Award Requirements

Changes and Clarifications

There have been a number of changes and clarifications to Award requirements recently to support schools and organisations to deliver the Award. Here is a quick summary

Embedding the Award into the school day

More schools are embedding the Award programme into the school day to reach more rangatahi, especially at Bronze. Schools are running Bronze as a whole year group at year 10 or 11, or as a subject option, or with a class e.g. integrated studies or supported learning. Some schools may be doing some of the sections in scheduled school time. e.g. Service activities or using class time for logging activities. 

Whether the Award is embedded into the scheduled school programme or run as an extra-curricular activity, at least 50% of the participant’s effort for the Award must occur outside of scheduled school time. 

Scheduled school time doesn't include break times, or class time where the student is not required to be in class e.g. a senior student with a study or free period that does Duke of Ed activity in this time.

If you’d like to know more about embedding the Award into the school day, please email Leonie. 

Using existing school camps as Adventurous Journeys

More schools are utilising existing camps and EOTC activities as Adventurous Journeys. This reduces costs for participants and often reduces workload for schools delivering the Award. 

Existing school camps can be used towards the Adventurous Journey section provided they meet all 10 requirements.

The Preparation and Training, Practice and Qualifying Journey can be done in one event, as long as the event is long enough to meet the combined time requirements. Training must be sufficient to ensure group competency in the activities being undertaken. Therefore the training topics in the Online Record Book are a guide only. Any non-Award participants within the group must also be involved in training.

Can family trips be used as Adventurous Journeys?

Award Units have the discretion to approve family trips for Duke of Ed, provided they are approved under the Award Unit’s Safety Management System, including determining the experience and/or qualifications of the Assessor(s), and meet all 10 requirements of the Adventurous Journey section. Please note: Family members cannot be assessors.

    Spirit of Adventure

    There are changes to how a Participant can count their 10 day voyage with Spirit of Adventure.

    The 10 day development voyages can be used for: 

    Bronze Adventurous Journey: Training and Preparation, Practice Journey & Qualifying Journey and/or Silver Adventurous Journey: Training and Preparation, Practice Journey & Qualifying Journey 

     OR 

     Gold Residential Project and Gold Adventurous Journey: Training and Preparation, Practice Journey, Gold Qualifying Journey  

    For more information about Spirit of Adventure or 5 day voyages click here.

    Combined Adventurous Journeys and Residential

    Where an event is of sufficient duration to meet the combined time requirements of the Adventurous Journey and Gold Residential Project Sections, and all Award criteria are met for both sections, the event may be used for both the Adventurous Journey and Gold Residential Project Sections.

      Flexibilities

      Flexibilities can be applied, with prior approval from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, to an individual or group of participants where they require specific support or adaptation.  Flexibilities are generally granted for participants where there are: 

      • Additional support needs 
      • Medical/Health requirements 
      • Cultural Requirements 
      • Other extenuating circumstances

      Flexibilities are listed on our website.

      Sometimes, to enable a young person to be able to participate in the Award, where it may have been difficult to do so otherwise other flexibilities may be requested. These flexibilities might look like: 

      • Completing the Award 100% in scheduled school time for students with additional support needs. 
      • Adapted Adventurous Journeys or Gold Residential Project 

        Please contact your Operations Advisor to talk through adaptations to the delivery of the Award or email Kylie. 

          Logging in the Online Record Book (ORB)

          • The minimum requirement for logging in the ORB is a phrase per log that describes what the participant did.  
          • Award leaders can require more. For example, if you are using logging as a literacy exercise or if you want more evidence or detail from participants doing something that is not structured. e.g. Cooking at home.  
          • Photos are optional but can be required by an Award Leader. e.g. Screenshots of Strava or photos of what they cooked.  
          • We suggest that participants log all the hours they do, even if this is more than required.