Going for gold

The Blue Coat School has a vibrant and active extra-curricular calendar with The Duke of Edinburgh Award being one of the most popular activities at the school, with 240 students from Years 9 to 13 currently enrolled in the programme.

The school has announced that from 2017 students will for the first time be able to participate in the Gold Award, the programme’s highest achievement. So far over fifty students have signed up to take part.

The scheme provides students with a fantastic opportunity to take part in a series of exciting and challenging activities designed to develop key skills including teamwork, leadership and self-esteem.

The students have successfully completed their first weekend training session of the year, covering essential topics such as first aid, map reading and how best to pack a rucksack, skills which were swiftly put into action during both bronze and silver practice and qualifying expeditions.

During expeditions to Waddington and Clitheroe the Great British weather did not disappoint, resulting in an additional battle against copious amounts of Lancashire mud, but undeterred the students completed their expeditions, under the watchful eye of Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, with a few blisters but overall a great sense of achievement.

Reflecting on this term’s expeditions Blue Coat PE teacher and Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator Miss Baker said: “Students have shown their resilience and capabilities this term and have become fantastic role models for the school and wider community during their volunteer commitments.”