You retain a duty of care for your pupils and are responsible for their pastoral care. All being well you should not need to do anything other than sit at a roadside checkpoint, but should you be required you must be available to take pastoral care of your pupils.
The groups should be able to manage themselves and should not NEED input from us or you. We will be close enough to them that if there is an emergency they can contact us and we will go to them. You are free to go to a local pub / restaurant as long as able to enact your duty of care if called upon.
We often ask that teachers sit in their mini-bus as one of the road Checkpoints, this allows you to see your pupils at least once in the day and because you know the pupils you will be in a good position to judge how they are coping. You wont be asked to navigate/walk to anywhere remote.
We will manage any incident and provide care/First Aid as required. You will be required to take pastoral care of any participants/groups that need to be taken off expedition.
You are responsible for all vehicle transport to/from/during expeditions. In essence this means that during the expedition you should have at least one minibus with a staff member able to drive it should a group get very lost and need picking up, or a pupil sprain their ankle and need picking up
Because you will be traveling with your pupils to/from expedition, and because you retain a duty of care for your pupils you must refer to your own off-site policy (or similar)
Yes.
The expedition requirements are that they must ‘complete at least one practice expedition’ of the correct duration and meet the minimum hours of planned activity. The duration is different at each level but it is a requirement that they complete the expedition as planned. DofE are clear that participants can undertake as many practice walks or expeditions as necessary before they progress to the Qualifying Expedition. See p53 of the expedition guide and the DofE website FAQ
No. However the environment for the expedition needs to ‘become progressively more challenging through the award levels‘. With this in mind the Silver expeditions must present more of a challenge than their Bronze, and the Gold must present more of a challenge than their Silver.
No.
DofE recommend that there is a ‘reasonable gap between practice and qualifying expeditions‘. While there is no specification for this amount of time participants will need time to recover from their practice, take on board any learning and then plan and prepare for their assessment.
That depends on your school policy. For deciding on your policy please look at P85 of the Expedition Guide which gives some good advice.
No – you can camp but because the expeditions are remotely supervised (see below) if you want to stay a short distance from the group in a B&B or similar you can. You must be contactable by phone and you must be able to get to the group. We will book and arrange a campsite for you, if you choose not to camp these arrangements are up to you.
DofE require that contact with adults should be kept to a minimum both during the walk and at the campsite, the Expedition Guide suggests that supervisors remain out of sight and hearing of the team and allow them to get on without any intervention, the supervisor will have a rough idea of where the team are and how they are progressing.
The following is taken from the DofE Expedition Guide in reference to Assessed/Qualifying expeditions
“All qualifying expeditions must be unaccompanied and self-sufficient. The team must be properly equipped, and supervision must be carried out remotely, considering what is reasonably practicable for participants and ensuring their welfare is paramount. The Supervisor must be satisfied that participants are capable of undertaking the planned expedition. Contact with adults should be kept to a minimum. It is important to remember that all DofE expedition teams have undertaken a rigorous training programme. By the time the qualifying expedition takes place, all of the training and practices (as required) will have been completed, ensuring all the participants are competent and capable. At this point it is time to stand back and let them get on with it. Remember that the greatest amount of learning will probably come from the difficulties that the team encounter. If the Supervisor is too quick to smooth the difficulties teams encounter then little learning will take place. If the team does not have the necessary training and skills to operate safely in an area or environment for the duration of the expedition, then they should not be there and the expedition will be deferred. Supervisors may supervise teams more closely for short periods of an expedition when traveling through potentially hazardous environments. This must be kept to an absolute minimum and used to allow a team to overcome an unavoidable hazardous area in their expedition route.”
“Remote supervision at camp sites. Remote supervision applies to evenings and nights as much as daylight hours. If Supervisors are on the same camp site then they should camp as far away from the participants as they can and have as little interaction as possible. At Gold level it should not be necessary for any Supervisor to be present on the same camp site as participants overnight. Participants must be trained to this standard. If the only camp site available insists on the Supervisor’s presence or the participants have additional needs, Supervisors may use the same camp site following the advice above. At Gold level it is unacceptable to use low levels of training or poor behaviour as a reason for using the same camp site as participants.”
E3Adventures interpretations of the guidance are:
1 – The above is discussing assessed expeditions – but DofE separately say it is important that practice expeditions reflect as much as possible the assessment in order to be a realistic practice.
2 – The overiding emphasis is on minimum contact – Where the groups are at particular road crossings or areas of the walk, or cooking, where there is the possibility of harm OR they are not practiced at this then we supervise them more closely. At camp, where there is minimum external risk, is an opportunity to practice remote supervision.
3 – Participants should have the necessary skills ( which includes the ability to manage their own behaviour) to operate safely in an area or environment for the duration of the expedition. If they do not have the skills to expedition safely without constant supervision they should not be on expedition.
4 – At Gold participants are expected to camp, possibly at remote wild locations without ‘close’ supervision. In order to develop these skills participants at Silver and Bronze level and locations need to practice and demonstrate the ability to camp and manage their own time and behaviour.
FAQ for Participants and Parents
Your DofE coordinator will have provided you with a Kit List, and if we are doing training with your school we will cover kit then, you can also visit our Kit List and Food page
Your DofE coordinator will help you plan your menu, and if we are doing training with your school we will cover food then, you can also visit our Kit List and Food page
We bring a small stock of spare kit to each expedition so your instructor may be able to help. Alternatively, you may be able to visit a shop before you start. However, you will not be able to take part unless you are properly equipped.
Talk to your DofE coordinator about your schools policy.
Yes – this is a great idea, you will want to record all of those great DofE memories. They can then be uploaded onto your eDofE or used during your presentation, or posted on our Facebook Page. If you do bring a camera or video camera, please ensure that it is well protected from the elements.
Your possessions may be covered on your house insurance, however we recommend taking out a travel insurance policy which will cover your personal possessions during the expedition. Your possessions are not insured through the DofE or through our insurance.
You don’t need to but you may be able to buy some food and drink on the journey to and from your expedition and the end of the expedition. If you have forgotten anything you may be able to visit a shop before you start and it is also a good idea to bring some extra money with you in case of an emergency.
That depends – if the damage or loss was accidental eg breaking a tent pole whilst trying to pitch a tent in stormy conditions, then we will not charge you. However we reserve the right to make a charge if we believe that the damage or loss was caused wilfully or by misuse or negligence.