The leading school for DofE activity in the South West

A record-breaking year of DofE activity sees Truro School pupils awarded the highest number of awards across all schools in the South West.

The annual Statistical Review reports on all DofE activity across the South West and confirmed Truro School’s position as the leading school in the South West, with a total of 169 pupils completing their respective Award. In addition, a certificate presented to the School from the DofE South West Director states that Truro School participants spent a total of 2756 hours learning a skill, 2925 hours of physical activity and 2795 hours (equivalent to £12,158 social value) spent volunteering to help others in the local community.

Across the South West, the number of young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award keeps growing; demand for the programme is increasing and as a result more young people are achieving an Award and, through the process, developing vital life skills that will help them in their future careers.

These fantastic results reflect the incredible hard work and commitment of the Truro School DofE Coordinator, Outdoor Pursuits team and everyone involved in supporting and delivering the DofE programme.

Mr Cucknell, Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator, said, ‘Last year’s DofE season saw a bumper number of participants progressing through their levels with 122 pupils completing Bronze, 33 completing Silver and 14 completing Gold. This is a phenomenal effort which takes perseverance, dedication and commitment to progress through their activities and which culminates with their expedition. I would like to congratulate all of the participants on their outstanding achievement and thank all the staff, parents and volunteers for their support of the students in reaching these awards’.

Upper Sixth student James, one of the cohort to achieve his Gold DofE award, commented, “I have spent the past two years completing my gold DofE award, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The outdoor pursuits team helped me to fulfill all of my sections on time, as well as fully preparing me for the Slovenian expedition by giving up their weekends to take us out on practice walks. I would recommend the Gold DofE award because it helps to develop skills such as independence, leadership, teamwork, and determination.”

4th Year pupil India, explained, “I found that my silver DofE experience this year was very character building despite restrictions due to Covid – 19. I really enjoyed the volunteering aspect of the award as I met some great people at the Cornwall Hospice Care charity shop and learnt lots of new skills. I had great fun on Bodmin Moor, despite the rain and wind we still pulled together! I think the experience really helped prepare us for our orienteering day at Idless Woods. We were covered head to toe in mud but again, had a great time and learnt some great skills. The outdoor pursuits staff at Truro School were really encouraging and have been really helpful and communicative since the lock down. I would definitely recommend DofE to anyone thinking about it as you gain great memories and learn how to succeed as a team.”

Also completing his Silver Award, Euan commented, “I have really enjoyed the experience because I have made new friends by completing Silver DofE.  I have learnt a lot of new things along the way including planning, leadership, map reading and teamwork. My favourite moment was the training for the expedition because it was made challenging but fun, obviously the outdoor pursuits team help make this enjoyable. I would recommend this to others because of the friends you make while going through the DofE challenges.”

Mr Gordon-Brown, Truro School Headmaster, said, “We believe young people like to be taken out of their comfort zone, to learn to work together as a team, discover that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and how to harness the best out of each other when the going gets tough. The DofE scheme enables our students to succeed and fail, yet come away feeling they know themselves better having grown in confidence and skills.”

He continued, “Some of the best lessons in life can come from the challenges that our students face outdoors and we are determined to take advantage of our wonderful environment in the South West to make the most of these opportunities.”

“DofE has played a big role in my school life, giving me skills such as time management and teamwork, important for all of life, as well as diversifying any CV’s or applications. One of the great things about DofE is that its something different to your school studies and normal academic work, and so helps to take your mind of any stress at school. The Outdoor Pursuits department help you with each stage making the whole process less daunting and highly achievable.” Ollie

 

“I have enjoyed all aspects of the DofE awards. The best part of each has been the expedition because it’s a shared experience with your group and we have a lot of fun together. The ultimate highlight of my DofE experience was the incredible expedition to Slovenia. Our group had a brilliant time and we now have memories that will last a lifetime. As a group we became closer and regularly bring up the fact that one of our group members realised when we got onto the bus that he left his boots at home! Another fond memory from the trip was when my best friend presented me with a birthday cake and cards from my family which she had carried so we could celebrate my birthday properly at the end of the first day.

I feel proud of myself that I have completed all three awards. It gives me a great sense of achievement. I would strongly recommend doing any of the DofE Awards – you will learn new skills, you will learn a lot about yourself and how to deal with situations which take you out of your comfort zone. The DofE staff have been incredibly supportive and have made the last few years fun and enjoyable.” Connie