DofE Silver and Bronze Celebrations
On Monday 21 November, 165 members of the Lower Sixth and Fifth Form were presented with their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Awards by Head, Simon Marshall.
Firstly, Dominic Argyle, the School’s DofE Manager spoke to parents and pupils on the success of the programme at Bancroft’s, which regularly sees the highest number of awards for a co-educational day school within the London region. 2016 was no exception with an overall pass rate for all awards at an impressive 82%. Silver Awards were presented to 77 pupils and 88 received Bronze Awards. In addition, 20 of last year’s Upper Sixth achieved the top award of Gold this summer. They will be invited to a special ceremony at St James’s Palace in the presence of either HRH, the Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.
Old Bancroftian and Gold Award holder Vaclav Prusa spoke of the challenges he had faced and the “unique skill set” he gained while working towards his Gold Award: from his residential to the physical and mental demands of the expedition to Snowdonia, “The numerous skills I learnt throughout my award complemented me when I finished my path at School and went onto University; they have also continued to benefit me into my working life.”
After presenting the successful pupils with their badges, Head Simon Marshall echoed Vaclav’s words about the long term benefits of the Award to pupils and also spoke of his interaction with the Gold groups on their expedition in Snowdonia this October.
I finished my expedition in the Black Mountains exhausted but happy; I am now looking forward to new challenges as I embark upon my Gold Award. I hope that, I too, will be able to attend a presentation at St James’s.
Caroline Wyatt, year 12 Silver Award Holder
The evening was a fitting celebration of the dedication and work put in by these Bancroftians over the past year and also a tribute to the support given by their parents and members of staff at the School.
