The (new) Year 10 DofE Bronze Award Training in Enrichment Week 2023 was the first full-blown training week since 2019, owing to the restrictions and compromises enforced by the pandemic, and our participants made the very best use of the additional time afforded to them.

Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 July 2023 focused on orienteering, walking, kit and camping, with Tuesday's rain providing a reasonable test of the pupils' resilience in adverse conditions.

With staff absence on Wednesday, it would have been very easy for the pupils to down tools and take their foot off the gas, but armed with the skills and knowledge garnered on Monday and Tuesday, whilst in the safe embrace of the No Limits instructors, and with the direct support of the brilliant in-school staff team, all groups completed their compulsory map planning and route cards, ahead of the final qualifying expedition in September.

Thursday was a day of two halves, with Miss Creed-Miles providing half a day of British Heart Foundation and St John's Ambulance ratified emergency First Aid training to all pupils. This either followed or preceded updating and refreshing of pupils' eDofE accounts and general admin.

The hard work completed in the first 4 days of the week allowed for a relaxed and informal morning on Friday, with several ultra-competitive games of rounders completed, involving both staff and pupils. The week was rounded off beautifully with an afternoon in the sun at Cirencester's open air swimming pool.

Throughout the week, both the No Limits instructors and the in-school staff team commented on the commitment, maturity and mutual support/respect from the pupils. I feel extremely confident that this mindset and approach will allow all participants to complete their DofE Bronze Award successfully!