Adventurous Journey Policy

Adventurous Journey Policy

The school requires that students provide a Medical Certificate before their first outing as well as a Parental/Guardian Consent Form before each Adventurous Journey. Parents and guardians are also required to sign a confirmation that they have inspected their children’s rucksacks for any forbidden items, such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other illegal substances.

During Adventurous Journeys, participants are under the direct responsibility of the Adventurous Journey Supervisors and they need to follow their instructions.

The Adventurous Journey Section of The Award is the only section that participants are required to work as part of a team. For this reason, participants are not only expected to work and take all decisions as a team, but they also need to be prepared to face the consequences of their choices and actions as a team. If during an Adventurous Journey, one or some members of an Adventurous Journey team misbehave and/or do not follow the Adventurous Journey policies, procedures and regulations, as outlined on the school’s website, the entire team may face the School’s disciplinary decisions and may also be required to repeat the given Adventurous Journey.

Students going on Adventurous Journeys scheduled to start at the end of a school day are expected to attend all their lessons until the end of the school day. Students with unjustified absences on that day may not be allowed to participate on the Adventurous Journey. After an Adventurous Journey, students are expected to attend school as normal the following weekday.

Adventurous Journey Safety

The Adventurous Journey Section of the DofE requires participants to undertake unaccompanied travel in unknown and remote wilderness areas in order to develop their self-reliance and spirit of the adventure. On many occasions, participants spend more than 4-5 hours on their own and they also camp out overnight without direct adult supervision. In the case of the Gold Award, the supervisors and/or assessors might only meet the participants directly briefly, 1-2 times every 24 hours.

However, this raises the issue of safety during Adventurous Journeys. It is an issue that the school takes very seriously. The DofE approach focuses on prevention of incidents through good practice, rather than having to deal with emergencies. This is why we take time to train all the participants in first aid and emergency procedures before they undertake any Adventurous Journey activities. But invariably, accidents might occasionally happen and incidents of snake-bite, heat exhaustion, hypothermia and shock might be encountered.

Therefore, students and parents need to be aware of the inherent dangers in the scheme during participation in DofE activities. When students choose to participate in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme, they are at the same time choosing to expose themselves to the inherent risks of the programme.

Code of Conduct

Since all Adventurous Journeys are official School Trips, the School, the parents and participants are expected to act in accordance with the School’s established Code of Conduct at all times.

In addition to this, participants are not allowed to have in their possession any alcohol, tobacco, drugs or any other addictive substance. Participants are not allowed to wear any clothing or carry any flags or banners that promote any political party or football club. Country flags are also not allowed.

Participants should:

  • Avoid taking unnecessary risks
  • Follow the instructions of the Supervisors at all time
  • Respect the property of others, the nature and the locals
  • Stay close to their team members at all times and not separate
  • Not leave the campsite during the night
  • Always stay on track to reduce erosion
If any participant brings the School to disrepute through their behaviour whilst undertaking Adventurous Journeys or other activities, then they will face the School’s disciplinary decisions. In addition, they will be liable for any financial costs that arise as a result of their actions.

Mobile Phones and other Electronic Devices

Each Adventurous Journey group is required to have at least 2 mobile phones on them to be used in case of emergency. All mobile phones will be sealed at the beginning of the Adventurous Journey by the Adventurous Journey supervisors and will only be unsealed once all the groups have completed their Adventurous Journey. During the Adventurous Journey, the mobile phones are only to be used in an emergency to call the Adventurous Journey supervisors. However, in some remote areas there is no network coverage and participants will have to rely on the established emergency procedures and first aid. They might not be able to contact the safety vehicle which we provide in the area of the Adventurous Journey and they might have to rely on their own resources within the group. Improper use of mobile phones will result in the group having to repeat the Adventurous Journey.

Participants are not allowed to carry or use any electronic devices with communication capabilities, SIM card, GPS or internet access. If any participants are found in possession of such electronic devices during an Adventurous Journey, their Adventurous Journey group will be required to repeat the given Adventurous Journey.

Withdrawal from an ongoing Adventurous Journey

In the case of a participant dropping out of an ongoing Adventurous Journey for any reason, then the supervisor in charge of the activity needs to be informed as soon as possible. The student who dropped out, still has to follow the instructions of the supervisor, since he/she is still part of an official school trip. This includes the timing and the means of the student’s transportation home.