The DofE Assessor
When you mention the DofE assessor most people immediately think of the
Expedition Assessor. But every section of the DofE has its own Assessor – it’s the
person who signs off the section on completion of the activity.
So let’s take a look at the role of the assessor, who can assess, and the assessor’s
report.
The role of the assessor. The assessor is the person who is familiar with and has a
good knowledge of the activity. They should be involved from the outset, helping to
set objectives with the participant and agreeing their aims. The participant actually
needs to identify and name the assessor on eDofE. The assessor should meet the
participant at the beginning to agree goals, then have meetings during the activity to
review progress, and have a final meeting to record how the participant has met the
objectives. And of course they write a report reflecting what the participant has
achieved.
Who can assess. Anyone who has sufficient knowledge of the activity to be able to
make an accurate assessment of the achievement of the participant. A qualification
is only essential where the nature of the activity demands one.( RCO etc)
Let’s take a closer look at some of the more common areas of activity.
Volunteering. Use heading ATC ( Not Uniformed Organisations)
Coaching, teaching and leadership, supervision of junior cadets etc – the ATC.
The assessor can be anyone who is directly involved in the activity. If it’s looking
after the canteen, this could be a member of staff, or it could be a member of the
Civilian committee. If it’s mentoring or teaching cadets, then the instructor in charge
of the particular subject could be the assessor. Specific NCO duties might be the
WO or the CO.
Helping a charity. ( or Fundraising)
Working in a charity shop – the assessor would be the manager of the shop or
another member of staff in the shop.
Forces charities – Ideally the assessor here should be someone from the charity as
the participant should be learning about the work of the charity. But if this is not
possible, then a member of staff or the CO could be the assessor, provided they
have sufficient knowledge of the work undertaken by the charity.
Note Cannot raise funds for own unit!
Skill.
Learning and collecting – Aeronautical studies, Military History, Aircraft Recognition.
The assessor would be the subject expert who would monitor participation and the
knowledge gained. They do not need to pass any STAGE exams just be studying it!
Games and Sports – Marksmanship
The assessor would be the RCO or someone who understands shooting and the
principles of shooting.
Physical.
Fitness
This includes activities like aerobics, gym work, running and jogging, and the
physical achievement tests, to mention just a few. Some will be assessed by
instructors delivering the training, others like the physical achievement tests can be
assessed by a member of staff provided they know how the activities should be
completed, and have an understanding of warm up and cool down sessions.
Team sports
These are sports such as football, rugby, netball, hockey etc where one activity only
is followed and the improvement is monitored by the coach/trainer, who then writes
the assessors report.
Expedition
This is the one area where the assessor must have completed a generic course in
order to be accredited to carry out expedition assessments. All assessors will have
an accreditation number that must be entered onto eDofE or in the Keeping Track
book.
Residential
Annual Camps/ Overseas Camps/IACE
The assessor will be the Camp Commandant who must be made aware at the
beginning of the camp that the participant wishes to use the camp for their
Residential as specific tasks should be allocated against which the participant’s
performance can be assessed.
Leadership Courses
The course tutor would assess participants on these courses as they will have been
in a position to monitor the participant’s performance over the week.
Note any Residential needs to be agreed beforehand with Wg DofE Officer,
especially if doing something different!. ( Need to attend where the majority of other
participants are not known by the candidate - (Junior Leaders assessment week
does not count!) - single unit camps also would not qualify.
The assessors report?
The assessor’s report should be positive, reflect what has been achieved during the
period of involvement and be personal to the individual participant.
Listed below are examples of the type of assessor’s reports that sometimes appear
in record books, and how these could be improved upon.
Volunteering - Fund raising
“Cdt Bloggs helped to raise funds for Help the Heroes, RAFA, RAF Benevolent
Fund, BLESMA and the Royal British Legion.”
Whilst the activity is perfectly acceptable, there is no mention of what research was
undertaken into the charities and how this helped to meet the aims of the section.
What would be better is, “Cdt Bloggs contacted each of the charities to learn about
them, how they were formed and the work they do with the funds that are raised.
He/she gave a presentation to the sqn on the work of the charities in order to gain
additional support in the fundraising. He/she then planned a series of fundraising
events in support of the organisations.”
Skills - Aeronautical skills
“Cdt Bloggs has maintained a sustained interest in aeronautical subjects and has
successfully achieved the standards laid down in the award scheme syllabus”.
This does not say what they have learned or anything else they may have done in
connection with aeronautics e.g. AEF/AEG. And what award scheme syllabus?
There isn’t one! And it isn’t a Scheme – it’s the DofE!
What would be better is “Cdt Bloggs studied Principles of Flight for his Leading
Cadet and showed a keen interest in the subject. He went flying in a Grob Tutor
where he took the controls and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He also took
part in the Wing Aircraft Recognition competition and visited the Air Show at RAF
Leuchars”.
Physical – Fitness
“Cdt Bloggs took part in the sqn fitness programme and showed improvement over
the period.”
This does not give any indication of what the fitness programme consisted of or how
the participant improved. What were the measures used?
What would be better is,“ Cdt Bloggs undertook the physical achievement tests on
the sqn and scores were kept of the individual activities which showed a marked
improvement over the period. He found some of the tasks easier than the others but
was determined to improve his scores in all of them”. Adding the scores to the report
would further enhance the achievement.
Expedition
How many of you have seen the pre-printed report where the name has been
changed but the content remains the same, and in some cases, there isn’t even a
name? e.g. “The cadet was a member of a well organised team that coped well with
the expedition, which was within their ability”.
Does every team member perform in exactly the same way and achieve the same
outcomes from the expedition?
What would be better is, “ Cdt Bloggs was part of a team of five cadets who
undertook their Bronze expedition in the Cotswolds. He was one of the main map
readers in the team as this was his strength, and he was always ready to help the
weaker ones in the team. He was well organised on the camp site, and he prepared
an interesting meal. He kept detailed notes on the wildlife he saw en route for his
report.”
Residential – ATC Annual Camp
“Cdt Bloggs was an active NCO on camp, he was one of the flight NCOs for the
week. He carried out his duties over the camp to a high standard.”
There is no mention what the duties were and were these any different to his normal
NCO duties? Where was the challenge and the new experience?
How unfamiliar is an annual camp? If this is the only option available then a report
on the following lines would be preferable, “Jane demonstrated excellent leadership
qualities and made many new friends in an unfamiliar environment as she had only
attended one other camp some years earlier. She took on many new projects
including spending time with the fire section on shift and assisting in all operational
duties.”
To summarise, the assessor has a key role to play in the participants DofE. They
know the area of activity and how much effort is needed to achieve the aims. They
can advise on the participant’s progress, amend goals where they are either too
easily achieved or perhaps are too demanding. And by being involved in the activity
throughout, they can acquire sufficient evidence to give a comprehensive report on
the participant’s achievement. If the participant is putting in the effort, don’t we owe
it to them to put in the time and effort ourselves to produce a personalised report that
reflects this?
Notes
With the incoming compulsion to use EDOFE - it opens up your EDOFE entries to higher scrutiny
which may result in awards being refused - so note the above and use as your baseline comments.