Last month we welcomed the Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould MP, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) CEO, Ruth Marvel to share experiences of the DofE programme at Westminster Academy. 

Our visitors were met by WA’s Principal, Mrs Anwar, and DofE Coordinator, Ms Holden, who gave them an introduction to the school and to our very popular DofE programme, which has been running at WA since 2011. We are proud of the hundreds of students who have achieved the award since then, learning valuable skills in teamwork, camp craft, navigation and first aid; supporting the community; exploring the beautiful British countryside (for many students DofE expeditions have been their first experience outside of London); and making wonderful memories with their friends.

The group was joined by some of our current DofE participants who described some of their experiences, including the activities they are doing for the award, and the skills they have learned so far. Ms Gould and Ms Marvel then got the opportunity to see a DofE session in action -  a practical session on assembling tents, led by two Year 12 students. 

Rea, Year 10, said, “It was an honourable experience meeting the MP and people behind DofE. Taking part in the tent building activity was really engaging, and has prepared me for the expedition we’re going on next term!” 

Majid, Year 10, added his reflections, "Meeting Ruth and Georgia was a pleasant experience, as I received fantastic insight into the responsibility of being an MP, the workload, and the large amount of passion needed to do the role. I also enjoyed speaking to Ruth, as she shared valuable advice, and we spoke about the benefits of DofE and the confidence boost it provides for us members."