how important is DofE?

[DorothyL]

To give context -dd in year 10, quite academic, on course to get very good results at gcse. Plays two instruments and part of an orchestra inside and outside of school.

She could do DofE in the next 12 months but is quite reluctant - how much should I push her to do it?

[Jeeves93]

I think it depends on how well universities and employers understand DofE. Doing DofE shows that the individual has taken it upon themselves to do something extra. It is easy to sign up to DofE, to actually complete even the Bronze award shows commitment and dedication. The point is that it is down to the individual to sort everything out. If you have to push them to sign up they probably won't complete it!

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

there are quite a lot of allowances which can be made for disabilities, depending on which level. DD did bronze carrying just a day bag for eg, and had someone walking with her for both bronze and silver. Gold has been trickier to manage, as she's had to carry a full rucksack, and can't have an extra person, it all has to be managed within her walking group. So they are GPS tracking her, and she needs to phone in once a day and confirm all is OK, that kind of thing.

But, there are lots of things which can be done, but needs to be dealt with at a local and county level (DDs scheme organiser has to get permission from his DofE boss for her adjustments).

[Ughnotagain]

I'd never even heard of DofE until I was at sixth form college. I didn't bother. Got a part time job instead!

Surely if she's already doing extra curricular activities, and she's academic, and she's not overly keen on doing DofE, then that's enough?

[senua]

Waste of time, but i will add that getting a part time job and or voluteering long term will be much more helpful for ucas and future career.

So your logic goes:
volunteering = good
DofE, which is volunteering and beyond = waste of time

[Madbengalmum]

Let me put it this way, i know not one person who's life has been affected by not doing it.
At school it was shoved down our throats as being really important for university applications, career etc, and i didnt do it, and guess what, the rest of my peers have not romped ahead of me career wise!
Waste of time, but i will add that getting a part time job and or voluteering long term will be much more helpful for ucas and future career.

[NotCitrus]

I agree DoFE is useful to get kids outside of their comfort zone, and to encourage them to continue with things like exercise or learning skills or volunteering that they might otherwise give up when GCSEs and A-levels loom. Certainly kept me swimming regularly.

My school encouraged it, but being a boarding school most people started Bronze just to get a weekend away from school. About 20 started Gold, but five of us decided we didn't want to be with the pervy teacher who ran it and joined the council-run trip instead. Which got discussed at many interviews until I was in my late 20s.

Gold also requires at least a week doing something away from home, which is also a useful experience. I ended up spending the whole summer after school doing youth work, and most holidays over my first two years at uni. Which likewise came up in interviews, for what I'd learnt about leadership and teamwork and Dealing with Difficult Situations.

Also if you've never been camping or hiking, you don't know if this will be the start of a great passion in your life!

[newname99]

I don't think DoE is important for UCAS/CV's at all. The question should be how effective is DoE in motivating some young people who are unwilling to try new activities or volunteer.Use DoE as a method for developing some skills but there are other ways to achieve similar skills.

My DD had peer mentoring experience and regular exercise through a sport she liked so the DoE would not have benefitted her.On the other hand DSD was unkeen to volunteer for anything that didn't directly benefit her so DoE at least made her aware of volunteering.She did it reluctantly (only because friends did) so not sure it achieved the impact it should have.

DSD was told from an early age the need to get outside activities (with formal passes) for Uni applications however having now gone through the UCAS process she is shocked that Unis focus on her academics, not her Grade 4 piano:)

If you have a child with limited skills outside academics then its sensible to help develop other skilks. DoE could be that vehicle but a local activity/volunteering could also achieve the same result.
It is now very common and if the format/time invested works for your child then great but don't do it to tick a box.I think its better to focus on the individual development needs and match it according.

[TheFallenMadonna]

We have a couple of students a year completing bronze/silver with physical disabilities. There are adjustments made to the requirements. Discuss with the provider.

[cece]

DD is doing it through explorer scouts.

TBH it hasn't changed too much so far of what she has done. She was already doing voluntary work, has started playing netball and I am currently benefiting as her new skill is cooking a family meal once a week.

We haven't got to the expedition bit yet - that's in the next few months.

[swingofthings]

I think it is become more and more common for youngsters to do the bronze one and I think that award has inevitably lost its reputation with employers/schools being more impressed with silver or gold awards (and rightly so in my views).

DD decided to do her bronze but not to go for silver. I am however absolutely delighted because the experience has taught her to enjoy walking. She went from a teenager who moaned the second the word 'walk' was mentioned, to one actually suggesting joining us on longer and more difficult walks. Wish DS did it too for the same reasons, but he is not interested at all!

[senua]

It depends on the provider, I think. I know our school had someone doing Gold who was very fragile. The mum was very grateful because she knew some outfits wouldn't be so accommodating.
They won't go straight into the expedition-proper. They will have practices to build up so he will know, when the time comes, if he is capable.
If your provider thinks that he can do it then that's great. Go for it! The leaders keep a close eye on them at Bronze, buzzing around in minibuses, so they can easily swoop in and rescue if needs be. The DC will be allowed to take a mobile (security wrapped, to stop them using it casually but there in case of emergencies).

This is why DofE can be so useful: it pushes DC beyond their comfort zone and makes them realise what they are capable of.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

They are allowed to make reasonable adjustments, so your DS wouldn't necessarily have to do the stated differences.

Who is he doing it with?

[urbanfox1337]

Don't want to hijack this thread but it seems there is lots of experience here, so...

Does anyone have any knowledge of doing the award with a physical disability. My DS has just signed up for bronze but I really cant see him being able to complete the expedition, am quite worried thinking about it.

