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Duke of Edinburgh award November 2025
Duke of Edinburgh award November 2025
The expedition season has come to an end as the weather turns! We have had a very successful expedition season in 2025, with 8 Bronze groups going out before the summer holidays along with 5 Silver groups. After the summer two Bronze groups went out as well as three Silver groups. We are now planning Gold expeditions for 2026 😊
It is due to the dedication of a committed team of D of E leaders that we are able to offer this fantastic opportunity to our young people. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of our leaders for their continued support. Thank you all! Congratulations to our leaders who have recently renewed their First Aid qualification and to Simon Miller who has passed his Mountain Leader Award!
We would also like to thank the many assessors we have in the community. The participants rely on an adult signing off on their different sections: skills, physical and volunteering. There are many members of the community to whom we are grateful for encouraging our pupils and also writing them a report when they have completed their activity. We recognise that you are also a crucial part of the process, so thank you very much for your time.
Two of our Silver groups completing their final expedition – from Linn of Dee to Aviemore via the Fords of Avon , Loch Morlich and the Rothimurchus forest.
We are steadily taking on more and more pupils as the Award gains momentum. There are close to 200 participants at Aboyne Academy.
We have a new cohort being prepared before Christmas (current S3 pupils) who will be enrolled to start their adventure in January 2026For Bronze participants we run an expedition training day and then an assessed expedition which takes place over one weekend. Silver requires a two-day training expedition and a three-day final expedition.In summer 2026, we will be running Gold training expeditions (2 days) and then the participants will be ready to complete their final 4-day assessed expedition. At Gold level the participants also complete a week-long residential activity – there are numerous choices for this and it usually a life changing experience!
With the expeditions now over, some of the pupils need a little encouragement to get their assessor’s reports uploaded for them to complete their Award.
In the New Year we will enrol our next cohort, the S3 Bronze participants, with their expeditions being planned for May 2026.
First, they fill in their details on the S3 2026 Microsoft form. They will then have a D of E account added to Parent’s Portal for £35. Once the joining fee has been paid on iPay the pupil will be enrolled into the D of E Award and will receive an online D of E account where they can manage the different sections. Pupils can start to log time as soon as they have been enrolled.
The first group event for the new S3 Bronze participants is a compulsory Training Day (usually in April) with the pupils completing training in First Aid, Camp Cooking, Navigation, Route Planning, Tents and Kit.
If you would like to find out how parent volunteers can help support expeditions, please contact the D of E coordinator at school: sally.pease@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Silver participants clearly enjoying their expedition!
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
The Award consists of three levels; Bronze, Silver and Gold. Participants must be aged between 14 & 25. Whatever activity is undertaken is assessed and then recorded online on the eDofE platform. This provides a record of achievements, effort and progress.
Each level of the award has four separate categories: 1. Volunteering 2. Skills 3. Physical Recreation 4. Expedition.
WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL OFFER?
WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL OFFER?
The school has volunteer staff and parent volunteers who help us to manage the large number of pupils who are enthusiastic to take part. The school offers the expedition section, while the pupils manage the other three sections themselves. The assessor for the Skills, Physical and Volunteering section needs to be an adult who can verify your activity. It needs to be an adult who is not related to the participant. The assessor should ensure that they have enough evidence to demonstrate that the participant has completed the activity for the required time.
Assessor’s reports can be completed online at https://www.dofe.org/assessor/
The assessor will need the participants ID number, level and which of the three sections they are verifying.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
It is expected that each Level of the award should take a minimum of 6 months to complete, realistically each level will take around 12 months.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS INVOLVED?
WHAT ARE THE COSTS INVOLVED?
There is an annual charge of £35.00 to participate in the Award. This fee is to cover enrolment charges and also operating costs. Participants will require certain key outdoor clothing for the expedition section, (a list will be provided) though there may be the opportunity to loan some equipment from the school.. It is also important to note that no pupil should be prevented from taking part in the Award because of a lack of funds. There are funding opportunities available so if this is a concern, please make sure that you ask Ms. Pease.
behaviour expectations
behaviour expectations
It is expected that you will conform with the Aboyne Academy Positive School Climate at all times whilst participating in the Award.
Pupils organise their own D of E sections and ask someone who is involved in their activity to be their assessor. Self-motivation, initiative and organisational skills are all areas the Award should help to develop. For this reason, it is up to the pupils to take responsibility for all sections other than the expedition.
To find out further information about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme ask Ms. Pease in English or visit the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme website: https://www.dofe.org/
Kit list
Kit list
Kit List March 2025.pdfPage updated
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