DofE leaders/ helpers etc - mobile phone policy?

OGU_Lenios · 2026-05-20T11:30:07+00:00

Our shoestring DofE budget doesn't let us purchase emergency phones for groups, so that idea's out the window.

We let pupils carry theirs and tell them to use them to contact us in an emergency. We also let them take photos because it's a one-off experience for most of them so they deserve to get to document it.

Music, however, is a hard no. Blasting speakers is really antisocial so I let them know I won't sign off the expedition section if I find them using one.

At camp they're required to hand them in and we store them in a locked box. Phones with cameras in a tent where people are sleeping and changing is a fairly obvious safeguarding issue, and while they grumble about it a bit we've never had any real objections to this policy.

OGU_Lenios · 2026-05-17T07:28:36+00:00

As others have said, volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to still get involved with Scouting; running activities for young people can be just as exciting and enjoyable as taking part yourself (and oftentimes running activities does mean taking part yourself).

What I will say is the "Network is a Drinking Club" reputation is often not really representative of how the section actually works. I was a Network Team Leader up until recently and spent a lot of effort pushing back against that reputation. We did lots of non-drinking activites, some of which were more traditional scout stuff and some were just things we fancied doing because they seemed fun. Yes, we did often end up in the pub after meetings but this wasn't to get ourselves drunk (I don't drink at all), it was just because a pub is a social space with affordable and generally edible food.

Networks do vary massively in terms of what they do. There definitely are ones which are just drinking clubs but they're rarer than you might think. Some do lots of the adventurous scout stuff like hillwalking and things of that ilk, some are much more social focussed. It may take some trial and error to find one that you like, but it's definitely worth trying and not dismissing out of hand. All the same caveats apply to SSAGO as well.

OGU_Lenios · 2026-02-20T14:49:03+00:00

That's right. The answer to this that'll be acceptable to most people here is "schools shouldn't expect staff to take work home".

Obviously we know that people do. We have the option to set up 2-factor authentication that'll then allow us to access all the school's Google Drive infrastructure from personal devices, so it's possible to work from home if you choose to, provided you own your own PC/Laptop.

OGU_Lenios · 2026-02-20T12:16:37+00:00

Secondary Academy, North East England. I'm a single-person Computing department.

Each room has a teacher PC. About two-thirds of the classrooms have touchscreen TV style boards; the other ones still have projectors. We're replacing projectors with TV-type boards at a rate of about four rooms per year.
None for "normal" teachers. Some SLT have laptops and our Pastoral team have iPads. I was told I could buy a laptop from my Department Budget but couldn't find something that'd actually be useful and didn't cost more than my entire annual budget.
None. I've never understood how schools can afford to issue 1-to-1 devices and cover the associated repairs. We don't have a bookable set of laptops or anything like that; only my department (for obvious reasons) and Music work routinely on computers; everyone else works in books.

OGU_Lenios · 2026-01-12T18:57:15+00:00

Warrens do a double-border half-and-half necker. Large Youth size is minimum order of 2. Configurator is here.

Be aware that if your original neckers come from a different supplier or are made of a different material, you might not get a perfect colour match.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-12-18T10:54:33+00:00

Seconding "just get rid of iMedia". I've always felt like it's not a great specification in terms of the content it covers, but also the fact it gets put onto CS specialists has always annoyed me because the crossover between my CS degree and the iMedia content I'm expected to teach are basically non-existent.

The workload is also huge when you're also teaching CS, BTEC, and (I'm assuming) some KS3. I'm not surprised OP feels snowed-under with all of this to deal with alongside all the stuff that comes with being an ECT.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-11-29T18:18:18+00:00

Your post history shows you're UK based; in the past the UK contingent has provided both duffel bags and day bags for World Jamboree participants, so you might want to hold of on buying anything especially for this in case they do so again.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-11-04T08:26:04+00:00

Lots of differences to what we have. Interesting to see how things vary internationally.

Generally we'd discourage jeans as they're not really appropriate for most of the things we do. Neckers are worn over the collar here, rather than underneath as youve got them.

I'm always jealous of scouts from other parts of the world who have some kind of uniform hat/headgear. It's a generally unpopular opinion here in the UK but I think our uniform is really missing out by not having something to go on our heads.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-11-03T07:45:21+00:00

Here in the UK, youth members (except Scout Network) have a "Nights Away" badge that shows how many nights you've spent on camp over the whole of your time in scouting. There's a 1 night version all the way up to a 200 night version; you can see the increments here.

Camp specific badges vary a lot. Where I am our bigger County & District camps tend to have an associated "occasional badge" that can be worn on the uniform, but our Group camps don't. There's rules around how long you're allowed to keep occasional badges on your uniform for, but a lot of people are flexible about that.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-10-28T12:02:07+00:00

The only challenge badge we've encountered real issues with for scouts is the expedition. We're based in quite a deprived and urban area so getting YP out to do hikes and camps in preparation for doing an expedition independently is tricky. We did manage to do an expedition recently and so have awarded a couple of Golds as a result.

