Going for Gold

Skill:

Double bass diploma

Physical:

Representing school and club in hockey

Volunteering: Coaching hockey to younger year groups

Residential plans: PGL or sailing course

Abbie Daly

My favourite part of the programme is the expedition, which we completed last summer. It's the most rewarding and challenging experience and teaches you resilience. I really appreciate the friendships I developed with my group, how we all pushed each other on and worked well as a team.

It has been difficult balancing everything on top of schoolwork. However, it's made me realise and appreciate the reward you get from the challenge and how things often get harder before they get easier. I’ve learnt a lot of practical skills along the way too, from cooking with the bare minimum to packing light. I’ve also learnt to work better with others and to reason with the group when people have differing opinions.

Trinity teachers have been supportive throughout, giving us independence in the decisions we made, whilst being there for us when we really needed it.

I would definitely recommend DofE to anyone considering it. I feel as though I've learnt a lot about myself and have pushed myself to limits I never thought I'd reach.

Skill: Young Enterprise initiative

Physical: Athletics at local club

Volunteering: Trinity Mentoring Programme

Residential plans: Outdoor activities in the Peak District

David Aisa Miller

I was attracted to the programme initially because of three key aspects: learning new skills, spending more time with friends and completing an amazing challenge.

I have enjoyed the variety of activities I have tried through my Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. I learnt how to cook during lockdown, have volunteered for Trinity’s Mentoring Programme, completed a Young Enterprise challenge, have helped at my local parkrun and with athletics for my club.

The most enjoyable part is going on expeditions. I have loved overcoming problems with friends, including getting lost and accidentally spilling my limited food rations. It can be challenging when group members begin to lack motivation, but as a leader, I see this as an opportunity to encourage them. Reaching that final checkpoint, after days of walking, makes it all worthwhile.

One of my favourite memories was when it was so windy and cold outside on the second day of the Gold assessed expedition last summer, that we decided to all get into one tent to stay warm.

Through DofE I have learned key skills including organisation, patience and effective leadership. I believe these will help me in the future to overcome any issues I encounter.

I would recommend DofE to anyone who wants to challenge themselves through a fun and immersive experience which will undoubtedly better prepare them for the future.

Skill: Young Enterprise initiative

Physical: Cricket

Volunteering: Trinity Malawi Project

Residential plans: On hold until after A Levels

Sam Godfrey

For the Gold Award I have been able to take advantage of the breadth of co-curricular activities I am already involved in, and it has opened further opportunities for me.

During the Young Enterprise initiative last year, we set up a business in school selling Christmas cards. We sold the cards at school events and at a local trade fair. As Sales and Marketing Director, I learned valuable skills that helped my DofE submission and will help in my future career.

I have been actively volunteering for the Trinity Malawi Project for some time, helping fundraise, waiting on tables at the TPA Ball and supporting other events. Through this work, I am very lucky to have been selected to go to Malawi in the summer after exams. I am really looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, to rolling my sleeves up and seeing the difference our fundraising efforts are making.

One of my favourite memories was at the end of our expedition. We’d been walking for seven days straight in high temperatures and were exhausted. There’s a downhill stretch towards the final checkpoint and we all ran down together with an incredible sense of achievement.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned through DofE is about resilience and perseverance. The expedition is a physical challenge: every day you need to reset, pack up and march on for another 20km. As a group we encouraged each other but I definitely learned about resilience!

I’m very thankful that the level of cocurricular opportunities at Trinity has enabled me to complete this incredible challenge. I have had a lot of fun; the skills and experiences are unbeatable.

How does the Duke of Edinburgh challenge set you up for life?

Here a former student shares their experience:

“I've been lucky enough since leaving Trinity to challenge myself in a plethora of arduous events, including running the Marathon des Sables (a 156 mile ultra-marathon across the Sahara) and rowing the Atlantic last year (3,000 miles of open ocean). The physical and mental skill set I developed through completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award was the perfect foundation for a life of adventure.”

Adam Ravenscroft, Class of 2001

Did you know?

Total distance

Walked by current Upper Sixth Gold Award students during their assessed expeditions.

Community action

Total hours contributed by current Upper Sixth Gold Award students by the end of their award.

Gold award

Current number of students in Upper Sixth pursuing a Gold Award (a Trinity record).

Skills

Playing an instrument is the most popular skills activity at Trinity, with Young Enterprise and learning to drive also popular.

