At LEH International School Foshan Prep School, we believe in providing our students with opportunities to excel in all aspects of life, and the Junior Duke scheme is just one of the ways in which we achieve this. The Junior Duke is a dynamic and innovative initiative designed to develop independence, instil leadership skills and a sense of community responsibility in students aged 6 to 12.
So, what exactly is the Junior Duke?
Simply put, Junior Duke is a comprehensive scheme with a series of structured exciting and engaging challenges that focus on empowering young students to develop essential life skills and qualities such as independence, teamwork, communication, resilience, and problem-solving. The scheme is based on the globally recognised Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which has been transforming the lives of young people for over six decades.
Prep School teachers Mr Rob Jones and Mr Alex Tennant are the coordinators of the Junior Duke scheme at LEH Foshan Prep School. In this article we invite them to share more information about the Junior Duke.
Mr Robert Jones
Y4 Teacher
- Nearly 10 years of experience as an ESL teacher and classroom teacher in China
- A capable school governor: In his last position, he was a vice principal responsible for foreign teacher management and communication
Mr Alexander Tennant
Y5/6 Teacher
- Nearly 10 years teaching in the UK and China
- From teaching adults and children Wing Chun for a worldwide Martial Arts Organisation to working as an ELL teacher
- Has rich experience in building and maintaining excellent student relationships
By registering on the official Junior Duke website (juniorduke.com), students gain access to a booklet containing a series of challenges. The scheme starts with Bronze challenges, from which students select 10 out of the 14 challenges to complete. Upon completion, students receive awards and proceed to the Silver challenges.
LEH Foshan Prep School students kicked off the Bronze challenges of the Junior Duke at the beginning of 2023. To encourage full participation, the school has made Junior Duke a mandatory extra-curricular activity on either Thursdays or Fridays. The Bronze challenges of the Junior Duke cover an array of exciting topics including cookery, art/craft, swimming, first aid, eco-challenge, independence, sport, domestic challenge, interest, modern language, my country, neighbourliness, sustainability, and worldly wise. With such diverse challenges, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of subjects while learning important skills that will serve them well in their future academic and personal pursuits. Currently, the students are halfway through their journey from Bronze to Silver, having successfully completed 4 of the challenges.
What are the benefits for students?
Participating in the Junior Duke comes with a wide range of benefits for students. Some of the key benefits include:
Having fun – the challenges are fun and engaging, providing a great opportunity for students to have fun and develop teamwork and interpersonal skills.
Building self-confidence – as students complete challenges and earn rewards, they will develop a sense of accomplishment and build their self-confidence.
Developing important life skills – the challenges are crafted to equip students with fundamental life skills by engaging them in practical activities, with the goal of fostering self-sufficient and independent individuals.
Developing a Growth Mindset – by encouraging students to embrace challenges and to view failure as an opportunity for growth, the scheme instils in students a sense of resilience and determination.
Our students have completed the cookery, art, first aid and domestic challenges so far.
Students chose their favourite baking and found out how to make it without the help of their parents. They also learned kitchen safety practices to ensure that they can carry out their culinary endeavours with confidence and precaution.
Aamor: I really enjoyed this fun challenge. I love baking so this was a good opportunity so I baked 10 delicious cupcakes. My mum did not help because parents were not allowed to. I did it all by myself. The baking was fun and easy. I hope we can have more baking challenges.
Students were challenged to create something creative out of Papier-mâché, encouraging them to tap into their creative potential and showcase their artistic prowess.
Nario: We did papier mâché the ballon, it was really fun touching the glue. We can put our hands inside the glue, it was really smooth. I made a big balloon, a lot of students’ balloons popped but I was really lucky – mine didn’t pop. It was a really fun challenge.
The students were taught the proper protocols for contacting emergency services in various situations and were given practical exercises in making emergency calls. Additionally, they received training on the appropriate steps to take in the event of an accident, such as checking for danger, checking for a response and assessing whether they need to call the emergency services.
Affan: It was very fun and honestly it wasn’t that hard since I just had to remember the steps. We didn’t use a phone. But I remember some of the phone numbers and I practised it one time.
Domestic Challenge -
Handwashing
Students were challenged to choose an item of dirty clothing about the size of jumper and learned how to wash it properly by hand. They learned how to wash clothes by hand, including choosing the right detergent, how to squeeze and rinse out the water and soap, spinning the garment, and drying it in the correct way.
David: I choose normal clothes to wash, like the school swimming kit and my normal clothes. I have never washed anything by hand before. It was easy to learn how to wash clothes.
We couldn't be more thrilled and prouder to witness the enthusiasm our Prep students have shown towards the Junior Duke challenges. It is a joy to see them grow into confident, independent, and responsible young adults through this unique scheme. We wish them the best of luck as they embark on the rest of their Junior Duke journey!
