Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award 2025/26
Is your child ready to take on a new challenge, develop valuable life skills, and make unforgettable memories? If so, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme offers a fantastic opportunity to do just that.
The DofE is a personal development programme that encourages young people to set goals, work towards them, and celebrate their achievements. It’s an excellent way to:
● Build confidence and independence: by facing challenges and stepping outside their comfort zone.
● Develop essential life skills: such as teamwork, leadership, organisation, and problem-solving.
● Make a difference in their community: through volunteering and helping others.
Throughout the year, we’ll continue to organise group volunteering activities for all DofE participants. Last year, our cohort supported the Paddock Wood Half Marathon, donated to the Paddock Wood Food Bank, and helped at local community events — experiences that were rewarding and enjoyable for everyone involved
Who Can Take Part
The Silver Award is open to all Year 10 students, whether or not they have previously completed the Bronze Award. For those who completed Bronze, Silver is the natural next step. For those starting fresh, we’ll provide additional guidance to help them catch up and succeed — no prior DofE experience is required.
Each participant will complete four sections, designed to encourage personal growth and responsibility:
1. Volunteering
Students give their time to help others and make a positive impact in their community. This could involve volunteering at a local charity, helping younger pupils, supporting environmental causes, or assisting neighbours who need a hand.
2. Physical Activity
This section focuses on improving health, fitness, and wellbeing. Students choose a physical activity they enjoy — whether that’s a sport, gym training, dance, or simply increasing their daily activity level — and commit to doing it regularly.
3. Skills
Participants choose a skill to develop or improve, working towards a personal goal. This might include learning to cook, practising an instrument, improving IT skills, or learning something entirely new. Students record their progress on the DofE app and, at the end of each section, ask someone to complete an Assessor Report summarising their achievements.
4. Expedition
The expedition is the most adventurous and memorable part of the Silver Award. It involves planning and completing a self-sufficient outdoor journey with friends, over several days and nights. For Silver, students will first complete a training and practice expedition in the Ashdown Forest (17/06 – 18/06 – 19/06), followed by their assessed expedition in the New Forest (03/07 – 04/07 – 05/07). Each expedition runs over three days and two nights, challenging students physically and mentally while fostering teamwork and independence.
The Silver Award offers flexibility, allowing each participant to tailor their experience to their own interests and abilities.
Costs
The total cost to join and complete this year’s Silver Award is £355 (previously £370).
● £30.50 enrolment fee: Paid to the DofE charity. This provides access to the eDofE online system, an outdoor retailer discount card, and secures your child’s place (non-refundable deposit).
● £280 expedition fee: Paid to BXM Expeditions, our expert expedition partners. BXM delivers training sessions throughout the year and provides everything required for the expeditions — camping fees, tents, cooking equipment, insurance, risk assessments, and fully qualified staff to support and lead the group safely.
● £44.50 travel and school contribution: £4.50 supports our school DofE fund, which helps run celebration events, maintain emergency equipment, and provide small morale-boosting treats during expeditions. £40 provides coach travel to and from the New Forest for our Assessed expedition.
If paying the full amount is a concern, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we want every student who is interested to have the opportunity to take part. You can contact me directly at dofe@mascalls.latrust.org.uk for a confidential conversation.
What Happens Next
Information about the Silver Award will be shared with students during Advisory time in the coming weeks. If your child is interested, please complete the attached Google Form to register your interest. Once we’ve confirmed numbers, I’ll contact you with details on how to pay the £30.50 non-refundable deposit via Scopay to secure your child’s place.
We’re keen to see as many Year 10 students as possible take on this challenge and make this a truly inspiring Silver cohort.
Parents and students who express interest will also be invited to a Parents’ Information Evening, where you’ll have the chance to ask questions and hear from our DofE team, BXM Expeditions, and Bethan Clarke, our representative from the Duke of Edinburgh Charity.
After that, we’ll officially launch the Silver Award programme for the year.
Useful Links:
Duke of Edinburgh Website – https://www.dofe.org/
Information about Sections – https://www.dofe.org/do/sections/
Ideas for different Activities – https://www.dofe.org/do/ideas/
I look forward to meeting you all soon,
Many Thanks,
Mr Sam Collis
Duke of Edinburgh Lead
Leigh Academy Mascalls
