Year 10 students from West Bromwich Collegiate Academy have completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award practice expedition in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. The experience gave them practice in navigation, camping and teamwork ahead of their assessed expedition later in the year.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a youth development programme for 14 to 24-year-olds, delivered in schools and organisations across the UK. Participants design their own programme and complete four sections: volunteering, physical, skills and expedition. It is offered at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, with each level increasing in challenge and duration.
At Silver level, participants are required to complete at least six months of activities, which also includes a three-day, two-night expedition. The award is designed to support young people in developing independence, resilience and practical life skills through structured challenge outside the classroom.
During the practice expedition, students used maps and compasses to navigate routes across Cannock Chase, working in teams to plan and complete their journey. On the second day, they visited Splitting Mill Waterfall before returning to camp to prepare and cook meals independently.
Students also camped overnight, pitching tents, managing equipment and working together to maintain group organisation throughout the expedition. They supported one another effectively, particularly during more demanding sections of the trip.
Associate Principal, Hannah Percival, said: “What makes the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award so valuable is that it takes students out of their normal school environment and asks them to manage real situations for themselves, as a team. They learn quickly how to cope when things are difficult, how to make decisions under pressure and how to support one another properly. You can see their confidence grow in a very genuine way over a short space of time, and those experiences stay with them well beyond the expedition, both in school and in everyday life.”
The practice expedition is a key stage in preparing students for their final Silver Award assessment later in the year, as students build towards demonstrating full independence, teamwork and navigation skills in a more demanding environment.
