Westside Scout Group Waiting List Policy

We are very lucky to be a strong and healthy Scout Group, committed to providing a positive Scouting experience to young people in our community.

We are located on dual-sites: Broomwood Church Hall, 155d Broomwood Road, SW11 6BD, and St Luke’s Church Community Hall, 194 Ramsden Rd, SW12 8RQ.

As a result of strong demand, every section in the group is heavily oversubscribed. This waiting list policy has been drawn up to explain clearly our approach to waiting lists and to ensure as many young people are able to access Scouting as possible.

Capacity

Availability is limited by our current capacity. In the past, we have had upwards of 100 children on sectional lists which has become unmanageable. This has created frustration for leaders, parents and children alike.

Our two Beaver colonies cater for children between the ages of six and eight. Each colony has a maximum capacity of 24 children.

Our two Cub packs cater for children between the ages of eight and ten and a half. Each pack has a maximum capacity of 36 children.

Our Scout troop caters for children between the ages of ten and a half and fourteen. Our troop has a maximum capacity of 30 children.

Waiting Lists

Each section has their own waiting list. Inclusion on the list is by online application form. No child is able to be on more than one list at a time. More information can be found on our website. A single waiting list is maintained for each of Beavers and Cubs. Whilst a parent/guardian will be able to state a preference for a particular Colony or Pack within Beavers or Cubs when applying to join the waiting list, a place may be offered in the other Beaver Colony or Cub Pack, depending on availability.

To join the waiting list for any Section, children need to be within two years of joining age – 4 for Beavers, 6 for Cubs and 8 1⁄2 for Scouts. The minimum age at which any person can enter the waiting list is age 4. Children who have not been offered a place and who have only 1 year remaining before they exceed the age limit for a particular Section will automatically be transferred to the waiting list for the next Section.

Prioritisation

The overarching concern of Leaders will be to manage the composition of each Section bearing in mind capacity, resourcing (which might vary in case of shortage of leaders), the particular needs of the current members and the person on the waiting list, the balance between boys and girls (both within a colony/pack and between colonies/packs) and any other relevant factor, particularly a factor affecting safety or wellbeing. While we will attempt to offer places in order of the descending priority below, this means that there may be exceptions where a place is offered to a person from a different, lower category at the discretion of the Section Leader.

In the event that exceptional circumstances such as those referred to above do not arise, places are offered to individuals meeting the following criteria in order of descending priority as follows:

1. A person who has moved into the area due to family relocation, so that they now live closer         to 12th/14th Battersea Westside Group than any other group and who has previously been actively involved in Scouting in their previous local community.

2. A person who is already a member of the 12th/14th Battersea Westside Group and is moving up to the next Section i.e. Beavers to Cubs; Cubs to Scouts. We feel it is important that a person, once they have embarked on their Scouting adventure, is able to see through their Scouting time with their local Group and progress through their badges and awards without interruption. A person moving on from Scouts to Explorers will be offered a place at their nearest Explorer Scout Unit once a vacancy occurs.

3. A person whose parent/guardian is already volunteering as Section Leader, Section Assistant, Occasional Helper or another formal role in supporting their Group or the Scout District. No Group can exist without volunteers, and we feel that it is reasonable that someone who is willing to invest time in supporting the Scouting should be able to include their children.

4. A person with one or more siblings who are already members of the Group. Siblings of existing members would undoubtedly feel left out if they were not able to experience the same fun that they seen their brother or sister enjoying. We also appreciate the convenience to parents of being able to drop-off and collect at the same time. Parents must still register each child on the waiting list.        

5. A person whose parent/guardian newly volunteers to actively help their Group or the Scout District. The level of commitment required will be determined at local Group level, but will be expected to be reliable and sustainable.

6. Time on waiting list. It is appropriate that, having got this far down the criteria, a place should be offered to the person who has been waiting longest for a place to become available. A person will not usually be invited to join a Section if their age means that they cannot spend at least 9 months with that Section as they will not have the opportunity to settle in and progress in earning badges – however they will be given priority joining the next Section where possible. This principle is explained in the paragraphs entitled ‘Waiting Lists’ above.

7. Group discretion. If none of the previous criteria can be used to differentiate between two candidates for a place then it will be at the discretion of the Group as to which person is offered a place. Section Leaders would normally consult with their Group Scout Leader, whose decision would be final.

Our commitment to you

On a termly basis, spare places will be offered to children on the waiting list who are old enough to join in accordance with our prioritisation criteria. If we are not able to offer your child a place within a year of becoming old enough to join, we will offer you two options:

1. To join the waiting list for the next section up (eg Cubs, Scouts)
2. As an alternative, you may wish to find another local Scout Group which may have spare capacity (see http://www.scoutinginwandsworth.co.uk/); in such an event, at the parent/guardian’s written request, the Group Scout Leader will make an introduction to their counterpart at your chosen group to explain the circumstances of the referral.

We feel this represents the best way of keeping waiting list numbers manageable and also ensuring that your child is given the opportunity to participate in Scouting in the local area.

Westside Scout Group Section Details

Neighbouring Scout Groups (Please mention that this is a referral from WSG)