The record-breaking numbers, published today, show that 537,759 young people are currently working towards their Award across the UK – up more than 10% on 2021/22.

The figures mark the end of the second year of the DofE’s ambitious five-year strategy to reach one million young people by 2026 – with a focus on breaking down barriers for marginalised young people and reaching more schools in deprived areas, community organisations, further education colleges, organisations supporting young people with additional needs, and prisons and young offender institutions.

The annual statistics show that:
• Participants gave 3,541,707 hours of volunteering in their communities – up 64 per cent on the previous year and equivalent to £17,035,611 in paid working hours.
• 29.9 per cent of 14-year-olds in the UK started their Bronze DofE.
• 262 secondary schools offered the DofE for the first time, including 98 in the most deprived areas of England.
• 19 secure settings started running the DofE, including prisons, young offender institutions, secure units, youth offending and youth intervention teams – with 79 now offering it overall.
• DofE was offered for the first time in 72 community organisations, 15 further education colleges, 126 centres for young people with additional needs and 36 alternative provision centres, supporting students who cannot attend mainstream school.

Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “Young people are taking up the DofE in record numbers – showing they value opportunities like this more than ever. As they find themselves stuck between a brutal past few years and an uncertain future, chances to develop and grow outside the classroom are vital to help level the playing field and give them the skills and capabilities they need to succeed in future.

“Young people need our support more than ever if they’re going to have the same chances previous generations had – which is why we’re determined to keep breaking down barriers to participation and reaching as many young people as possible.”

https://www.dofe.org/

Year 5 pupils at St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, part of the Romero Catholic Academy, have created 32 prayer bags to provide comfort to people suffering from illness in the Wyken area.

The packages, which include a prayer hand-written by pupils, a hand-decorated prayer stone, a small wooden cross and a pack of tissues, are set to be distributed as a show of support for families affected by Covid-19.

The initiative was inspired by the Year 5 pupils’ studies around the Anointing of the Sick – the sacrament given to people who are suffering from illness – as well as pupil’s own experiences with family members who have been affected by the virus, in a bid to provide comfort through faith.

Emily Stirling, Year 5 Teacher at St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, said: “The Year 5s have taken a real interest in creating their prayer bags as they know the difference that small comforts and supportive words can make to people who are suffering from illness and are potentially separated from their families.

“Many of our pupils have personal experience of supporting family members who have suffered from Covid-19, so to have the opportunity to reach out to members of the public with a show of good faith is very rewarding from their perspective.

“We hope that the recipients of the prayer bags get as much positivity and comfort from them as we did in creating them.”

St John Fisher Parish Priest Fr Des Devenney, who is helping to distribute the prayer bags to the community, said: “I joined the parish during Covid-19 so have witnessed the community’s response throughout, and it’s brilliant that the younger generation are so keen to support others living in the area.

“It’s a lovely thought and a project that will provide a lift to people and parishioners living in the local area. It’s a privilege and joy to be involved.”

The Department for Education (DfE) has released further details of its National Education Nature Park, created to teach children about climate change and improve biodiversity across the country. Esri UK is providing a digital mapping platform and expertise in biodiversity mapping to help underpin this exciting initiative, first announced at COP26 by the Education Secretary.

The National Education Nature Park will engage young people and teachers with nature, supporting them to play a driving role in mapping and monitoring biodiversity on their grounds using citizen science and, critically, taking action to enhance it. The DfE believe this could play an important part in increasing biodiversity across the education estate and have a real impact on halting the decline of nature in England.

Let’s Go Zero is the national campaign uniting teachers, pupils, parents and their schools as they all work together to be zero carbon by 2030. Every school that signs up is pledging to work towards a more sustainable future while calling for much-needed government support to help all schools reach their zero carbon goals.

Targets across schools were set to encourage a creative approach towards helping the environment, these targets were set way before the energy price hikes and increases in the cost of living communities have experienced in the last 12 months.

There have been some great examples across the Trust of the types of work being done within schools and the community including meat-free Mondays, litter picking, foodbanks, “Energy Saving Champions”, gardening clubs and recycling.

