I’m going to be honest - my experience of taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) was a mixed bag.

On the plus side, I spent six months of Saturdays volunteering in my local Oxfam bookshop (a rather enjoyable experience for an avid reader), learned British Sign Language and logged many hours of taekwondo training.

Less positively, I also spent two cold days heaving a backpack twice my weight across the wilds of Dartmoor and struggling to sleep in a tiny tent. At least one student lost a shoe, and another fell in a bog.

Advocates of the award would argue that these minor hardships are all part of the experience, and a key reason why the programme still maintains its relevance more than 60 years after its launch in 1956.

For those who aren’t aware, the DofE is a youth awards programme founded in the UK by HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. It is open to all young people and is designed to reward them for trying new things, getting outdoors and giving back to their communities.

But do all teachers agree that the programme has stood the test of time? In a recent Twitter thread asking teachers about their feelings towards the DofE Award, opinions varied.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award after 65 years

Simon Balderson, deputy head (academic) at Westonbirt School, tweeted: “We love it - [it’s] a great way of bringing breadth of experience, service and lots of other good things into the school experience.”

Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, a senior leader based in the North of England, was also supportive, tweeting to say that when he meets ex-students and chats to them about their time at school, “DofE often comes up as a top-three memory for them”.

He added: “I’d say [it’s] as relevant as ever today in this new post-lockdown recovery era.”

Not everyone was so keen. Clive Nutton, a teacher and outdoor instructor based in the North of England, tweeted: “It can be a vehicle for some great developmental experience but, in delivery, it’s a constant battle to prevent the tail from wagging the dog. I think the award in some ways diminishes the quality of experience that could be had in the activities otherwise.”

“I [have] a love-hate relationship with the award,” Nutton continued. “I sometimes wish it didn’t exist. Maybe it’s time to scrap it and come up with something else.”

One of the main criticisms levelled at the award centres around schools bringing in external providers that charge fees that put participation out of reach of some of the most disadvantaged children.

Positive impact

However, there is evidence that the DofE programme can have a positive impact. In 2007, the University of Northampton was commissioned to conduct a detailed study to find out how the scheme benefited students and how current and previous participants felt about their awards.

They found that 84 per cent of the young people surveyed felt their DofE participation had given them access to “totally new experiences”, while at least 70 per cent agreed that the DofE had helped to develop their teamwork skills, independence and sense of personal responsibility.

Clare Argar, the DofE’s London director, says that one of the scheme’s enduring benefits is the clout it holds for employers. She is backed by a recent survey of major UK employers, ranging from Honda and BT to Tesco and Boots, which found that DofE was ranked on average as the most highly valued school activity.

Why is the DofE Award so popular with employers? Perhaps because it supports the current focus on “lifelong skills” that’s being pushed by organisations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Indeed, the benefits of the award were always meant to stretch far beyond the classroom. Writing in an article for Tes in 2004, Prince Philip said that “the award was never intended to be part of the formal education system; it is complementary to it … Its purpose is to help young people to gain experience of the most rewarding opportunities open to adults in their non-working lives”.

Having access to a range of experiences beyond the classroom is perhaps particularly important post Covid, Argar points out, as taking part in activities that involve “getting outside, getting into nature, doing some physical activity” could help to counteract the impact that the pandemic has had on young people’s physical and mental health.

Kathryn Brindley-Edwards, senior lead practitioner at Ormiston Academies Trust, agrees that the pandemic has only made the award more relevant.

“The pandemic and an increasing reliance on digital technologies has resulted in fewer opportunities for students to connect and engage with others,” she says. “The DofE allows students to develop their communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork - all of which are critical skills.”

But how can schools make sure that their students get the most out of the award? Argar suggests that if schools find that a lack of staff expertise or funding is a problem, they should reach out to their local DofE chapter, as help is “just at the end of an email, or a Teams call these days”.

Spreading the word

Argar’s team encourages older awardholders to return to their schools as volunteers to support expanded participation, as well as offering training opportunities and sharing best practice.

She recommends that schools incentivise staff to volunteer their time, “because if it all lands on the shoulders of one brilliant DofE manager, that’s quite a lot to do”. This doesn’t have to be a financial incentive, but can take the form of demonstrating the benefits that the DofE scheme can have for staff. Argar says that “70 per cent of teachers we spoke to [in 2018] said that helping with the DofE had improved their job satisfaction”.

But if funding is the only thing holding your school back, she says, there is financial support available for vulnerable and marginalised students through the DofE’s Youth Without Limits initiative.

Ultimately, says Brindley-Edwards, the real key to success is finding the right people to run the scheme at your school - people who are “knowledgeable about the programme and qualification, and truly believe in its value and importance within the wider curriculum offer”.

Argar agrees. She attributes the DofE’s enduring success to all the teachers, awardholders and volunteers who have been involved over the years.

“They are what makes it possible for young people to do their award and then go on and grasp the opportunities that come to them in life,” she says.

Molly Bolding is a freelance journalist

This article originally appeared in the 3 December 2021 issue under the headline “Has DofE kept its value for students?”