award
The Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award consists of 4 sections:
Volunteering, Physical, Skill and Expedition
You can do Silver after doing Bronze, or you can complete it as a Direct Entrant (see below)
– Volunteering section: 6 months
– Physical and Skills sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
– Expedition section: 3 days/2 nights
If you didn’t do Bronze, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.
FAQs
How much does it cost to do the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award?
Currently the registration fee for Bronze and Silver is £28. We charge between £82 for Expedition costs. This includes coach hire, campsite fees and kit hire. Any parents or carers who are unable to pay the full price can get financial support via the school office.
Don’t forget each participant should receive a discount card from the DofE to use in certain outdoor retailers. They can access this card via the eDofE app.
Please note that most kit can be hired from our stores, so don’t feel you have to buy lots of new stuff!
I have been asked to do an Assessor’s Report, how do I do this?
See below for info on how to complete one. It is very easy!
How does my child order kit?
They will be sent a Microsoft Form. They should keep an eye on the Team for the link to this.
Where are they going on Expedition?
Our Bronze Participants are going to the Broomlee Centre in West Linton for their Practise Expedition and then to East Lothian for their Qualifier.
Are pupils allowed to have their phones with them on Expedition?
The mobile phone policy, which is communicated with participants during their training is as follows:
Portobello High School DofE Mobile Phone Policy
-You should have at least 1 identified ‘Emergency Phone’ per group which is fully charged and switched off, which can be relied on in an emergency if all other phones have died.
-You should not use your phone excessively. You should not have your phones out while walking or use them in the campsite. They are liable to get lost in these situations.
-You should not post on social media during your expedition.
-Please DO NOT use your phones to contact home, especially if you have a problem/emergency. This causes unnecessary distress to your families, and they are unable to do anything to help you. You will be given an emergency phone number which you should call to get in touch with the leaders if something happens while you are walking. In the campsite, you should come and find one of the Leaders if you have any problems.
How do you cater for pupils with additional support needs?
We can tailor the DofE programme to anyone, no matter their needs. The expedition can be fully adapted and staff will work closely with parents on this. Please see the DofE website for more information: Additional Needs – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (dofe.org)
Contact us
For enquiries about DofE at Portobello that you haven’t found answered here, contact hazel.taylor@portobello.edin.sch.uk
For enquiries about ParentPay, please contact the school office
Please note, your child should be checking the DofE Team regularly for updates.
Assessors
If you have been asked by one of our participants to be their Assessor, this really is very simple.
An Assessor checks on a participant’s progress and agrees the completion of a section of their programme. They must be independent. Therefore, they cannot be a member of the family.
An Assessor can be anyone who has some knowledge of the activity the participant is doing and can be available over the time they’re doing it. They will produce or sign off the relevant Assessor’s report for that section, which is uploaded into eDofE. The Assessor should have knowledge of the activity being undertaken and be aware of the participant’s objectives and should also be available at key stages in order to assess their contribution and development.
From the local football club coach to a charity shop manager, from the neighbour who’s a web designer to a teacher in the school, just about anyone can be an Assessor for the Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections.
Once a section is complete the Assessor should meet with the participant to discuss their performance, experiences and achievements.
The Assessor will also decide whether they have met the DofE requirements – that they’ve demonstrated effort, perseverance, improvement and made progress towards their section goals. This information, along with comments from the Assessor, should be recorded on the Assessor’s report which can be submitted online.
You can complete Assessor’s Reports online here: https://www.dofe.org/assessor/ all you need is the participant’s ID number
And you can find advice on how to complete them here
Alternatively you can print the form here and complete it by hand, then the participant uploads a photo to their eDofE account.