Madras College

Duke of Edinburgh

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme is a real adventure from beginning to end. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. You just need to be aged between 14 and 24 and realise there’s more to life than sitting on a sofa watching life pass you by.

The Award is a Marathon not a Sprint, it is a real adventure. Every section gives you something different - that's the fun of it! You’ll enjoy loads of new experiences, discover talents you never thought you had, challenge yourself and meet loads of people just like you. Plus you’ll do things you love and get a kick out of. It’s a real buzz!

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will give you skills, confidence and a view on life that everyone is looking for, from employers to colleges and universities. You get recognition for doing things you want to do (and may even be doing already). You’ll also make a difference to other people’s lives and your community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and have memories to last you a lifetime. You can do programmes at three levels, Bronze Silver or Gold, which lead to a Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

 You achieve an Award by completing a personal programme of activities in four sections (five if you're going for Gold). These sections are:

  • Volunteering - helping someone, your community or the environment
  • Physical - becoming fitter through sport, dance or fitness activities
  • Skills - developing existing talents or trying something new
  • Expedition - planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey
  • Residential (Gold only) - staying and working away from home as part of a team

 You'll find yourself helping people or the community, getting fitter, developing skills, going on an expedition and taking part in a residential activity (Gold only). You get to choose what you do!

 At Madras we have an active (and often oversubscribed) Award group. Pupils can join at any level but must complete that level before moving on to the next level. Bronze starts in S3 (age 14), Silver in S4 (age 15) and Gold in S5 (age 16), though most pupils take a year off and complete gold in S6.

In school, the commitment involves weekly meetings for expedition training and preparation, along with between 2 and 4 weekends for further training (first aid, navigation) and the two expeditions (practice and qualifying) that need to be completed for that section. The other 3 (4 at Gold) sections are done out with school and involve the pupils organising to get involved with local projects, sports and activities for between 3 and 18 months (depending on Award level being completed) they should demonstrate commitment and perserverance (not a desire to “get finished as quick as possible”.

For further information look at the individual award levels.

BRONZE

The Bronze Award can be started once you are 14. It involves 4 sections and will take at least 6 months to complete (i.e. the earliest you can complete is when you are 14 and a half). It is made up of 4 sections:

  • Volunteering - helping someone, your community or the environment
  • Physical - becoming fitter through sport, dance or fitness activities
  • Skills - developing existing talents or trying something new
  • Expedition - planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey

Expeditions

In recent years we have used the following areas for our Bronze level expeditions

Rothiemurchus – by Aviemore
Loch Ordie – by Dunkeld
Bishop Hill – Fife
Fife Coastal Path (Leven to Anstruther) – Fife
Auchnafree Estate (south of Loch Tay) – Perthshire 

SILVER

 The Silver Award can be started once you are 15. It involves 4 sections and will take at least 6 months (if you completed Bronze) or 12 months (if you are direct entry into silver). It is made up of 4 sections:

  • Volunteering - helping someone, your community or the environment
  • Physical - becoming fitter through sport, dance or fitness activities
  • Skills - developing existing talents or trying something new
  • Expedition - planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey

 Expeditions

In recent years we have used the following areas for our Bronze level expeditions

Tentsmuir – Fife
Glen Tilt – Perthshire
Cairngorms – Highlands
Fisherfield and Torridon – Highlands 

GOLD

The Gold Award can be started once you are 16. It involves 5 sections and will take at least 12 months (if you completed Silver) or 18 months (if you are direct entry into Gold). It is made up of 5 sections:

  • Volunteering - helping someone, your community or the environment
  • Physical - becoming fitter through sport, dance or fitness activities
  • Skills - developing existing talents or trying something new
  • Expedition - planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey
  • Residential (Gold only) - staying and working away from home as part of a team

Expeditions

In recent years we have used the following areas for our Bronze level expeditions

Tentsmuir – Fife
Glen Tilt – Perthshire
Isle of Skye
Cairngorms – Highlands
Fisherfield and Torridon – Highlands 

eDofE

eDofE is an interactive online system that helps you manage your DofE programme and us (Leaders) to monitor your progress, it replaces the old record books and can result in a bound Achievement Pack to give a permanent record of your experience.

Accompanying the system is a new Welcome Pack, which contains a ‘Keeping Track’ booklet for you to record your progress offline if required, and to allow you to get assessment comments and signatures. Once you has been formally enrolled (and paid your joining fee), you will be set up on eDofE by your Leader. You cannot gain access without the involvement of your Leader.