Helen Rowland, Chief Executive Officer at Focus-Trust, said: “The Lets Go Zero campaign has been amazing in supporting the continuation of our sustainability efforts Trust wide.

“By taking lots of small steps towards being more environmentally friendly, our schools are responding to our children’s demand that we protect our planet and lead the way in our communities.

“We are incredibly proud of all the work children are doing across the schools, all whilst learning about sustainability on the way.”

Focus-Trust is a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing ‘great schools at the heart of our communities’ where children thrive, achieve and succeed.

Marie, who has worked at Inclusion Hampshire for 13 years, is hoping to engage with other teachers and education professionals who have completed the Department for Education (DfE) funded training programme to help develop best practice regionally and provide mutual support in the improvement of mental health provision across the county.

Marie said: “Some of our young people face a lot of barriers and difficulties, so if we can all join up and share ideas and resources, then we’re just going to be giving them the best support and guidance. “I’ve recently completed a Senior Mental Health Lead course with Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools, which focused on how to implement a whole-school approach.

“Now I want to make sure we can share what we’ve learned with other schools in Hampshire, and learn from their experience too, so we can all support each other in keeping the mental health of young people a real priority.”

Marie is also keen to engage and include the local community, businesses and parents with the network to ensure all stakeholder voices are heard.

Inclusion Hampshire is a Specialist provision, prioritising mental health and wellbeing support for learners. One of Marie’s key aims is to discuss ways for all educational settings across Hampshire to be supported in developing their staff, as well as ensuring every child and young person across the region has access to excellent mental health provision.

She said: “Training is so important to help staff feel confident and supported in what they’re delivering – and I think this is also incredibly important to model to our learners. We’re demonstrating how mental health should be viewed, reducing stigma, accessing support, talking openly, and treating your mental health and wellbeing as a priority.

“Some of our young people experience anxiety, low mood, eating disorders, OCD, and I would say that some of these have absolutely been exacerbated in the last couple of years due to COVID.

“To recover from that, good mental health provision needs to be supportive without stigma and discrimination, and knowledge based. It’s about ensuring safe, supportive, nurturing, caring, mental health well-being is embedded in everything we do. And what we really need to be doing is preparing to send them off into the wide world as resilient young people who have the capacity to talk about their mental health openly and confidently.”

If you would like further information and get involved with the network, then please contact Marie at marie.greenhalgh@inclusionhampshire.org.uk

LGBTQ+ Voices has been downloaded more than 2,000 times since it launched last year and provides teachers with curriculum links to PSHE or Health and Wellbeing, Citizenship and History. It features both a lesson plan and an assembly with interactive tasks. Together, they aim to challenge perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community and help students aged 11–16 understand the importance of diversity and inclusion.

The award-winning resource enables students to explore the contributions of LGBTQ+ Army personnel past and present. It features four fascinating case studies, including Deborah Penny, the first trans soldier in the British Army.

Many teachers feel ill-equipped to answer any questions that students may have around trans rights. It is hoped that LGBTQ+ Voices will play an important contribution to the current debate. By giving students the tools that they need, they can play their part in addressing the inequality and discrimination felt by the trans community. Students will understand why being an LGBTQ+ ally is so very important, even if they don’t identify as LGBTQ+.

LGBTQ+ Voices was developed with teachers and support from the Army LGBTQ+ network. Teachers have remarked how the resources are “rich in information”. They offer “powerful” learning, are “self-contained” and are “simple to use”, especially for non-specialists and those less confident in discussing LGBTQ+ topics.

Teachers can download LGBTQ+ Voices for free at: https://apply.army.mod.uk/base/lessons/lgbtq-voices

The national student voice initiative was created to bring students from across the Trust’s 43 academies together to encourage them to use their voices to drive change and make a difference.

This year marked the introduction of the first fully-fledged democratic elections, which gave the students the opportunity to take part in a 10-step election that included nominations, full in-person campaigning, ballot elections and an exciting results day.

The students campaigned on a range of issues that mattered the most to them and used their voices to effectively communicate their points and inspire others. Their campaigns have centred on issues such as mental health, championing diversity, and bolstering the voices of those who are disadvantaged.

