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The English College Dubai teacher’s royal award highlights the value of DofE for UAE kids
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The English College Dubai teacher’s royal award highlights the value of DofE for UAE kids

by Tabitha BardaFebruary 17, 2022

A teacher at The English College Dubai caught the attention of the British Royal Family this month when she was awarded a personal letter of gratitude acknowledging her outstanding contribution to The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards (DofE) programme.

Kirsty Roberts, Head of History, Law and Politics at The English College Dubai, has been with the school for the past four years, and involved in the DofE Awards for more than seven years.

In recognition of her remarkable efforts with the DofE Awards Ms Roberts was sent a personal letter of gratitude from HRH The Earl of Wessex – a DofE Trustee – and a special commemorative coin, donated by The Royal Mint, marking the life and legacy of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the DofE’s founder and patron. A total of only 100 of these coins have been produced and distributed worldwide.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO, CD, AD, in the letter, sent as part of the centenary celebrations of his late father Prince Philip, who founded the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in 1956, wrote:

“Without you, countless young people would never have had the opportunity to participate in and achieve their Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award…”

Commenting on the important of the DofE Awards, Ms Roberts said:

“I feel it gives students the skills for life to become independent young adults and challenges them to give something back to the community.

“It gives me such a sense of satisfaction to see these students grow into confident young adults who hopefully will be fully equipped to take on the challenges of life after school.”

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What is the Duke of Edinburgh International Award?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a voluntary activity programme for 14 to 24-year-olds. Founded in the UK almost 80 years ago, it is now operating in more than 140 countries around the world.

Using the Award framework and with the support of adult volunteers like The English College’s Ms Roberts, young people develop their own bespoke programme, as they work towards achieving the internationally recognised Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. Each award involves helping the community/environment, improving fitness, developing new skills, and planning, training for and completing an expedition or exploration. This could mean beach clean-ups or volunteering at an animal shelter or home for the elderly; taking up a new sport or physical activity, from dancing to diving or rock climbing;  and acquiring a new skill – which could range from anything in the arts or creative sector, to animal care, fishing, first aid or even podcasting. The final component is the expedition, which must be unaccompanied and last from two to four days. It can be completed by foot, or via any unmotorised mode of transport.

In the spirit of DofE, The English College teacher Kirsty Roberts has been helping children to develop the skills and attitudes they need to become more rounded, confident and responsible adults – qualities that colleges, universities and employers are attracted to.

The Award encourages young people to learn new skills, get physically active, volunteer within their communities and discover a sense of adventure outside of academia and the classroom. As the DofE Award website explains:

“Non-formal education and learning plays a role in the development of skills such as resilience, confidence and communication and can help young people find their purpose, passion and place in the world.”

 

Why do the Duke of Edinburgh Award?

DofE Awards are not part of the National Curriculum, and they take up valuable revision time at a stage when most young people are studying for important exams like GCSEs and A-levels. So why do them?

Extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award are a vital part of a whole-child approach to education, ensuring that every child is given the opportunity to be challenged and flourish in an area that suits them and plays to their strengths. With each component of the Awards taking from six months to more than a year, achieving the Award shows that you have committed long-term to a series of goals and had the perseverance and resilience to push yourself beyond the usual limits.

  • Being able to talk about gaining a DofE Award and include it on your personal statement or CV also adds a key point of differentiation for young people applying to universities and jobs – something that is increasingly important in recent years with the reports of exam grade inflation.

Mark Ford, Principal, The English College Dubai, said:

”DofE Award is an integral part of our ECA programme and it equips our students with such a range of important skills – but we can only offer it because of the commitment and dedication of our amazing teachers.

“It is wonderful to see Kirsty, one of these teachers, being recognised for her outstanding contribution to the programme.”

 

The Junior Duke Awards Programme

An unofficial offshoot of the original Duke of Edinburgh Award from 14-24-year-olds is the new Junior Duke Awards for children aged 5 to 13. First started in 2006, these Awards only entered the UAE market in 2020, but the programme has been embraced by teachers, parents and students for its ability to grow children’s life skills, sense of community and confidence.

Schools in the UAE that we know of that offer the Junior Duke programme include:

  • Horizon English School
  • Victory Heights Primary School
  • Smart Vision School
  • Arcadia School
  • Horizon International School
  • Dubai British School and Dubai British School Jumeirah Park
  • The Aquila School
  • Jebel Ali School
  • GEMS Founders, GEMS Royal Dubai, GEMS Metropole School and GEMS Wellington School
  • Fairgreen International School
  • Kent College Dubai
  • Brighton College Dubai
  • Jumeirah Primary School
  • Star International School Al Twar
  • Hartland International School

© SchoolsCompared.com. 2022. All rights reserved.

About The Author
Tabitha Barda
Tabitha Barda is the Senior Editor of SchoolsCompared.com. Oxbridge educated and an award winning journalist in the UAE for more than a decade, Tabitha is one of the region's shining lights in all that is education in the emirates. A mum herself, she is passionate about helping parents - and finding the stories in education that deserve telling. She is responsible for the busy 24x7 News Desk, our Advisory Boards and Specialist Panels - and Parents United's WHICHPlaydates - a regular meeting place for UAE parents to discuss the issues that matter to them, make friends and network with others. You can often find Tabitha too on Parents United - our Facebook community board, discussing the latest schools and education issues with our parent community in the UAE - and beyond.

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