Extra Curricular Activities
Students will be stretched and encouraged to try new things, both in the taught curriculum and through our extensive extracurricular programme. Our students are emersed in school life.
Our school continues to develop the most comprehensive, effective and flexible pastoral support systems, the most engaging and varied extra-curricular programme.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has been running since 1956 and aims at encouraging people from 14 to 24 to go the extra mile by gaining new skills, pushing themselves physically, helping others and exploring new territories. At the same time, they will gather friendships, experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.
Here at Woodroffe, we firmly believe in encouraging students to get involved in the DofE and inspiring, guiding and supporting them to develop independence and gaining recognition for their achievements. We are fully committed to the ten guiding principles:
Non-competitive; Achievable by all; Voluntary; Personal development; Personalised; Balanced; Progressive; Achievement focused; Commitment and Enjoyment.
The DofE has three different levels, which have different demands on the level of commitment a young person must show. In each level, they have to complete four sections.
Currently, we offer the Bronze Award to students in year 9, Silver Award to students in year 10 and the Gold Award to students in the sixth from.
The part of DofE the students most enjoy is the expeditions. At Bronze, students complete their practise and assessed expedition in the local area. At Silver, students complete their practise in Exmoor and assessed expedition in the Purbecks. At Gold, the students undertake their expeditions in the Brecon Beacons or Dartmoor National Parks.
Overall, the DofE is a fantastic Award that develops and recognises young people’s potential and resilience in a wide variety of settings.
Benefits of DofE
Completing a Duke of Edinburgh Award is a fantastic opportunity that allows students to continue current activities or new skills as part of the physical recreation, skills and volunteering sections of the award. It also allows students to make new friends and develop their teamwork skills, which are important throughout the rest of their education and beyond.
The sense of responsibility that participants will feel will allow them to develop problem-solving and communication skills. This is done simply through having to meet self-made deadlines of completing sections of the award and planning the Expedition. Pupils will find that time keeping and maturity rapidly increase as they meet the challenges of the Award. The Gold Award continues to be acknowledged amongst employers as the second most important criteria after academic success.
Testimonials from Bronze participants:
Black team:
We really enjoyed the DofE expedition because we thought it was fun to work together as a team and learn new skills like how to read a map. The first day was a bit of a challenge, especially at the start because we got lost in a field of maize, but we got a bit better towards the end and were much better on day 2 when we started communicating more. We would recommend this for anyone who enjoys challenging themselves and likes the outdoors. A top tip for everyone who is thinking they might like to try DofE is to leave enough room in your bag for group kit when packing as there is more than you think!
Blue Team:
Our team found DofE a challenging yet eye opening experience. It tested our induvial resilience yet also our teamwork. Along the way from navigating to cooking, we supported each other. Despite some difficult (and very overgrown!) paths, we found we grew together as a team and enjoyed it thoroughly. Our favourite part of DofE has definitely been the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day (and Daisy touching an electric fence was pretty funny), the mutual feeling shared between everyone in the group was definitely special. To anyone thinking of taking part in the future, go for it! And good luck. The Blue team 2024.
Red Team:
Duke of Edinburgh is good for adventurous people who love the outdoors. The weather wasn’t too great: we had little showers throughout the day. We all really enjoyed making our dinner. We had pasta with tomato sauce and garlic bread and a few people brought some yummy homemade treats. Throughout our expedition, we had to navigate a route we had previously planned. Our start was Winsham and our final destination was Langdown Woods. In total we walked just over 28km and in 2 days we roughly walked 50,000 steps. Many people complained about their legs hurting and when we finished our feet felt like jelly. In our backpack we had to carry: a tent, tent poles, tent pegs, clothes, water, enough food for 2 days, a Trangia, gas can, first aid kit, waterproofs and snacks.