Duke of Edinburgh Bronze

Each year, our pupils embark on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, including a resilience-building expedition.

Having undertaken social action projects, acquired new skills, and embraced a range of physical activities, almost 100 pupils in Year 9 got ready for their Bronze expedition, walking and camping in the Chilterns. Two of the groups report back on their highlights:

‘After learning how to navigate using Ordnance Survey Maps and take bearings, our group began our journey. We gave each other riddles to pass the time and, although we got lost numerous times, we finally arrived at the campsite, set up our tents, and began cooking our dinner. After a fairly comfortable night, which was much warmer than our practice expedition, we set out at 9am for our second day of hiking. After navigating the confusing, winding trails of Lees Wood Campsite, we finally began our journey towards Chalfont & Latimer Station and the end of our expedition. Besides some detours, we made it back, with memories of an amazing experience.’  – Group K 

‘Although the chaos of planning caused a little stress, the expedition itself was full of beauty, with two days of walking offering a refreshing break from our usual urban setting. As well as encountering impressive flora, we had quite a few run-ins with various fauna: horses, cows, and sheep, some with little respect for personal space; this made traversing the fields some of the most nerve-wracking parts of our journey, although they were also the quickest to cover, thanks to the flat terrain. This was a relief after the long sections of steep hills and cramped forest paths; despite the dappled light and magnificent trees, they caused far too many blisters for our liking. It was also a relief to come across quieter villages and towns – a good change of pace from London life and important reminders that civilisation was still out there, when we felt like we would be lost in the woods forever. Through all the hardships – being chased by horses, getting soaked through in the constant showers of rain, and dropping all our dinner in the grass – the DofE expedition was a right of passage. The expedition taught us important life skills – teamwork, perseverance and communication – and how to blame all of our misfortunes on a faulty compass or a disobedient spatula.’ – Group L 

The DofE awards are perennially popular at South Hampstead; this year saw 77 pupils embarking on their Silver Award, the highest number in 25 years! This summer, 22 Sixth Formers are undertaking their assessed expedition to complete their Gold Award, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the many others who have been invited to Buckingham Palace in recognition of their achievement.