September - DofE Assessment, New Forest

If you've followed this Blog this year you'll know that 2013 has very much been dominated by 'DofE' for me. Having taken on the role of DofE coordinator at school where I teach, I have not only been through the process of gaining my own 'countryside leader award', but also organised and run my first practice hike for the pupils, and this months organised their assessed expedition.

For the pupils the two days involved a hike through the new forest to get from AtoB. For me it involved mountain biking through the new forest in a rather non-linear fashion to meet the various groups at their different checkpoints!

The 14 pupils who took past all had a successful expedition with excellent feedback from the assessors! The New Forest was a great location as it gave the pupils a great sense of wilderness without being too far from civilization! I'm looking forward to organizing future DofE trips, but have thoroughly enjoyed my first year in this role!