Welcome to the Duke Of Edinburgh Award

Click on the links on the side to find out more about the Duke Of Edinburgh Award at The Polesworth School. We look forward to seeing you on an expedition!

Why Do We Offer The Award?

The Award Scheme stimulates and encourages the enthusiasm and energies of young people aged
14 - 25. It develops the qualities of maturity and responsibility which will help them throughout their lives whatever their personal abilities or circumstances.
The Award programme is a vehicle for spiritual, personal and social development and actively promotes the essential qualities of citizenship. It is a ‘challenge to the individual’ and not simply another competition in life where success is another person’s comparative failure. It is the process of participation in the programme rather than the end achievement of the award that leads to personal development and new self-confidence.

The Award enables young people to find out for themselves the factors which contribute to freedom, responsibility, intelligence and standards of behaviour through a graduated programme of experience. Challenge is the essence of the concept; the Award Scheme presents to pupils a balanced and non-competitive programme of voluntary activities which encourages responsibility, commitment, enterprise, teamwork, self-reliance, personal discovery and perseverance.

Teachers and other adults have a wealth of experiences, abilities and attitudes which can have a profound influence on the development of young people.

The ten ‘key points’ of the Award are that it is non-competitive, available to all, voluntary, flexible, balanced, progressive, achievement-focused, a marathon not a sprint, a process not a prize and should be enjoyable !