2022 is a record year at Leventhorpe for the number of students taking part in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award with a total of 98 participants!

Fourteen groups of seven students took part in the practice expedition which began and ended at Church Farm at Ardeley and were supported all the way by a fantastic group of staff volunteers.

Each with their own backpack, sometimes as big as themselves(!), students packed and carried everything they would need to complete the challenge.

Having had training sessions after school on a weekly basis, in preparation, students demonstrated their independence and organisation skills by organsing their own meal cooking, using only a trangia, and working together to put up their tents for the night.

Walking 12km a day with full 65L packs is tough enough and this year, although the weather was beautiful, the heat brought its own challenges.  The teams' routes were planned by them beforehand and route cards written but it was a real test of the students' map reading skills to navigate their way to the destination point in the face of the inevitable aches and pains, blisters and 'loss of bearings'!

Training for the final expedition in September will start again now and students will begin to plan their own routes in the Chlemsford area.

Alongside this, students will continue to keep up their practical skill and voulunteering in order to complete the Award.  It is wonderful to see so many of our Year 9 students take part in The Duke of Edinburgh Award and enjoying learning new skills and helping the community.

"Congratulations Year 9, you continue to be a pleasure to work with!" 

Mrs Brown, DofE Co-Ordinator