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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think D of E is a massive swindle

291 replies

DofEswindle · 03/07/2023 20:14

Namechanged in case DD sees this!

She's doing Duke of Edinburgh Bronze with the school for the bargain (hah!) price of £250. I thought everything would be included for that money but we've now been told they need to get a rucksack liner ("no bin bags!") and fancy Wayfarer meal sachets ("no pot noodles!") as well as being told we can hire sleeping mats, sleeping bags etc. if we don't have them.

It just feels like a massive cash-in by the company organising it and Go Outdoors etc to make as much money as they can from gullible parents (me). I assumed the kids would meal plan together and work out what supplies to bring but they've all been told to get special sachets of ready meals at £4.50 each ("no pot noodles" but they are basically posh pot noodles).

Surely D of E should be about teamwork and loving the outdoors not sending your mum to spend a fortune in a camping shop? We're not on benefits so couldn't claim any help from school but £250 is an awful lot of money to spend a night in a field.

OP posts:
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myveryownelectrickitten · 03/07/2023 20:38

It looks like you can reduce the costs of the camping meals by buying them in bulk eg on Amazon - could your DC organise this with a group at school to reduce the cost?

You’re not wrong re the cost though. I’m an academic and when we do university admissions we completely ignore DoE, as we’re all too aware that it often just means kids have been reasonably privileged in order to access it, and parents have probably spent a lot of money for it too. So by all means do it for the experience, but it won’t gain your child any university admissions benefit at all.

Original poster
DofEswindle · 03/07/2023 20:39

Yes I think my beef is really with the school and outside company rather than D of E, which I am in favour of. Found out today that friend's kid did it for £30 with Scouts and now pissed off! And yes we will find the money but it will limit our family holiday so not an easy spend.

OP posts:
swanling · 03/07/2023 20:39

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Who by? School staff?

Anyone with proper expertise in expeditions wouldn't - or shouldn't - be recommending that.

Fiftysixthnamechange · 03/07/2023 20:40

We paid 75, that's at a private school. Included travel etc, the chicken katsu pot noodle is about 500 calories, high protein and a quid...a porridge pot, bag of banana chips, sorted...think you've been ripped off.

Beenhereageskeepchangingname · 03/07/2023 20:40

Seems very expensive. We paid £80 for my daughter to do her bronze with school. That included use of their tents and cooking equipment.
she had most of the equipment already, but I think we bought her a cheap rucksack (although school did say they had a few of them to lend )
plus probably about £15 ish for her food share

she didn’t like doing it with school, and wanted to do her silver with rangers- that was only £60

does she attend a lOcal guide unit ? They often run a bronze level 🥉

jgw1 · 03/07/2023 20:40

Anewuser · 03/07/2023 20:34

I feel your pain. Mine did the bronze, no issue. School suggested continuing to do Silver, which again he did. However, the volunteering part was never signed off. Everything is online now so I didn’t get to see it. School then suggested doing Gold - of course they did, as even more expensive. They did the expedition part, a couple of days on Dartmoor but then decided not to finish it. Due to silver volunteering never being signed off, it looks like he only finished bronze. What an absolute waste of money.

The great thing about eDofE (where students should record everything they have done for DofE) is that students can log on to it anywhere, and the mobile app is really quite good. It is really a very simple system and any parent who wants to could ask the student to show them their account to see where they are up to.

BrownEyesBlueSkies · 03/07/2023 20:40

My son planned meals with his group and they all went and bought it themselves. He enjoyed all the different things it involved especially the walks/camping with friends. He has carried on with his volunteer work so I think it was worthwhile for him. It’s what you make of it I suppose.

Original poster
DofEswindle · 03/07/2023 20:40

What a shame that something that should be a level playing field for kids has turned into a cash cow.

This is it exactly.

OP posts:
fortnumsfinest · 03/07/2023 20:41

I don't think it's the DOE that's expensive, it seems like it's the school that are seeing it as a money making exercise.
My DC complete all 3 awards, our school were amazing, all equipment was borrowed from school, we bought the odd things, socks plates, cutlery but absolutely everything else was provided by school.
It's an amazing opportunity

helpddgrow · 03/07/2023 20:41

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kkneat · 03/07/2023 20:41

You could change provider. Lots of youth organisations etc. run it & provide the equipment. My daughters did all 3 through school, school even provided walking boots if you didn’t have them. They meal planned but weren’t told what specific food to get.

swanling · 03/07/2023 20:42

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If that's their level of knowledge then they shouldn't be running expeditions.

jgw1 · 03/07/2023 20:42

Needmorelego · 03/07/2023 20:37

I don’t get the point of the hiking/camping part of it (I admit I know little about the whole scheme). If you want to do hiking/camping then join the Scouts or Guides.
I also see DofE volunteers in charity shops or libraries etc and they always look like little lost sheep who have no clue what they are doing.
What exactly is the point of DofE ?

