From duration, to what is involved, read everything you need to know about doing your DofE.
It will take you at least 6 months for Silver if you’ve already achieved your Bronze, or 12 months if you have jumped straight into Silver.
– Volunteering section: 6 months
– Physical and Skills sections: One section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months
– Expedition section: Practice expedition 2 days/2 nights and Qualifying Expedition 3 days/2 nights
If you did not do Bronze, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.
DofE will email you a link to your eDofE account. This is where you log your progress through your DofE programme and where your DofE Manager, Miss A Mullins, checks the suitability of the activity you have selected, and approves your evidence for each section.
Once you have added your home address to your eDofE profile you will 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. It can take some time for your pack to arrive so in the meantime you can download the contents here.
Now, you can start choosing what activities you want to do and decide your goals – although you do not have to wait until you get your Welcome Pack before you start planning your programme.
Once you have chosen your Assessors, and Miss A Mullins has approved your plans, you are ready to get going with your activities.
If you are doing your DofE, the official smartphone app is for you.
Participants can use the DofE app to submit activities for approval, record evidence, submit programmes for completion, and more.
Plus, you can use it to sync important dates to your phone calendar and add your personalised DofE Card to your digital wallet, so you can make the most of your exclusive discounts.
Simply go to the App Store or Google Play on your phone, search ‘DofE’, download for free, use your eDofE details to log in — and you are ready to go.
An Assessor checks on your progress and agrees the completion of a section of your programme. They must be independent. Therefore, they cannot be a member of your family.
An Assessor can be anyone who is interested in helping you to achieve, has some knowledge of the activity you are doing, and can be available over the time you are doing it. They will produce, or sign off the relevant Assessor’s report for that section, which is uploaded into eDofE.
From the local football club coach, to a charity shop manager, just about anyone can be an Assessor for the Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections. Your Form Tutor, or one of your subject teachers can also be an Assessor as long as you submit enough evidence for them to assess what you have done.
If you are struggling to find Assessors, talk to your DofE Manager, Miss A Mullins.
The Assessor should have knowledge of the activity being undertaken, and be aware of your objectives. Give them the relevant sectional Assessor’s card from your Welcome Pack. The Assessor should also be available at key stages throughout your experience in order to assess your contribution and development.
Once a section is complete, the Assessor will meet with you to discuss your performance, experiences, and achievements.
The Assessor will also decide whether you have met the DofE requirements – that you have demonstrated effort, perseverance, improvement, and made progress towards your section goals. This information, along with comments from the Assessor, should be recorded on the Assessor’s report which can be submitted online.
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It is highly recommended that you keep the weight of your rucksack as low as possible by packing carefully. Over 15kg starts to get very heavy and anything near 20kg is too heavy for most people.
There is no need to buy expensive kit. As you go through the awards, and the expeditions get more demanding, you may want get better equipment. For example, a decent waterproof jacket and well fitted walking boots are essential for Silver and beyond.
| Item Needed | Notes |
|---|---|
| Walking boots | DofE recommend over the ankle boots, however, depending on the terrain of your planned route, sturdy trail shoes may also be considered suitable. We have a few pairs of boots that can be lent out, if needed. |
| Two pairs of walking socks | Two additional pairs of thin socks might be sensible if you are prone to blisters, but this is optional. |
| Waterproof jacket | This will be checked for prior to setting off on the expedition, regardless of the weather forecast. Shower resistant jackets will not be accepted. We have some jackets that can be lent out, if needed. |
| Waterproof overtrousers | These will be checked for prior to setting off on the expedition, regardless of the weather forecast. We have some overtrousers that can be lent out, if needed. |
| Two T-shirts | One will be spare incase you get wet during the first day. This spare could then be used as nightwear to keep pack weight down. |
| Two long sleeved tops | One will be spare incase you get wet during the first day. This spare could then be used as nightwear to keep pack weight down. Even if it is warm during the day, it can get cold at night, even during the summer. |
| Walking trousers/leggings | Not jeans or tracksuit bottoms as they not insulate sufficiently once wet and are slow to dry. Shorts are not to be worn due to the risk of tick bites and transmission of Lymes disease. |
| Flip flops | If walking boots get wet then it can be useful to have a change of shoes for camp. Do remember, however, that you are trying to keep your pack weight down. |
| Warm hat | Even during the summer, it can be cold at night, and so this will be checked for prior to setting off on the expedition. |
| Pair of gloves | Even during the summer, it can be cold at night, and so these will be checked for prior to setting off on the expedition. |
| Rucksack | Your rucksack needs to be large enough to fit everything that you need inside of it. If you have kit on the outside of your pack, it can be lost or damaged. If you have a particularly large pack, resist filling it! A sturdy rucksack hip belt is recommended to take the weight off your shoulders. |
| Rucksack liner | You can buy rucksack liners, but bin liners work just as well. A liner will be checked for prior to setting off on the expedition. |
| Sleeping bag |
When you are writing your route card, use the following 'recipe'.
For example:
If you cannot remember your map symbols, do a google search, but they will be on the map that we provide for your expedition.
You will need to include 6-figure grid references:
You will need to include whether you are walking up hill or down hill:
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