Duke of Edinburgh Awards

DofE walking
DofE hands in
DofE cooking
DofE cooking all
DofE orienteering
DofE students
DofE students girls

DofE Award Scheme at OSA

“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 our participants say, it’s life-changing.

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

Students also make a difference to other people’s lives and their community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and have memories to last them a lifetime.”

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

To read more about the the Duke of Edinburgh programme please click here.

Bronze programme at OSA

At OSA we are committed to providing students with this opportunity and we have already been successfully running the bronze programme, with you would like to read more about the . We working with the approved activity provider East Costal Outdoors.

How old do I need to be?

  • Bronze Award – for those aged 14+ years (Year 9 upwards)

If you aren’t yet the required age, but are in the school year in which your peer group all reach that age milestone, you may still be able to start a DofE programme – please speak to us.

What’s involved?

It will usually take students at least 6 months to complete their Bronze programme.

Volunteering section: 3 months

For example, this could include:

  • litter picking
  • running a club
  • helping out at a primary school

Physical section: 3 months

This could be developing a new hobby such as football or netball.

Skills section: 3 months

This could be learning a new skill or developing a current one such as cooking or learning a new language

Expedition section: 3 days, 2 nights (Training and qualifier)

What dates will they be?

  • Saturday 21st March 2026 (At OSA)
  • Friday 8th May 2026 – Sunday 10th May 2026 (Venue TBC)

Silver programme at OSA

We have been able to offer the Silver award to year 10 students since September 2024. We working with the approved activity provider East Costal Outdoors.

How old do I need to be?

  • Silver Award – for those aged 15+ years (Year 10 upwards) who have already attained their Bronze Award or those that haven’t done Bronze would need to do 12 months in one of their sections.

What’s involved?

It will usually take students at least 6 months to complete their Silver programme.

Volunteering section: 6 months

For example, this could include:

  • litter picking
  • running a club
  • helping out at a primary school

Physical section: 3 months

This could be developing a new hobby such as football or netball.

Skills section: 3 months

This could be learning a new skill or developing a current one such as cooking or learning a new language

Practice expedition:

Teams must complete the required training and a practice expedition of a minimum of: 3 days, 2 nights.

Expedition section:

A minimum of 3 days, 2 nights; 7 hours of planned activity each day.

What dates will they be?

  • Friday 19th June 2026 – Sunday 10th June 2026 (Venue TBC)
  • Friday 10th July 2026 – Sunday 12th July 2026 (Venue TBC)

I am interested in the DofE scheme at OSA….

Students who are interested or have any questions should speak to Miss Cooke; Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Leader/Manager (teaching in the Creative Design Faculty) or Mr King; Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Assistant Leader/Manager (Pastoral Manager.)