Duke of Edinburgh Award

What is the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award?

A life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers.

The DofE is many things to many people, supporting generations to successfully navigate adult life.

14-24 year-olds can do a DofE programme at one of three progressive levels which, when successfully completed, leads to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. At Ivanhoe you can start your Bronze Award in Year 9.

At Ivanhoe students will have the opportunity to complete their Bronze and Silver level awards. There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver level and they involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition.

Any young person can do their DofE – regardless of ability, gender, background or location. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

Through a DofE programme young people have fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs and uni and job applications. Top employers recognise the work-ready skills Award holders bring to their business.

The DofE licenses organisations like Ivanhoe to run DofE programmes. Students parents or carers pay for a Participation Place and are supported by Leaders in school who support them through their programmes, helping them to choose their activities, set their objectives and achieve their Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a registered charity, funded by donations, Participation Places and licences. The charity works with organisations across the UK to increase opportunities for young people to gain the benefits of doing their DofE.

Why do the DofE?

For the hundreds of thousands of young people who take part each year, the benefits of achieving a DofE Award at any level are endless. DofE is about helping you along the path to a productive and prosperous future. As many of the participants say, it’s life-changing.

Achieving an Award will give you skills, confidence and an edge over others when you apply for college, university or a job. Beyond your academic achievements, universities want to see evidence of so called ‘soft skills’ that you have developed through extra-curricular activities, such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork. Your DofE Award is a fantastic way to demonstrate and evidence these skills in practice.

You’ll also make a difference to other people’s lives and your community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and have memories to last you a lifetime.

Participants report that doing their DofE gives them character traits like confidence and resilience, that can boost their mental health and wellbeing and help them face and overcome personal challenges.  

Watch our animations to hear the real stories of four Award holders – Lira, Lucy, George and Catherine – whose DofE gave them the space, focus and motivation to achieve things they never thought they would. Click here

Hear about other young people’s DofE experiences Click here 

and find out why top employers look out for Award holders when recruiting. Click here

How much will it cost?

The DofE endeavours to keep your costs down so the current Welcome Pack, which includes the participation fee. There is a standard registration fee which is paid directly to DofE and there will also be additional costs to cover things such as equipment, trips etc. You will receive more information at our in school information meetings. 

Everyone receives a DofE Card to get discounts on things like kit and expeditions don’t need to be expensive.

What happens once you've signed up?

Your DofE Leader will email you a link to your eDofE account. This is where you log your progress through your DofE programme and where your Leader checks and approves you’ve completed your activity in each section.

Once you’ve added your home address to your eDofE profile you’ll be sent a Welcome Pack with lots of helpful information and your personalised DofE Card so you can access discounts and offers on expedition kit and other items. If your pack doesn’t arrive, you can download the contents here.

Now, you can start choosing what activities you want to do and decide your goals – although you don’t have to wait until you get your Welcome Pack before you start planning your programme.

Once you’ve chosen your Assessors and your Leader has approved your plans, you’re ready to get going with your activities.

Click here to read the parent and carer guide from DofE