Outdoor Education
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It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Outdoor Education department here at Ivybridge Community College.
Having previously worked as a Head of Physical Education / Head of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities and as a Manager and Volunteer for the Ten Tors Challenge and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, I am extremely excited about the prospect of offering both of these amazing activities to the students here at the college this coming year (Year 9 and above).
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Ten Tors Challenge
This annual ‘South-West’ event is attempted by 2400 teenagers in 400 teams of 6 participants.
Please see the link below to visit the Ten Tors website for further information.
| Ten Tors Website |
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The teams are trained by the Outdoor Education team over the winter months between November and April, developing a wide range of expedition skills:
Navigation / route finding in poor weather in remote locations
Recognising and avoiding hazards
Dealing with emergency situations including First Aid response
Wild camping and cooking
Team work and leadership
Teams navigate routes of...
35 Miles |
45 Miles |
55 Miles |
| Years 9 and 10 | Year 10 and 11 | Year 11 to 13 |
...over the Northern half of Dartmoor, visiting ten nominated tors / checkpoints in under two days.
Teams are trained to become self-sufficient, carrying all that they need to complete their route and wild camp overnight safely.
Ten Tors develops a wide range of attributes including...
Resilience |
Determination |
Problem-solving |
Teamwork |
Leadership |
...all of which are great for personal development as well as for future employability.
Above all, the challenge gives participants a massive sense of achievement and creates amazing lifelong memories!
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Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DofE)
Internationally recognised, this is the world’s leading youth achievement award.
Please see the link to the DofE website below for further information.
The award consists of four activity sections:
1. Volunteering |
2. Physical |
3. Skill |
4. Expedition |
It is up to participants to decide what they do for sections 1,2 and 3.
One of the great things about DofE is that participants may already be doing one or more activities that they can use to complete their award activity section(s).
If not, they can start something new or do a mixture of the two!
Please see the Duke of Edinburgh Programme Ideas link below to get you thinking about all the possibilities.
The Duke of Edinburgh award has three award levels:
| Bronze (Year 9) Consists of: Two Activity sections for 3 months One Activity section for 6 months The Expedition which is 2 days (and 1 night) |
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| Silver (Year 10) Consists of: One Activity section for 3 months Two Activity sections for 6 months The Expedition which is 3 days (and 2 nights) |
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| Gold (Year 11/12) Consists of: Two Activity sections for 6 months One Activity section for 12 months The Expedition which is 4 days (and 3 nights) Gold participants also do a 5 day (and 4 nights) residential activity of their choice |
The award is commonly described as being ‘life-changing’ for participants because it:
Develops and recognises a wide range of student achievement
Offers challenge
Is very popular with universities and employers
Results in lifelong friendships
and above all is great fun!
For more information on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme,
please click the links below:
| Duke of Edinburgh Website | Duke of Edinburgh Programme Ideas |
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Adult volunteers
Would you like to help with Ten Tors or DofE training / expeditions?
Although we have an existing team of adult volunteers to train students participating in Ten Tors / DofE training / expeditions, we are always keen to recruit new volunteers to develop the team.
If you are a keen walker, are willing to do some training (First Aid / Safeguarding etc) and can commit to giving up some of your free time then please do contact me.
You will receive a very warm welcome and will be ‘shown the ropes’ by our friendly and experienced team (subject to appropriate checks which the college will carry out).
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Adventurous Activities being planned for Ivybridge Community College
In addition to Ten Tors and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, look out for the introduction of a range of other Adventurous Activities that the Outdoor Education team are presently developing for students to participate in over the next year or so. These are likely to include:
Kayaking |
Stand Up
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Climbing
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Sailing |
Skiing |
Snowboarding |
Mountain Biking |
Orienteering |
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How to sign up for Ten Tors / Duke of Edinburgh
Following presentation assemblies to Year 9, students / parents will receive an information letter / pack outlining the details of these two existing opportunities and how to sign up.
Enquiries are also welcome from students in Years 10-13.
Existing Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh students in Years 10 - 13 will be contacted shortly regarding their continued involvement this coming year.
I hope that your child takes the opportunity to participate in Ten Tors or Duke of Edinburgh in 2024 / 25.
I am really looking forward to helping them achieve their potential and giving them positive memories that they will cherish for a lifetime.
Mr G Payne Head of Outdoor Education |
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