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Planning your
Planning and delivering DofE Programmes
Planning and delivering DofE Programmes
DofE programmes and expeditions can take up to 15 months to plan. Below is a time plan that will enable you to deliver a smooth and successful DofE programme within your school / college.
Communication is essential so please engage with us and feel free to ask any questions throughout the programme. We are here to help you every step of the way.
April - July
April - July
Discuss and agree Expedition Dates for next year.
Discuss and agree Expedition Dates for next year.
Please consider the following:
School holidays, especially Easter which moves, and when your school breaks-up for the summer.
Religious festivals where relevant, such as Ramadan and Eid.
Exams, including Mocks and end-of year exams.
Other school activities, field trips and sports fixtures that may clash.
If we have delivered expeditions for you before, then we will initially suggest similar dates for your expeditions that have previously been used, unless these fall at times which are not suitable, such as Easter or Ramadan.
We will issue a Confirmation of Booking Form which will include all activity dates, payment dates and a rough estimate of numbers.
Complete and sign our Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Complete and sign our Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Along with our Confirmation of Booking Form, we will send you a link to our Service Level Agreement. This is a Google Form which sets out what each party will deliver and the appropriate timescales, along with links to our policies, procedures and risk assessments (also available from the Secured Area of our website). This form needs to be completed and signed by a member of staff at your school that has the authority to commit the school to this booking. This may be the school's DofE Manager, or a member of their Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
Start marketing DofE during the summer to students.
Start marketing DofE during the summer to students.
Year 8s about signing up for Bronze. This could include a taster day showcasing different activities, and special assemblies.
Year 9s / Year 10s about completing Bronze and signing up for Silver. Often an end-of-year presentation helps with this so encourage as many Bronze participants as possible to complete the rest of their sections.
If you have a sixth form and are planning on running Gold, meet with Year 11s after their GCSEs to discuss Gold and include a display in any sixth form open days.
September - October
September - October
Launch DofE for all levels.
Launch DofE for all levels.
Run special assemblies to launch DofE for all levels, but especially for DofE Bronze with Year 9s / Year 10s.
Set a deadline for sign-up before October half-term.
Request non-refundable deposits to cover BOTH the DofE Registration Fee (£25.50 for Bronze & Silver or £32.50 for Gold) AND our Deposit (Bronze = £40.00, Silver = £50.00, Gold = £100.00. All prices exc VAT). Deposits should therefore be between £65.50 - £132.50 depending on level.
DATE: Last working day before breaking-up for October half-term.
DATE: Last working day before breaking-up for October half-term.
Let us know provisional numbers for each level of Award along with any Purchase Order numbers for invoicing where relevant.
Have collected all non-refundable deposits in from participants.
November
November
DATE: First Monday in November.
DATE: First Monday in November.
Invoice #1 will be issued based on the numbers registered with us before October half-term break. We will also send through an updated version of our Confirmation of Booking Form with all payment dates, activity dates and numbers.
Link to our Parent Medical Consent Form goes live. Please send this out to parents and ask for this to be completed as soon as possible.
eDofE
eDofE
Apply for Participant places from DofE.
Run eDofE and planning sessions for Volunteering, Skills and Physical.
December - February
December - February
Monitor progress on Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections
Monitor progress on Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections
It is really important for participants to work on at least 1 other section, and more if possible. Monitor their weekly activity logs and encourage them to log everything on eDofE.
Make sure they are complying with the DofE guidelines for each section, including timescales and have identified an assessor for that activity.
DATE: 31st January.
DATE: 31st January.
Absolute deadline for all Parent Medical Consent Forms to be completed.
DATE: Last working day before breaking-up for February half-term.
DATE: Last working day before breaking-up for February half-term.
Confirm any changes to numbers for each level of Award.
Have collected all training fees from participants.
March
March
DATE: First Monday in March.
DATE: First Monday in March.
Invoice #2 will be issued to cover Training & Practice Expeditions, based on the numbers registered with us before February half-term break.
Parent Information Presentations (in-school)
Parent Information Presentations (in-school)
Our packages include a Parents Information Presentation lasting about 75 mins. This is mainly focused at Bronze participants along with any Direct Entrants at Silver & Gold. It is open to all participants and parents and we would encourage everyone to attend. We will bring along with us items of kit, and will provide information as to what kit and food is needed, along with showcasing the training videos and information on our website.
Pre-Expedition Training Sessions (in-school)
Pre-Expedition Training Sessions (in-school)
We also offer to run 2-hour Pre-Expedition Training Sessions for Silver & Gold. This is especially geared towards Direct Entrants, and focus on kit, food and menu planning, but is also available for those who have completed previous levels if required.
April - July
April - July
Monitor progress on Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections
Monitor progress on Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections
Try to encourage all participants to complete their other 3 sections by the start of June. This will help motivate participants on their expedition and lead to higher completion rates. Plan an end-of-year celebration / assembly for July to present Award certificates.
Preparation & Delivery of Training and Practice Expeditions
Preparation & Delivery of Training and Practice Expeditions
We will issue of Participant Joining Instructions to school. Please share these with participants and parents via your usual school communications channels.
School to complete our Pastoral Arrangements Form advising which school staff will be attending the activities.
School to book rucksacks via our Rucksack Hire Form.
School to upload all paperwork, including route cards & maps, for approval of training & expeditions through Education Off-Sites Visits.
We will deliver:
Bronze: Residential Training
Silver & Gold: Navigation Training and Practice Expeditions
Silver & Gold Planning Workshops (in-school)
Silver & Gold Planning Workshops (in-school)
Our programme includes Silver & Gold Planning Workshops to enable to participants to plan their Qualifying Expedition. These last for 3 hours (Silver) or 4 hours (Gold) and are delivered in-school. We will need access to IT facilities so that teams can type up their route cards. Participants get the most out of these sessions if they are delivered as close to the completion of the Practice Expedition as possible so that they can use this experience in their planning.
DATE: First Tuesday in May.
DATE: First Tuesday in May.
Invoice #3 will be issued to cover Qualifying Expedition, hire of rucksacks, and any further costs incurred.
Where training and expeditions take place towards the end of the season in September / October, then this date will be when Invoice #2 is issued. Invoice #3 will then be issued either before the school breaks-up for the summer holiday, or just after the school returns in September and will be written in the Confirmation of Booking Form.
Preparation & Delivery of Qualifying Expeditions
Preparation & Delivery of Qualifying Expeditions
We will issue of Participant Joining Instructions to school. Please share these with participants and parents via your usual school communications channels.
School to complete our Pastoral Arrangements Form advising which school staff will be attending the activities.
School to book rucksacks via our Rucksack Hire Form.
School to upload all paperwork, including route cards & maps, for approval of training & expeditions through Education Off-Sites Visits.
We will deliver Qualifying Expeditions.
We will upload Assessor Reports onto eDofE. Please allow a few days after the completion of the Qualifying Expedition, especially during the busy summer period. If you are planning an end-of-year celebration to present Award certificates, please let us know and we will endeavour to do our best to have the reports uploaded in time.
We are always happy to attend any celebration and presentation events and to pass on our congratulations to the participants.
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