Elliott Stoutt, 25, is a PE teacher and DofE manager at John Smeaton academy in Leeds. He is in charge of 45 year 9 students and oversees three teachers in this year’s Bronze Award cohort.
My main priority is giving the pupils here at John Smeaton academy the best chance to do whatever they dream of in life. Achieving the best possible grades while at school is a priority, of course, but the DofE brings leadership, determination and resilience skills that will stay with the pupils throughout their lives.
However, from a professional development point of view, the DofE manager role has given me the opportunity to develop leadership and managerial skills by becoming a leader of a small team. I have advertised different DofE roles to fellow colleagues within the school, which got a fantastic response from the staff, allowing me to learn how to recruit.
I have also organised training courses and training days in the school, which has been a great stepping stone to bigger challenges, such as getting more students involved in DofE and organising parents’ evenings and communicating effectively with parents and outside organisations.
As well as all of this, of course, you have a budget to manage and expeditions to organise – not to mention sorting out the systems for uploading participants’ activities and making sure the pupils are keeping up with their volunteering, skills and physical sections. The school gives me some money for new equipment, transport, licence fees and camping arrangements.
With senior leadership being extremely supportive of the programme and knowing how impactful it is to the students, they make sure funding is available to deliver a successful year. Fortunately, the DofE offers staff training, including expedition leaders and admin roles, so this makes it easier.
I work with a DofE regional manager to make sure I have enough booklets, that all the pupils are prepped for the expeditions and that I am up to date with the latest training. One-on-one meetings with the regional manager are scheduled towards the summer term when the students are in the preparation stages of the expeditions.
I am currently acting head of my department and I believe this is in no small way down to my volunteering. To achieve promotion you have to go above and beyond your subject and this has allowed me to show other characteristics that would benefit my role. As a subject leader you’re more or less restricted to departmental work, but being a DofE manager has given me great access to the pastoral side of teaching, which has stood me in good stead as a department leader.
I think there is a natural fit for teachers to be DofE volunteers. They are used to constantly tailoring and developing their communication approach. This ultimately means they would be able to adapt to any managerial experience. In addition, it allows you to develop a more mature communication style. For example, as a DofE manager you have to have a lot of clarity in what you’re saying and you don’t have the scope to be blasé if you’re arranging expedition specifics and this can have a really positive effect on teaching style.
I would have no hesitation in recommending DofE volunteering to a new teacher starting out. Aside from being a great personal experience, it gives you a certain credibility, shows what you’re made of, as well as being a great talking point in an interview.
