Duke Of Edinburgh @ Wyvern

We are delighted to share the wonderful experiences and achievements of our students during their recent Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) practice expedition in the picturesque South Downs. Our students demonstrated remarkable resilience, teamwork, and skill throughout the journey. Here are some highlights from their memorable expedition.

Successful Navigation in the South Downs

Our students embarked on a challenging yet exhilarating journey through the stunning landscapes of the South Downs. With maps and compasses in hand, they navigated the rolling hills, and valleys. The expedition included both a supervised walk, where our staff provided valuable tips and support, and an unsupervised walk, where the students showcased their independence and navigational confidence.

First-Time Camping Experience

For many of our participants, this expedition marked their very first time camping. Setting up tents, organizing their campsites, and ensuring a comfortable night's sleep were all part of the adventure. Despite some initial challenges, everyone adapted quickly and embraced the joys of camping.

Cooking Up a Storm

One of the aspects of the trip was the delicious food prepared by our students. From kilos of pasta to noodles with chopped sausages, they cooked up a storm using their portable stoves. It was heartening to see their creativity and culinary skills in action, ensuring everyone stayed well-fed and energized for the journey ahead.

Weathering the Elements

The weather was mostly on our side, with plenty of sunshine to brighten our days. However, we did encounter some rain, which could have provided an excellent opportunity for the students to test their preparedness and adaptability, however it rained early on the Monday morning and they all stayed in bed!

Looking Ahead

This practice expedition was a crucial step in our students' Duke of Edinburgh journey, providing them with invaluable experience and confidence. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and the resilience they displayed throughout the trip. The lessons learned and skills gained will undoubtedly serve them well in their final expedition. We have one more group of two teams to head out in a few weekends time, we hope that we can keep the weather and cheerful smiles for this camp too.

Volunteering, Skills and Physical

We have had an updated notification from D of E to say that Wyvern students, since April 1st 2023 to 31st March 2024 have completed 507 hours’ worth of volunteering, which equates to £2676. An amazing effort from all!

Lots of students are coming to the end of their sections for D of E and have submitted some excellent evidence. A few reminders for those that are yet to complete a section: the assessors cannot be a family member or school friend, you can choose your school tutor if this helps, just remember to show them the evidence and chat through what you have achieved with them. They will need to submit an assessor’s report via the website. Some students have yet to start uploading any evidence to event choosing their activities for this. Please check in with them to see if they need any help or guidance.

For the leaving year 11’s we have had some students send in their overdue assessors reports and have been able to sign off some students, please encourage them to do this as we can get the certificates ready to collect with their GCSE’s in August.

A massive congratulations to Jack, Gabrielle, Amelia and Bailey who have had their award verified and completed!

There are some more in the pipeline which we hope to be able to celebrate soon.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the parents for your continued support and encouragement. Your contributions have been instrumental in making this expedition a success. We look forward to more adventures and accomplishments as our students continue their DofE journey