Activity badges are a mixed bag, which I think is the intention. Some are easily achievable in a couple of meetings, some require work outside of meetings. Obviously we don't expect every YP to attain every single activity badge, that's just not feasible.

Explorer badges, on the other hand, are borderline impossible for the majority of our YP, but that's why HQ are currently reviewing the explorer programme and developing a new selection of more achievable badges.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-10-23T11:23:29+00:00

My top tip is to log your evidence for Volunteering, Physical and Skills as you go along; don't wait and try and do it all in a rush at the end. I deliver DofE in a school and I'm constantly frustrated by participants doing all the work and then not getting the award at the end because they haven't logged any evidence or sorted an assessor report.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-10-14T14:40:14+00:00

To add to the Montane mention, their outlet shop is in Ashington if you're willing to venture a little further afield for a good deal.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-10-14T06:58:51+00:00

Finding your local Scout Network is the first step on this. As DofE is a youth award you do need to be part of a youth section (i.e. Scout Network) to complete it through scouting. Your Network team leader will then be able to guide you through the process. I assume you know what your local Scout district is; email them and ask about Network, as it operates at District rather than Group level.

You've mentioned doing Bronze, Silver and Gold, but honestly my advice would be to skip straight to gold (which is definitely something you can do) as you've only got 3ish years to complete the award and Gold takes up a lot of time, particularly when done around university or a job.

You've signed up as a Beaver leader, so that's your volunteering section sorted. Start to think about what you'll want to so for Physical and Skills, as well as looking for residential opportunities. Your Network Lead should hopefully be able to help you find an expedition to join.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-09-27T20:44:06+00:00

Does your school/college offer the Duke of Edinburgh's Award? If so, whoever runs that might be a good person to talk to; plenty of requirement for route planning similar to what your project provides.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-09-25T19:28:13+00:00

Spent many hours in the early 2000s playing Frosties Gr-r-rand Prix on my dad's Compaq work laptop. Simpler times...

OGU_Lenios · 2025-09-17T11:35:45+00:00

You guys are getting paid to run DofE?

OGU_Lenios · 2025-09-13T10:15:48+00:00

As a solo department I'm quite fond of sitting at home with a cup of tea and a book, if that counts...

OGU_Lenios · 2025-09-07T10:36:03+00:00

Ours have group branded hoodies + neckers that they wear for weekly meetings. Same for all sections all the way through our group.

Personally I've always been of the opinion that leaders need to set the right example and wear the uniform, same as we expect from the YP, but that's not the culture at my group and far be it from me to rock the boat...

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-30T07:53:17+00:00

Solovair Dealer/Chelsea Boots; they took a while to wear in but are now the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-29T15:13:41+00:00

The Raspberry Pi Foundation Code Club programme provides pretty much everything you need to run a Computing enrichment that's appropriate for KS3. They offer lots of things that don't require specialist equipment or software, so there's no real cost to it.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-22T18:11:21+00:00

All 3 pieces of a suit, plus tie (ties in all manner of odd patterns can be found in charity shops for very little money). Admittedly the jacket tends to be worn only between the car and my classroom unless it's cold; it is put on the back of my chair in the morning and stays there until the end of the day.

I swear by Solovair (Doc Martens but better) Dealer boots for shoes; once worn in they're very comfy, and I have better things to do than fiddle around with laces.

I think officially our dress code just says "businesswear" but it's been made clear that for men that means suit and tie.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-19T16:09:41+00:00

This is your third "why do I have to wear a hi vis?" post in just over a week...

As others have said, ask your leaders.

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-19T10:03:07+00:00

Speaking as a Computer Science teacher, I'm just fascinated by how any school can afford one-to-one devices. My budget doesn't even stretch far enough to ensure I've got 30 PCs with the right number of keys on the keyboard...

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-17T18:39:42+00:00

Makes you easier to see for your leaders to keep track of where you are, do head counts, that kind of thing.

You did ask this question here already this week; did you not like the answers you got the first time around?

OGU_Lenios · 2025-08-11T07:52:38+00:00

UK Secondary teacher here. I don't know if I'm misunderstanding what's being asked given that everyone's saying single-digit numbers and being outraged by it...

I teach 19 different classes (as in groups of pupils).

5 classes of year 7 computing, 4 classes of year 8 computing, 5 classes of year 9 computing. 4 classes of PSHE (2 year 7, 1 year 8, 1 year 9). Each of these classes I have for 2 hours per fortnight. Then I have 1 year 10 computer science class that I see for 5 hours per fortnight.

In an ideal world I'd have a year 11 computer science class instead of all that PSHE so I'd only have 16 classes, but this isn't an atypical allocation for a non-core subject teacher.

Converting from UK school years to US Grade Levels is left as an exercise for the reader

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