DUKE OF EDINBURGH ’ S AWARD
After their summer exams , over 70 Year 11 pupils completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh ’ s Award expeditions
This year ’ s Silver expedition was particularly memorable as it was the first residential trip to be run by the school in many months after the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic . As a result , we decided to combine the standalone practice expedition with the later qualifying expedition to allow the pupils to gain the full award .
This meant a longer , tougher expedition which saw participants navigate through the woods and marshy areas of the New Forest for two days before the long drive to undertake three days of trekking in the beautiful hills of the Peak District under assessed conditions . The students slept in tents throughout , with the exception of one night in Hartington Hall
YHA , allowing the groups to sort their kit and get a good night ’ s sleep in between the two locations .
Everyone performed admirably and showed particular strength of character to persevere through torrential rain for the first 24 hours . The groups battled against hills , mosquitoes and blisters . In total they each covered over 100km by the end of the trip . For most , that would seem like a full week ’ s work , but some of our pupils went straight onto other demanding activities such as the Kent Hockey finals , assessments for local netball teams and one even completed a team cross-channel swim !
Simon Mavroleon
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2020-2021 111