The elections were split into OAT’s four regions, with academies electing up to 4 students, dependant on the size of their academy to represent their voices regionally. Now the regional student teams have been elected, they will nominate and elect 20 members to form the National Student Voice who will represent and act on behalf of OAT’s 33,000 students.

Each regional student leadership team selects three issues to focus region-wide projects and initiatives on. Last year, the student leadership team for the West highlighted LQBTQ+ campaigns as a salient issue and as a part of this commitment organised a pride campaign to celebrate diversity.

A crucial part of the Trust’s national student voice councils is their contributions to the #WeWill campaign, a national social action project. Through the campaign, the student councils have supported the creation of various projects that centre on health, recycling, the arts, eco-sustainability, and all share the same goal of making a difference in the communities in which the academies serve.

The student voice teams were also instrumental in organising the Trust’s Ukrainian humanitarian appeal which utilised the collective power and support of the community of academies. With the student network already in place, the national student voice team were able to quickly and effectively organise a Trust wide appeal that enabled them to raise over £15,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee.

The final round of elections will take place over the next few weeks, where the incumbent regional student voice ambassadors will have the opportunity to put together pitches for their campaign to be part of the national council.

Holly Weaver, Former Chair of National Student Voice at Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as Chair of National Student Voice, working closely with other passionate students to enact change and draw attention to the issues we really care about.

“It was good to see how our opinions were valued and were influential in deciding the #WeWill projects. It is important that these projects are shaped by pupils’ ideas as it will ensure they have the most impact on our community.”

Debbie Kinsella, Lead Practitioner for Enrichment at Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “This year’s student voice elections have been truly fantastic. Hearing the passion, thoughts and ideas of our students has been inspiring and I look forward to seeing the amazing work that they do in their time as ambassadors.

“We created our regional and national student voice as a way to bring our students together and to motivate them by showcasing how they can affect change and make a difference. It has been wonderful to see our students be so dedicated and enthusiastic about making the most of their positions.”

Last year, Manor Green Primary Academy was successful in its bid for funding to convert a yellow school bus into a sensory hub for the school’s stakeholders and local groups.

During his visit the MP met with Manor Green’s new Principal, Victoria Saville, and members of the Focus Trust Central Team. The team informed him that a total of £700,000 had been invested on improving the school environment since 2017.

The school also revealed that work is due to commence during half term holidays on their new Early Years outdoor area funded through the Trust’s School Condition Allocation.

Pupils at the school expressed their concerns to the MP including regarding litter in the local area and the speed of traffic outside school. The School Council handed Mr Gwynne a letter requesting his support with improved signage and ways to encourage passing traffic to abide by the limit outside school.

He was very impressed that the school Eco Squad are committed to keeping the school grounds in excellent condition. Every one of the 402 children attending Manor Green have planted a sapling and a discussion ensued around the lasting legacy and positive environmental impact this will have in the future.

Andrew Gwynne said: “I had a really lovely visit to Manor Green Academy. I was quizzed by the school council on litter, recycling, clean air, tree planting and much more. It was fantastic to see pupils so engaged on such important issues.

“The School Council have also written a letter to me on a range of issues, including the problem of speeding cars outside the school. I’ll be taking this up with Tameside Council and Greater Manchester Police.

“All in all, it was a really productive and fun morning, and it was great to meet the staff and pupils at Manor Green Academy.”

Victoria Saville, Principal at Manor Green Academy, said: “A huge ambition of mine as the new principal at Manor Green is for the school to be known as a great one.

“I look forward to a close working partnership with Mr Gwynne and I thank him for visiting our school today.”

The visit concluded with a rousing rendition of “We’ve got the Power” sung by the school choir who will be performing at the Young Voices event later this month.

Manor Green Academy forms part of the Focus- Trust – a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North-West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing great schools at the heart of communities where children thrive, achieve and succeed.

The unique poetry and nature resource pack is available nationally, yet also forms part of the Young Poets project from the National Literacy Trust, which aims to improve pupils’ enjoyment of writing, their motivation to write and their attitudes to poetry. It also encompasses the RSPB Wild Challenge, an award scheme encapsulating a suite of specially-developed activities to support schools to engage children with nature and provide practical learning opportunities.

