Upper Sixth Students Complete Gold Duke of Edinburgh

Sixteen Upper Sixth Students from King’s have completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award; a fantastic achievement whilst also balancing Sixth Form commitments.

Head of Foundation, Mr Charles, congratulated the group on their outstanding success and presented them with commendation certificates. They will be officially presented with their Duke of Edinburgh certificates at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace later this year.

There are a further six Upper Sixth pupils who are currently working towards completion of their Gold Award, and it is expected that many of these will have done so by the end of the summer.

All King’s Gold Award participants completed their Qualifying Expedition last summer, where they were required to hike for over eight hours each day.

In addition to the Qualifying Expedition, each student attended a residential course as part of their Award. This has involved being away from home for a minimum of four nights and five days in unfamiliar surroundings, with most participants unknown to each other. Participants have also volunteered as sports leaders, mentors/tutors, and in various community or charitable organisations.

Each student deserves credit for their commitment to the Gold Award, which takes a significant amount of time in addi tion to their studies. Volunteering at Gold is 12 months, the physical or skill section is 12 months, with the remaining section taking six months.

Mr Cuthberston, who leads the DofE programme at King’s, said: “To complete Gold DofE says a lot about the character and commitment of our students. Upper Sixth is a busy time, and it is challenging to complete everything required at this level. Its not just the expedition, but the volunteering and residential that build character.”

The scheme is renowned for helping young people develop communication, leadership, and teamwork skills, build empathy and gain confidence for life beyond King’s.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a particular strength at King’s Worcester, with the school regularly seeing an extremely high completion rate across the three award levels of compared to other independent schools in the county.