Find below some of the most common questions we get asked about our DofE expeditions.
If you have a question which is not covered here, please don’t hesitate to contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to answer your query.
You can call the Duty Manager on 0113 410 3712.
This number diverts to their mobile phone. The duty manager is not ‘at work’ but on call. They may not be able to answer the phone immediately and if you are calling at night then it is worth calling 2 or 3 times before leaving a message to override any ‘Do not disturb’ settings on their mobile.
If you have the email address of the ‘Job Organiser’ who is putting together your programme then you can email them directly. If you have received a ‘Joining Instructions’ document then the email is probably in there under the ‘Kit’ heading. Otherwise you can email our lupine@lupineadventure.co.uk address and it will be forwarded on to the relevant person. Please do remember to include details about the school and the date of the expedition you are referring to and if you know the name of the team of 7 that your child will be walking in that is useful too.
If your child needs to leave the expedition early due to falling ill or any other reason we will almost certainly need you to collect them (Some schools may make other arrangements). Please make sure that you, or another trusted adult is able to do so throughout the Expeditions.
We have a large stock of kit and are usually able to supply items from our stores. Please email us as described above with your requirements and we will see if it is possible to get that extra equipment on the expedition. Kit is usually packed up on the Tuesday or Wednesday and is often with the Course Director shortly afterwards so an email on Thursday could well be too late.
Yes, We perform person specific risk assessments on individuals that have serious or uncommon medical issues. You will probably receive a call soon but if you wish to pre-empt that call then please do feel free to get in touch by email or phone.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Charity requires there is a policy on mobile phones and other electronic equipment. You can support your young person in their adherence to the mobile phone policy by not expecting or prompting communications home. Please note that both participants and staff may be out of phone signal at various times during the expedition, this is unavoidable. We do, however, ensure that participants know how to summon any necessary assistance at all times.
Participation in a Duke of Edinburgh Expedition is not a guarantee of a pass. We will be doing all we can to prepare participants for a successful expedition but on assessed expedition they must fulfil the Expedition requirements as verified by an accredited DofE Assessor to pass. You can also familiarise yourself with them here https://www.dofe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Expedition-Aim-and-Requirements-1.pdf
How can I help them succeed?
If you want to take a look at our Downloads section you can find an electronic copy of our course notes (amongst other things) which may help you to bring your child up to speed on areas that are new to them
The actual mobile phone policy in use and code of conduct expected will vary from school to school. Some schools have their own policies which we agree to enact (they are usually harsher than ours). If the school does not dictate a mobile phone policy or code of conduct then ours will stand. You should have received a copy in the ‘joining information’ but you can also see them here. Mobile Phone Policy and Code of Conduct.
Practice expeditions: 1:7
On practice expeditions we each look after one group so that we can give extra help as required particularly on the first day, on subsequent days the ratio may on very rare occasions increase to 1:11 in non-remote terrain with the deployment of tracking technology.
Assessed expeditions in non-remote terrain 1:11
On bronze and some silver assessed expeditions we may put 2 staff out to supervise 3 groups. If this is the case then we will also deploy trackers to help the staff spend their time more efficiently and update their supervision plan through out the day.
Assessed expeditions in remote terrain 1:7
On assessed expeditions in remote terrain (usually gold but some silver) we will always staff with at least one member of staff per group. This is a safely requirement. There are times when external factors are the cause of things going wrong for a team, if this is the case then they could effect other teams too (terrible weather for example). In remote terrain, we feel that it is essential that all teams have a dedicated member or staff.
The expedition section consists of 3 elements; Training, Practice Expedition and Qualifying Expedition. For some of the practice expedition, and all of the qualifying expedition, the teams will be remotely supervised by our staff. This is a requirement of the DofE Award. Very basically this means that they will be walking unaccompanied. The move from accompanied supervision to remote supervision only occurs after full training and an assessment of competence of the group has been completed. During the remote supervision we will meet up with the groups and / or observe them through points of navigational difficulty, potential hazards and when they are in remote areas. Supervision levels on campsites will vary depending on factors such as age of participants, numbers of groups and the rules dictated by campsites. Broadly speaking Bronze expeditions will pretty much always have staff staying on the site. Golds will usually be on their own (on their Assessed expedition) and silver could be a mix.
Lupine is licensed by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) which is part of the Health and Safety Executive to provide outdoor activities to groups of young people in remote locations. This means that we receive a regular review of all our procedures and practices. This review is carried out by an experienced and highly qualified outdoor professional and includes spot checks on our employees’ qualifications.
Yes, please request copies by emailing lupine@lupineadventure.co.uk
