Harrodian's qualifying expeditions for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards took place at the end of June.
Harrodians of different ages have been hard at work over the winter and spring, planning and preparing for the expeditions that mark the climax of three different levels of Duke of Edinburgh award schemes with the help and advice of a dedicated team led by Mr Bryson with the help of Mr Pallister and Ms Campbell May. On the last weekend of June, all that work came to fruition when 14 Lower Sixth Formers embarked on the Gold Award Qualifying expedition in the hills of the Lake District, 35 14s (Year 10s) hiked and paddled their way towards the silver award in the Surrey and Sussex countryside and no fewer than 94 13s (Year 9) completed their Bronze qualifying trip on Milford Common in the Surrey Hills.
Educating the whole child has always been central to our school ethos so the holistic life skills that DofE promotes and rewards are just as important to us at Harrodian as the outward bound expeditions that have become the scheme's trademark. Being rewarded for both learning a skill and completing a physical activity provides pupils with extra encouragement to stick at something or to start something from scratch and we believe this can really make a difference to boys and girls’ personal and social development..jpg)
Educating the whole child has always been central to the Harrodian ethos and we believe the holistic life skills that DofE promotes and rewards are just as important as the outward bound expeditions that have become the scheme's trademark
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See more pictures of the qualifying expeditions in our special gallery
At Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, participants are required to volunteer their time in ways that ‘make a difference to other people’s lives’. The choices of activity vary, from the reading buddies programme at Harrodian through assisting in a local charity shop, to coaching sport to younger people, but the results are often similar: a great shared experience and an increased appreciation of the value of contributing.
The choices of volunteering activity vary, from the reading buddies programme at Harrodian to assisting in a charity shop, but the results are often similar: a great, shared experience and an increased appreciation of the value of contributing.
Harrodian may also owe its excellent DofE take-up rate as much to pupils’ understanding of the considerable value of Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in assisting applications for further education and employment as it does to their desire for an holistic education. But, whatever their initial motives may be in taking part, it’s clear that pupils really do enjoy sharing the Duke of Edinburgh experience together, as the happy photographs accompanying this piece and in our gallery illustrate.