DofE Silver & Gold

On Monday 22^nd June 21 pupils from Years 11-13 boarded the minibuses for a journey to the Brecon Beacons for their assessed Duke of Edinburgh Silver and Gold expedition section of their award.  The teams started walking on Tuesday after having an afternoon to acclimatise to their surroundings with the Silvers heading out for three days and the Gold teams out for four days.  The teams have to be self-sufficient throughout so after a thorough kit and menu check on Monday evening the teams were ready to depart the following morning.  The weather was once again very sunny and warm so the groups ensured lots of water was carried as replenishing it in Brecon can be difficult, especially during a dry spell.  The staff then have the task of seeing each group on the hill each day and at camp but other than those visits the teams are completely independent for the duration.  Some great aims were also completed during the expedition with one Silver group creating a ‘DofE For Dummies’ guide which may well be good enough to use for the new intake of Year 9 next year!  Other groups looked at the environmental impact tourism has on the Brecon Beacons and others looked at the highs and lows of their expedition by creating a video diary.
All teams completed their walks showing great team work, camaraderie and independence despite some illness and the effects of the sun. A great week was had by all with the weather holding out for the entire week allowing dry kit to be brought back to school along with some tired, blistered but happy pupils!