Parents-Information-Handbook-2016-2017

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Section 4 - Life Beyond the Classroom
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Science Awards
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (D of E)
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is open to all students in Year 9 and above. It is a programme for young
people that is known and recognised throughout the world. There are three levels to the programme -
Bronze, Silver and Gold. At Bronze and Silver levels, pupils choose activities from four sections -
volunteering, skills, physical and expedition. At Gold level, there is an additional section - residential.
Individual challenge is the essence of the award, requiring assessed improvement from each student’s
own starting point. Students set their own goals and are accredited for each section.
The scheme encourages participation in a range of interesting, challenging and worthwhile activities. A
students could become an actor, lead a team through open countryside, score goals for the county, spend a
week on the high seas or make a real difference to the lives of others. Students are encouraged to develop
their existing interests and to try new ones; the opportunities are endless. By participating in the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award they learn, by experience, the skills required for success: commitment, enterprise and
effort. They discover a great deal about themselves and come to appreciate the enjoyment of working
with, and for, other people.
This is a very worthwhile activity and students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the many
benefits offered by the Award.
Science Awards
CREST, the EES and Go4SET
The CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology) scheme allows students to pursue their interest in
science through a programme of research and presentation. It encourages students to find creative
scientific solutions to problems that they want to investigate. Not only is this an interesting activity, but it
also helps students to develop the skills they need in their study of science, particularly in terms of how
they approach coursework at GCSE and ‘A’ Level.
The scheme has three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold - and the amount of research time required
increases at each level. The Gold Award is primarily for Sixth Form students. Each year, a group of Year
12 Physics students aim towards their Gold Award by working with a local company and university to
develop an engineering based project. This is called the EES (Engineering Education Scheme).
There is also a national scheme for Year 9 students who are interested in engineering called Go4SET (Go
for Science, Engineering and Technology). This competition raises the students’ awareness of the
importance of eco-friendly energy production, and through the submission of a written report, building a
model of their design, and presenting their findings to a panel of judges, the students earn a Silver Crest
Award.
Salters’ Challenge
Salters’ Challenge is a competitive, practical activity, for Year 8 students
Section 4 - The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Science Awards - Senior School