Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 2025

This academic year saw the completion of Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards by Thames pupils, providing the opportunity to build invaluable skills for life, teaching young people resilience, self-reliance and leadership while working together as a team to overcome challenges.

Hosting the Gold award for the first time, five of our sixth formers completed and received their Gold awards this year. Navigating through the Brecon Beacons for their practice walk and surviving the Black Mountains for their self sufficient qualifying expedition, finally being invited over the summer to Buckingham Palace to collect their Gold awards. To achieve Gold they committed to  three activities over 12 months: a physical fitness, learning a skill and volunteering in their communities, spending at least an hour per week, per section. They also took part in two four day self-sufficient expeditions in Wales and a week- long residential with people they did not know. This is a huge achievement in itself, let alone to have completed it by the end of Year 13 alongside their A Level work.

Six Year 10s completed their Silver qualifying expedition, navigating themselves along the South Downs from Lewes to Henfield then back to Brighton. Mrs Maddan said they were technically brilliant, displaying a confident grasp of navigation, but more importantly, their attitude towards learning new skills and working as a team reflected the school values in a way that was commendable. Eighteen of our Year 9s also completed their Bronze qualifying expeditions in the Surrey Hills, walking from Bentley Copse towards Leatherhead ending their trek at Bocketts Farm.