Thirteen students at Kettering Buccleuch Academy achieve prestigious silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

After months of dedication and perseverance, 13 students from Kettering Buccleuch Academy (KBA) have proudly achieved their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most respected youth achievement programmes, encouraging young people to develop valuable life skills through volunteering, physical activity, skill development and expedition challenges.

Over the course of just over a year, the KBA students developed new skills, tackled physical challenges and gave back to the local community through volunteering placements.  Their contributions included supporting coaching sessions at Aztec FC Football Club, leading younger Cubs through Scouts, assisting with events at Lakelands Day Care Hospice, supporting projects at William Street Community Garden and coaching the Under-13 boys team at Kettering Town FC.

Students also completed a demanding expedition to Long Mynd in Shropshire, where they spent three days and two nights navigating challenging terrain while walking for more than six hours each day.

Teamwork lay at the heart of their success — whether supporting one another on steep climbs, sharing laughter over cooking experiments gone wrong or pushing through long, rain-soaked days with unwavering determination and resilience.

The experience left a lasting impression on many students, with several sharing memorable reflections from the expedition:

·         “Obstacles are inevitable, quitting isn’t. Especially in DofE.”

·         “Go with the flow and stay positive.”

·         “Blisters fade, aura lasts forever.”

To celebrate their achievements, the students were proudly presented with certificates by KBA Principal Miss Chloe Buckenham who said:

“We are incredibly proud of our students for achieving their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  From volunteering within the local community to completing a challenging expedition in Long Mynd, they have shown exceptional resilience, teamwork and dedication throughout the programme. They represented the academy brilliantly and should be extremely proud of their achievement.”

Following their success, seven of the students have already committed to progressing onto the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award — the highest level of the programme — continuing their journey of personal development and challenge.