Silver Practice Expedition 2025

Last weekend a group of Year 10 students trekked through the Marlborough Downs as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Award Silver Practice Expedition, covering over 25 miles of the stunning Wiltshire countryside. They had great weather for walking as the warmer spring weather arrived with bright blue skies all weekend. The nights were very cold though and the students woke up to a frosty campsite. During the expedition, students had to make camp for two nights and cook for each other. They worked in teams to plan their route through a number of checkpoints using only a paper map and compass as no phones are allowed during the journey.

To earn their Silver Award, the students will need to participate in another expedition in the summer. They also need to complete sixth months of volunteering along with three or six months of physical challenges and skill building. Students can begin their DofE Awards in Year 9 with the Bronze Award. It's a wonderful way for students to challenge themselves and take on new opportunities that might not otherwise be available to them.

Thank you to Miss Langdon, our DofE Coordinator, and to all the staff that gave up their weekend to camp with the students and make sure they made it to each checkpoint. The Sheldon Student Opportunity Fund helps support the DofE programme at Sheldon through the purchase of tents and other equipment. Learn more about DofE at Sheldon here.