1st Finchampstead Scout Group is popular and we maintain a waiting list of those children wishing to join. This policy sets out how current and prospective child members are able to join and move on within the Group.

If you want to guarantee a place for your child, the best way to do this is to join our team of leaders to at least Assistant Leader level. This doesn’t mean committing to being there every week, but does mean getting a clear Disclosure/DBS check, completing some very basic training (3 short mostly online modules), joining leaders’ meetings about once a term and being involved in sessions most weeks.

1) After submission of a joining application, the child’s details will be placed on our waiting list. We will not place children on the waiting list before they are 4 years old, and we will not admit children to Scouts once they are aged 13 or over.

2) Towards the end of each term, the Waiting List team works out which children will be moving on between sections, and determines the number of spaces available – based on maximum Section sizes and adherence to the Scout Association’s adult:child ratios for safeguarding. The team also takes into account the age of children on the waiting list, in order to maintain a healthy membership with a mix of ages in each Section, and to maximise each child’s time in a Section.

3) A space in a section is then offered, with the following waiting list priority applied:

• Children who are already members of a younger Section of the Group
• Children of adult volunteers in the Group
• Children who have siblings already in the Group
• Children who have been on the waiting list the longest
• Children who are already members of Scouting and move into our area

4) The waiting list team will wait a reasonable amount of time once a space has been offered. If there is no response, the space will be released and offered to another child.

We reserve the right to admit children to Sections on an exceptional basis. In the event of a dispute over membership, the Group Lead Volunteer’s decision is final.

If you’re unhappy with the process or outcome of our waiting list decisions, we’ll try and resolve your concerns through our Complaints procedure.

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This policy is in line with The Scout Association’s rules on Admission to Membership. It supercedes Section 9 of our Group Policy.