The creative activities developed by the National Literacy Trust and the RSPB will support and guide teachers to inspire their pupils to write and perform poetry through outdoor exploration of nature.  The resource includes a series of lesson plans, encouraging students to be inquisitive about the natural world and provide them with meaningful experiences of the outdoors, whilst also meeting national curriculum requirements for writing.

This resource has been written with school grounds in mind, and the poetry-based lesson plans created by the National Literacy Trust enable pupils to draw on their sensory experiences to describe nature’s beauty, empathise with wildlife to write and perform poetry. These activities build on the five pathways to nature connection – senses, emotion, beauty, meaning and compassion – and promote creativity and literacy skills through a poetic use of language.

Sean Cumming, Young Writers Project Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are delighted to offer our new poetry and nature resource to schools, created in collaboration with the RSPB. Engaging students in poetry helps to promote enjoyment of writing, inspiring feelings of creativity and provides an outlet for self-expression. As poets and writers have always looked to nature as a source of inspiration, we are confident that the focus on nature in the resource pack and the opportunities it provides for classes to explore the outdoors will deepen students’ knowledge and appreciation of nature and improve mental wellbeing.”

Suzanne Welch, RSPB UK Education & Families Manager, said: “We are very proud to be working with the National Literacy Trust on this inspirational resource. It is exciting to be part of something that joins creativity and the environment together in a powerful way. Using nature as stimulation for writing allows children to reflect on what they experience in nature so they can hold on to those moments and use them as inspiration and establish strong connections to wildlife and community. We hope that teachers and children across the country enjoy these activities and explore the great outdoors with all their new skills!”

To access the resources, please visit: https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/writing-from-nature-a-poetry-resource/

Released as part of the charity’s Little Troopers at School programme, the new resources include worksheets to accompany the charity’s new teen podcast (SQUAD); new activities as part of the Little Troopers Forces Life Club pack and an online toolbox of videos for teachers. More than 700 schools have already signed-up to and are using resources from Little Troopers at School.

Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, comments: “Before we created these resources, there was nothing out there specifically for military teens in school. Feedback from students and parents was that they wanted to see military life better recognised and supported in education settings. Now teachers have access to a substantial range of evidence-based resources that they can use with any children who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces.”

From discussion-led sessions about military life, to CV workshops, community-focused activity ideas and even a military child wellbeing course, schools can pick and choose the free resources to best suit their needs and the needs of their service pupils.

New for 2022 

SQUAD podcast worksheets: In September Little Troopers released series one of SQUAD – a podcast for military teenagers. Presented by broadcaster Katie Thistleton and professional rugby player Thom Smith, the podcast (available on all major podcast platforms) hands the mic to 15 military teens who share their experiences of military life. Now Little Troopers has worked with an Educational Psychologist to add a series of worksheets to accompany each episode so that schools can make the most of listening to the podcast in the classroom.

Online toolbox: The Little Troopers online toolbox is a series of short videos showing schools how to use Little Troopers resources in classroom. The toolbox also features an interview with an Educational Psychologist who explores some of the unique challenges that military life can bring and shares expert advice for all education settings. In another video a group of military parents discuss their views on how they’d like to see schools better support their children through their military journey.

Forces Life Club, new resources: The Little Troopers Forces Life Club Pack encourages schools to regularly bring their service pupils together as a unique group of students. The charity has added eight new activities to the pack with topics including ‘military community’, ‘everything you need to know about me’, ‘peer cooking skills’ and ‘family military life’.

Resource Hub: Little Troopers continues to add new activities to its online Resource Hub for secondary schools. The new activities include ‘how to host a school dinner’, ‘how to write a good CV’, ‘how to organise a virtual mountain challenge’ and ‘how to writing a letter to your MP’.

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting service children who have parent(s) serving in our British Armed Forces, regular or reserve. For more information about the Little Troopers at School programme and resources available visit www.littletroopers.net/little-troopers-at-school