[senua]

It certainly isn't only schools who run DofE. DD did her Bronze through Guides.
All of the schools in town (three comps and an independent) offer it.

[nattyknitter]

I was from a shitty estate in a shitty part of the North West in a crap school. My school didn't offer it, but there was a group run through the local council so me and a mate went along and did the full set. We were able to borrow all the camping kit and rucksacks etc from the local council outdoor ed section and we just had to get clothing and boots. I know a few people who did it in trainers because it was all they could afford. I don't think it can have been that expensive even including the expeditions because I paid for it myself out of my saturday job money. 20 years on I'm still mates with my gold group and there were 7 of us all from different schools.

I did recruitment for a seasonal holiday employer and they saw DofE Gold and things like Grade 5 or 8 music as a good thing. It showed commitment. Bronze we didn't look at as having any value. We weren't bothered about NCS. We would always grant an interview to anyone who ever came through Prince's Trust. That really is life changing for the kids it supports. They were usually very rough round the edges, but grafters as they appreciated any opportunity afforded to them. They really were the kids where a scheme like that meant the difference between the straight and narrow and prison.

Whether it is valuable to unis/employers or not, it has great personal value. Still, they have to want to do it.

[BigGreenOlives]

Councils often run DofE schemes, as do football clubs (see my earlier post above). My dd had to buy a pair of boots but borrowed the sleeping bag, backpack, fleeces, waterproof trousers, jacket. The group provided the tents & sleeping bags. Her boots were £45 from Millets & she's worn them on field trips as well as for DofE l.

[bojorojo]

Do you think that is replicated countrywide Bertrand? If so, then it would be a better idea to make sure the children who would benefit from it, actually get the chance. I wonder, too, if there is a lack of organisers in some areas. It takes quite a lot of time to set up and do the necessary route checks and risk assessments, so lots of people are not keen to do it on top of their normal jobs. I feel it is problems like this that stop it being offered to all young people.

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

our comp is one of the biggest DofE centres in the south-east, and it is fully inclusive. Those receiving pupil premium get discounts on the fees, equipment can be borrowed from school, and (not that anyone has mentioned disabilities yet), but students with disabilities are supported through the expeditions with whatever support is required/authorised by the DofE scheme.

Although the school is in one of the wealthier areas in the SE, there are a lot of families who by no stretch of the imagination could be described as middle class.

But, it's comparatively easy for DC to complete DofE via school here because the school supports the scheme so heavily. If you didn't have that support (and funding, and the expectation that staff will give up time to take over 200 Y9s on a two day expedition twice in one term), then it would be a lot harder.

The amount of effort and time involved in getting through all three sections is immense though, and it's pretty harsh for five years of extra-curricular to be sniffily dismissed as "middle class" and therefore irrelevant. I was incredibly proud watching DD1 get her gold award, and will be the same with DD2 (hopefully next summer, everything's completed except the final expedition). And also when DD3 finishes bronze, she's had to move right out of her comfort zone, and stick at something that she's not just been ferried to each week by me.

[BertrandRussell]

"
I would love to know the backgrounds of the majority of children that do it though. Is it offered at the worst performing schools with the most deprived children? Is it fully inclusive and do all communities get to participate equally?"

I can answer that . No. I live in a wholly selective area and none of the "secondary modern" schools offer DofE.

[maybebabybee]

bojo I went to a very under performing comprehensive in a deprived area of East London and we were offered it. So were many of my friends who went to similar schools. It may be different now (this was a good 10 years ago), but I think they do try to be inclusive although of course more middle class children may have better funds and be encouraged to do it more.

[bojorojo]

Both my DDs did it but but barely found it worthwhile as they already did loads of extra curricular that demonstrated leadership and team working. D of E Bronze was done by nearly everyone at school (girls' boarding) and they didn't want to be the only ones not doing it. They both quite enjoyed the volunteering and one has done a significant amount of volunteering since graduating and this has been of the highest value to her CV. It was vital, in fact. Therefore it is great to do D of E but do not expect it to open doors in life. It really doesn't. If you have D of E but are lacking in other aspects , D of E won't make up for it.

Playing a musical instrument or dancing to a high level shows sustained commitment (many years usually) as does turning out, and training, for a sports team week after week. Being in choirs, organising events and competitions at school, junior enterprise, taking part in school plays, rising up through Scouts or mentoring younger pupils is all worthwhile and shows dedication, teamwork and leadership. If pupils don't do anything like this, then D of E bridges the gap.

I would love to know the backgrounds of the majority of children that do it though. Is it offered at the worst performing schools with the most deprived children? Is it fully inclusive and do all communities get to participate equally? I genuinely do not know the answer to this, but I suspect not. Therefore it is a self selecting activity and may not be readily available to those who have most to gain from it.

[maybebabybee]

I work in university admissions and we don't consider it of barely, if any, importance.

[BoboChic]

I'm sure it was perfectly frightful, Eric. All boys, too. But they did quite a good job negotiating the hotel/South of France thing out of their parents, who would not have been inclined to fund such a holiday without the DofE bit!

[EricNorthmanSucks]

bobo you can only imagine how those hotel rooms stank after the expedition!!!!!

The kit, the tents, the unwashed sweaty bodies .

[Clavinova]

According to The Times yesterday Aldi seem to think that this type of thing is important for their graduate trainees. Along with a 2:1 degree they're looking for graduates who have been involved in extra curricular activities that show leadership and team work skills. Whilst Aldi isn't Waitrose you wouldn't sniff at their excellent graduate package. DofE is probably beneficial if you don't do any other team or group related extra curricular activities - and many teens/young adults don't.