Blue Coat pupils go for gold

Date published: 01 October 2013


OVER 300 Duke of Edinburgh Award students at Blue Coat School have been nominated for a Pride in Oldham award, chalking up an impressive 9,192 hours of voluntary service between them.

Blue Coat is the biggest provider of Duke of Edinburgh awards in the North-West, with the highest completion rate in the country — 98 per cent against the national average of 48 per cent.

This year 200 students in Year 9, who are taking their Bronze award, have completed 16 hours each — a total of 3,200 hours.

And 106 students in years 10 and 11 are taking their Silver award, with 50 sixth-form students taking their Gold awards.

Students have been dedicated and resourceful in supporting a wide range of activities, working weekends with the RSPB at Dovestone Reservoir, helping to maintain this popular place for visitors’ enjoyment.

The outdoors was also the theme for the Gold award students who arranged to work in the Peak District over the summer, helping the National Trust with environmental improvement.

Many of the students used their skills to help other young people in uniformed groups such as brownies and cubs, as well as in local sporting associations and parishes. Year 9 students have acted as mentors for pupils in local primary schools and the sixth formers have enriched the school’s literacy programme by training to support Year 7 pupils in their reading.

Head teacher Julie Hollis said that this opportunity would not not have been available without the willingness of sports and charity groups, schools and care homes across the town that welcome Blue Coat pupils.

She said: “The 9,192 hours’ voluntary service they have accumulated has given something to those they help, and brought so much good to their own understanding of the ways Oldhamers can work together.”