Testimonials: What people say
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Created by a teacher
Welcome!
My name is Dawn. I was a primary teacher in a great school in Glasgow for 28 years and am the (very proud!) founder of The Junior Duke Award.
Using my experience as a teacher, a parent and having been a leader and assessor on many kayaking and camping expeditions for many years, I created the Junior Duke Award; a life skills award that helps children build confidence, resilience and independence. Each level of the Award pushes them to develop practical skills that have a huge positive impact on their lives.
We are now running in almost 40 countries, and I’d love to welcome your school to our community next!
From Formation...
When taking older pupils on expeditions, I saw that many of them didn’t know what was in their rucksacks - because their mums had packed them - and many didn’t have knowledge of how to cook, clean, or look after their belongings.
Back in my classroom, I saw many young pupils unsure of how to overcome simple problems, such as how to change back into their uniforms after P.E. if their shirt sleeves were inside out. Instead of trying to find the solution themselves, they would automatically look to an adult for help.
I was also acutely aware that while high flyers would gain recognition and accolades in assemblies, other kind, hardworking pupils would sit under the radar and be nameless faces in the corridors - all because they hadn’t found their talents…yet.
I decided I wanted to create something that would help to develop independence, while giving all pupils an equal opportunity to achieve success beyond academic or sporting abilities.
...to fruition
As a wee girl, I was a Brownie and, later, a Guide. I loved the feeling of achievement that came with earning badges. During the summer of 2006, I carried out research and created lists of simple life skills that children of various ages should be able to do and could be rewarded for learning.
By the end of the holidays, I had a list of 40 individual challenges! I spread these across four different booklets for ages 8 to 11. Each level of the Award would help children in each age group to develop important skills, such as: First Aid, swimming, cookery, adventure, budgeting, trip planning, fire-building and more.
Many of the challenges from 2006 are still a staple in the Junior Duke today, while others have been adapted, exchanged and refined as the workbooks change every year.
My two boys have been guinea pigs for every challenge I put together! And that’s how I know that the Junior Duke system works – I might be biased, but I can’t imagine more independent, confident, and capable young adults (even though they can be lazy at times!). There have also been thousands of children in my school who have completed various levels of the Award since 2006 and have grown significantly in independence.
Their parents have always been quick to share how much they have loved seeing them develop new skills and talents.
Inclusive
The Junior Duke Award has been designed to be inclusive. Every student, whatever their background, will benefit from the confidence and competence that the challenges develop.
Whilst high academic achievers may take on the Award to push their knowledge and skill base even further, pupils with more practical strengths love that the Award provides a different challenge to normal school academia. It’s special to watch how motivated all the children are to get stuck in and cheer each other on.
The Junior Duke Award has also been designed to be as accessible as possible for teachers. We all know that the curriculum is already packed to the brim. All resources and training are provided to you, meaning it can be implemented without adding hours of additional work to teachers’ already-busy schedules.
Challenges
To complete any level of the Junior Duke, each child must complete a selection of the challenges from the correct level.
Once a child completes their selected tasks, he or she should be rewarded with their badge, and ‘House Points’ (if you have a House system) at the next possible assembly. This public celebration gives children their moment of glory and encourages other children to complete their challenges even faster!
The final level in the primary school is the hardest to complete so we encourage schools to recognise those who complete the Award with a special event where your school Ambassador can present the certificates.
An Ambassador is not necessary but it is an amazing opportunity to link with the community and to invite a guest into school. The list of Ambassadors linked to schools is impressive with; professional sports people, adventurers, musicians, authors, philanthropists, patrons, sponsors etc. You can find out more about the original ‘Ambassador’, Gordon Bulloch, in the Friends of the Junior Duke page.
Developments
As the Junior Duke embedded itself in our school, I was repeatedly asked by younger children how they could get involved too!
Therefore, between 2011 and 2024, I created another six levels:
- The Silver & Gold Mini Duke Awards are suitable for children aged around 6 and 7
- The Micro Duke Award was then created for children aged 5
- The Nano Duke for preschoolers (4 year olds). The newest level! It's very cute!
- There are also two levels of The Senior Duke for pupils in the first two years of secondary school.
As a result, there is now a level for each year from all school year groups from the age of 3 or 4 up to 13 (S2/Year 8) and there are around 140 different challenges throughout!
Printed or Online
The most recent development is making sure that every level of the Award is offered on our online portal as an alternative to the paper workbooks. This has been a very exciting addition but I am torn!
Being a traditionalist, I love seeing children sharing their tangible workbooks with staff in their schools and being proud as their work is displayed for all to see. The face-to-face assessments and interactions between staff and pupils in the corridors is priceless.
I fear that many children are on devices too much as it is! However, if we manage the portal well in schools, there will be ample opportunity for communication and meaningful interaction.
Relfection
It’s such a pleasant surprise to discover all of the amazing things our children can do when we encourage them to learn new tasks and give them the time and space to try. Allowing them to make mistakes and learn from their failures is also crucial.
Realising that our children are capable of washing their sheets, making their lunch or hiking up a hill, opens up new opportunities for families that we may have otherwise believed were on far away horizons. The same can be said for activities that can be completed in the classroom.
Getting started couldn’t be easier. Simply click the link below to find out more about getting your school involved in the Junior Duke Award.
Getting started with The Junior Duke Award
The Junior Duke Award is completed at no cost to schools. Each child pays a small fee and we send the materials directly to you, ready to be distributed. If families ‘buy in’ the minimal fee, they are much more likely to work together to complete the challenges.
Our shop is home to everything you need to get your school involved. You can purchase packs for each of the first 8 age groups, each one containing a colourful, sturdy interactive workbook (or access to our portal), certificate, and metal badge.
For all of these levels, schools may choose access to the portal or workbooks.
For the two Senior Duke levels, pupils are given access to our Senior Duke portal (no workbook), plus a certificate and badge.
It's fun for all the family!
And stay tuned – we will be stocking accessories and apparel soon!
The Junior Duke Award Online shop
We have everything you need to run the Award available to buy on the site. You can purchase packs for all age groups in your school. For the primary school levels, each pack contains a workbook, certificate and badge. Children take pride in their hand-written self reflections and enjoy discussing their new skills and colourful workbooks with teachers and families.
The two Senior Duke levels include access to our senior portal plus a certificate and badge.
We are looking to stock accessories and apparel soon!