DofE is a personal development programme, students get as much out of it as they are willing to put in. One of the great things about the expedition section is that students end up making decisions for themselves that actually matter to their well-being and comfort. Very rare in their lives nowadays.

CrazyArmadilloLady · 03/07/2023 20:43

DofEswindle · 03/07/2023 20:39

Yes I think my beef is really with the school and outside company rather than D of E, which I am in favour of. Found out today that friend's kid did it for £30 with Scouts and now pissed off! And yes we will find the money but it will limit our family holiday so not an easy spend.

Glad you’ve come round - it’s not D of E - it’s your school!

It doesn’t cost anything like that here (not in the UK).

caringcarer · 03/07/2023 20:43

All my DC had good experiences on DoE and it was especially good for my Foster Son because he suffered from really low self esteem. He was able to share his dried pasta and passata with a child who had a dodgy chicken sandwich. He took lots of pepperoni sticks, baby bel and breakfast bars and 2 apples. He also didn't need the Compreed plasters so gave them to a girl who had really terrible blisters and he offered to carry extra kit for her as she had to keep stopping, he is very fit as does loads of sports and hiking. I think she had quite new hiking shoes He came back saying he thought the other kids on the course Iiked him. He was surprised at this. He finds it really hard to make friends because of his early life experience. He has kept in touch with 2 of the lads on his course.

neonjumper · 03/07/2023 20:45

What ? £250 ?

Mine is just back from DofE bronze again ( has also declared never again ).

Paid £32 ... school provided tents, rucksacks , lifts in minibus there and back .

She lived off nature valley bars , mug shots and noodles .

My friend's children in different areas paid about the same as mine did .

They wore my walking boots ... and we had basic camping equipment!

Honestly... £250 is ridiculous.

Ps to the person who wrote a post about wanting to complain about DofEers ... I felt for you today when DD described climbing fences , walking through owners fields and air BandB pods and then having the gall to complain she'd turn her leggings on a fence ... SORRY !

swanling · 03/07/2023 20:45

@caringcarer That's really lovely and the type of thing it should be about.

Needmorelego · 03/07/2023 20:46

@jgw1 thanks. Surely you can do ‘personal development’ without a strange hike and camping trip. Do they do a version for those who can’t hike/camp (ie those with SEN).
The volunteering bit sounds good.

TwoScottieDogs · 03/07/2023 20:48

My DD said she wanted to do it and school are charging £175. The letter from school clearly states where the money will be spent. However, she joined Army Cadets a few months ago and I was delighted to discover they charge around £35. So cadets it is!

neonjumper · 03/07/2023 20:48

Sorry about mistakes !

swanling · 03/07/2023 20:48

Needmorelego · 03/07/2023 20:46

@jgw1 thanks. Surely you can do ‘personal development’ without a strange hike and camping trip. Do they do a version for those who can’t hike/camp (ie those with SEN).
The volunteering bit sounds good.

Yes, they can and do make adjustments to include participants with disabilities.

fartfacenotfatface · 03/07/2023 20:48

Get your DC to join Army / Air / Navy Cadets where they can do DofE alongside for almost free (i think we pay something tiny like £10 for a training weekend to make a contribution to the food - ration packs all provided) and all the kit is loaned for free.

FiddleMinger · 03/07/2023 20:49

Flippertityfeck · 03/07/2023 20:33

@FiddleMinger - in that case I’d say you have a ‘DC problem’ not a DofE one - not completing the award because they’re ‘not feeling it’ when you have paid money to give them the opportunity is (more than a little) a little pathetic. Sorry.

I agree with you on this… adding ungrateful and selfish too! However, I’m trying to figure a way so that DC doesn’t get the final word on this. We’ll see…

Jointhecircus · 03/07/2023 20:49

We paid £50 for the whole D of E Bronze. School leant tents, stoves and rucksacks, and walking boots and mats if needed, for free. They were allowed pot noodles and bin bags. My dd goes to the local comp though, and my friend whose ds goes to the grammar school had to pay similar the the OP.

It’s ridiculous! It was that much more for my dd to go to France for three nights with her school.