Leader Profile: Jemma

Jemma is the DofE Manager at Burntwood School, South London. We caught up with her and participants; Josie, Tilly and Amaris while they were practising skateboarding for their Physical section.

“(Skateboarding) is definitely a male dominated sport and they have loved it. It’s been great to see and hear about how they’ve been getting on. They find that sometimes they are the only females there, but it hasn’t put them off, in fact it’s probably pushed them to really stick with it and the progress they’re making is incredible.”

“The impact that the DofE has on our students is massive. It gives them something else to talk about rather than just being on their phones. It gives them that extra something that they can that they have to add to the community, whether it be the school community or their local community. But just how they develop themselves, how much they learn about themselves, how much they realise they can challenge themselves. I love seeing them and speaking to them and getting them to do the assemblies for the lower year groups, they’re just really inspiring.”