July 19, 2008

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Worth

Worth School is licensed as a Duke of Edinburgh 'operating authority'. This means that we have the authority and responsibility to run the Award program independently up to Gold level.

Boys packing for a trip At Worth we aim to integrate the award scheme into school life to give participants a sense of purpose, focus and achievement in their non-academic studies. The award is co-ordinated by Fr Peter Williams.

The aim of the Award

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award aims to provide an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development for young people, which is of the highest quality and the widest reach.

Key principles

It is essential that everyone involved in the Award, whether as a participant or leader, shares a common understanding of the principles which underpin all aspects of the Award's delivery. These key principles are that the Award is:

non-competitive
available to all
voluntary
flexible
balanced
progressive
focussed on achievement
a marathon, not a sprint
part of the student's personal development
enjoyable.

The three levels of the Award

There are three separate Awards - Bronze, Silver and Gold - with different minimum starting ages and periods of participation. At each level there are the following sections:

Service - to encourage service to individuals and the community;

Skills - to encourage the discovery and development of personal interests and social and practical skills;

Physical Recreation - to encourage participation and improvement in physical activity;

Expeditions - to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery;

Residential Project - to broaden experience through involvement with others in a residential setting.

Minimum entry ages

Bronze:	14 Years
Silver:	15 Years
Gold:	16 Years