D of E expedition: mixed sex groups

[trytopullyoursocksup]

Is this the norm now?
My 13 year old says they have been "given" their groups. Hers includes 2 other girls, a boy she is friends with and a boy she doesn't particularly seem to know well (she has never talked about him before).
I feel weird about this. is there anything I can do? A million years ago, my friends who did D of E (I didn't) were all at a girls school and went with other girls - but I also seem to remember that they chose their groups among themselves. Which is may be irrelevant.
I don't really expect anything bad to happen. But if it was a party or a social event, I would be saying no mixed sex sleepovers. I am not happy about that line being weakened and I don't know what to do
thoughts please?

Just before covid hit, so...3yrs ago?

You've got me wondering now, but DofE says this...
13. All expeditions must be unaccompanied and self-sufficient. The team must be properly equipped, and supervision must be carried out remotely.

For Bronze you accompany a group for their practice, for their real expedition staff are at check points, Silver also at check points. Groups check in to make sure none are missing. At the camp site staff obviously have their own tents but are on site.

They are unsupervised for the walk (well, supervised remotely) and they put up their tent and cook without any help. I imagine that when it was first set up it was unsupervised camping, but I am amazed that passed a modern school risk assessment!

I did Gold D of E about 13 years ago when I was 16ish. We walked in a mixed group (one member of the group was my boyfriend at the time) but were under strict instruction that our tent/sleeping arrangements had to be same sex.

Also, it was so handy to have a couple of lads with us when half the group fell into a bog and they had to haul us out of the mud that we all sank waist deep into 😂🙃

Point 8

For Bronze you accompany a group for their practice, for their real expedition staff are at check points, Silver also at check points. Groups check in to make sure none are missing. At the camp site staff obviously have their own tents but are on site.
That's how every group I've known does it.
I've known some groups have GPS trackers carried by groups, others have emergency brick mobiles that will make texts and calls on in the bottom of one person's rucksack with numbers for the leader phones.
There's always one member of staff who is ultimately responsible and a team of staff who check in with groups around the areas.

Yes, but point 13 contradicts that, althpugh I've no real idea. We live in a very specific location, kids will go off camping from a young age, lots of rural risks, but people risks are low.
The school does it on an absolute shoestring, lots of low income kids and they want everyone to have the chance. They can borrow most things they need from the school.

Not meaning to derail the thread. The school may do it differently now

Walking- mixed sex
Tents -single sex

it’s only a problem if there is anyone who is (how do I say this…) in denial? About their sex.

Participants were always far too knackered and aware of being out in the sticks alone for any messing!

others have emergency brick mobiles that will make texts and calls on in the bottom of one person's rucksack with numbers for the leader phones.

Yes, they had this.

Point 13 means that they don’t have staff with them for their real expedition, they’re at check points as previously said. They will not have left the kids on their own at the camp site.

Staff have to be there to assess them

Just asked DD and she said they had a couple of checks at the campsite, but no one stayed, they were actually no other campers at all during their stay. A quick Google suggests other schools do the same.

So how were they assessed ?

Same!! Groups have to RV at checkpoints, sometimes staff are there, sometimes not. Groups have to submit their map and report as part of the assessment.

They were checked on, the same way the walk was assessed 🤷‍♀️
I have no idea and I wasn't worried at the time (or now), the campsite owners lived on site and were known to us and we (and one of the supervising teachers) lived 10mins down the road. Mumset is bonkers about health and safety sometimes, 14 and 15yr olds are quite capable of spending a night in a tent without an adult.

No one’s being bonkers, it’s safeguarding that schools have to adhere to

Yes, they had checkpoints.

I'm going to bed now🙈

Same!! Groups have to RV at checkpoints, sometimes staff are there, sometimes not. Groups have to submit their map and report as part of the assessment
Sometimes staff are at a checkpoint and sometimes we aren't because we have several groups to check in on, all doing difficult routes. If we don't see a group on the morning checkpoint, either because they're walking quicker or slower then we'll drive to find points where we can park up and have eyes on a group even if we don't make contact. If they're going too quick they should put in additional rest breaks or slow their pace down though.
We also check every group in to camp on an evening and in all bronze/silver ones I've done staff camped on the campsite but we're hands off.

They are. I have been a leader for a long time. They may not be in tents overnight but they are near by in a caravan or the farm house. And make regular checks they are also supervised at checkpoints along the waythe exception to this is when they are much older. And young "adults " doing the gold etc will have much less supervision. But someone is still there to assess their progress

My previous school did bronze in Year 9, so they would be 13 and 14. It’s also a big school, so there were around 60 kids doing it. The idea of living 60 children alone in a public campsite (or in a random field, I’m not sure which is worse) overnight sounds crazy to me, and I am generally quite lax by MN supervisory “When would you let your child do X alone” standards.

But I don’t think it’s very common, so the OP probably doesn’t need to worry.