2000km 1300hrs 20 #1

Co-ordinator

Adventure

I have been involved in the programme at Trinity for 18 years and running it for 12. I still appreciate the life-changing experience of the Award. I love watching a group of young people grow and develop over a matter of days on our expeditions. We all enjoy having the freedom to explore incredible landscapes on foot and the sense of achievement at the end is unforgettable.

Sport

Ambition

A great team player is someone who goes above and beyond for the good of the team, and motivates the entire team with the ambition to win.

Trinity is an ESSA Water Polo National Champion twelve times over. Six of those have been won in the last four years. Plus, the school has won every Schools’ League since 2016.

Mr King, Head of Aquatics, learnt to play water polo as a Trinity student himself before representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics. He says: We are one of the strongest schools in water polo right now, and that success encourages participation as well as attracting talent to the school.

What is special about the way we play water polo at Trinity, is our strong team ethos. Yes, we have brilliant individuals, but the focus is on playing as a team and that appeals to the students here. Many of our players also represent the school in other team sports: it’s inbuilt.

One of the biggest benefits of water polo is that the skills are so transferrable. Looking at our girls’ team, most of the players are in our 1st XI Hockey and/or Netball squads as well.

Age doesn’t matter in water polo. If someone is good enough, they can play up with older students and this allows friendships to be made across the school. Team players will look out for each other, and it creates a positive community-feel to the sport that runs throughout the school and, I hope, will continue for years to come.

I am extremely proud of the way all our water polo players have performed this year. To have reached the national finals with our U15, U18 Boys' and U18 Girls' teams is a reflection of the students' hard work and talent. Being crowned U15 and U18 Boys' National Champions is the icing on the cake. We're very proud of all students involved.

Aarav Ganguli, Upper Sixth and Head Boy Aarav is in the Trinity U18 team and plays for his local club Beckenham, competing in the Kent and London leagues. He also represents Invicta, a Kent team, which is in Division 1 of the National Water Polo League.

I first tried water polo when I started at Trinity in the First Year. As a keen swimmer, Mr King encouraged me and offered lots of opportunities for me to try it out.

It was the team element which made me passionate for the sport as I was able to gain valuable insight and experience from others while playing.

Water polo has changed my life. It has given me opportunities to do things that I never believed I would be able to do such as travelling to other European countries representing Great Britain and England. I have made friends outside of school and developed essential skills like time management, team building and leadership.

There have been many momentous occasions during my Trinity water polo career but the memory of captaining the U18 team, and being crowned ESSA National Champions 2023, will stay with me forever.

Lucy Bullock, Upper Sixth Student Lucy is in the Trinity Girls’ water polo team and plays with her club Otter, which has won numerous national competitions. Lucy is also a member of the Great Britain Junior and Senior Squad and is heading to San Diego State University to study Psychology on a water polo scholarship.

I got into water polo because I swam competitively and wanted something that focused more on teamwork. I loved how it gave me the opportunity to work in a team and combine ball skills from netball with swimming, which were my two favourite sports.

Water polo has allowed me to travel to many countries including Portugal, Israel, Croatia and Greece. I enjoy the travelling as we always make time to explore the country we are in and experiences like playing in a pool overlooking the sea are unforgettable.

I have made friends through water polo, and we’ve played together for years, which means I get to see them every week for training and competitions.

I am excited to go to San Diego as playing water polo and studying overseas is such a unique opportunity; I just had to take it! I am most looking forward to experiencing a different culture and meeting new people.

Kal-El Ntiamoah, Third Year

Kal-El is a Sports Scholar and currently plays for the Trinity U14, U15, U16 and U18 water polo teams. Kal-El is currently on a Swim England talent programme.

Swimming is my main sport; I have been swimming since I was three when my grandma first took me to Beckenham. I had always been intrigued by water polo but hadn’t tried it until coming to Trinity, where Mr King suggested it.

I love the competitive nature of water polo: the games are fast and furious. It can sometimes be challenging switching from my swimming stroke to the water polo ‘eggbeater’ (the most efficient way of treading water).

My favourite memory of water polo at Trinity is the first time I played a year up. I was in the Second Year but played for the U14s. It was scary as they all seemed so much bigger than me, but it got easier. Since then, playing up in teams, I’ve made friends from across the school.

Mr King has been so influential in my water polo and swimming career. He’s my sports mentor and has helped me as much with the practicalities of managing training as with the physical skills. My ultimate dream is to win a medal for swimming at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles: there’s no point in going otherwise!

Sport

Inclusion

Mob Runs encourage every student to join in and unite around a common goal. The events foster a sense of community among form groups where every achievement is celebrated.