Membership Policy

  1. Scouting is a very popular activity and we have a substantial waiting list for places in the Scout Group. This unfortunately means we can’t always offer a space to potential members as soon as we would like.

  2. To be transparent and open, we have defined the criteria of how we choose people off our waiting list and allocate places within the Group.

  3. We operate within the equal opportunities policy of the Scout Association and membership of the Group is open to both boys and girls, aged between 6 to 14.5 years. In addition, we host and support one of the District Explorer Units and this is open to all young people between 14.5 and 18 years of age.

  4. The safety and well being of all Young People is of utmost importance and each section has a set number of places which are determined by the meeting facilities and having sufficient adults to run the section safely. If a potential member has special needs, then their membership will be dependent on being able to provide them the ongoing support which they need in order to enjoy Scouting fully and to be safe. These cases will be considered individually alongside this policy on new members.

    SINGLE WAITING LIST

  5. We operate a single waiting list for the entire Group and Explorer Unit. So, this means that if someone is unlucky not to get a space in Beavers, they will, however, move straight onto the Cubs waiting list.

    MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AGES

  6. From 25 September 2012, we will only accept new people on to the waiting list who are aged 5 years and over.

  7. The age range for each section is as follows:

    SECTION & CORE AGE RANGE

    Beaver Scouts - 6 to 8 years old. Cub Scouts - 8 to 10.5 years old. Scouts - 10.5 to 14.5 years old. Explorer Scouts - 14.5 to 18 years old

    APPLYING TO JOIN THE WAITING LIST

  8. Requests to be added to the waiting list will only be accepted if they are made via the web form at 20th.org.uk/how-to-join.

  9. Please see our Privacy Policy at 20th.org.uk/privacy.

    APPLICANT NUMBERS AND POINTS

  10. On joining the waiting list applicants are given an Applicant Number. The date and time of the request to be added to the list determines the order in which the Applicant Numbers are allocated.

  11. All Applicant Numbers are then ranked, with the highest number having the lowest rank. The rank equals the applicant's initial number of points. So, if there are 100 people already on the waiting list and you are allocated Applicant Number 101 you would be ranked 1, meaning you have 1 point.

    • 100 additional points are awarded if the applicant’s family member is already or becomes part of the leader team, or has another formal role in supporting the Group.

    • 50 additional points are awarded if the applicant already has a sibling in one of our Sections.

  12. (You may also want to consider submitting your name to the national website. This will ensure you are notified of other local Scout Groups who may have spaces as an alternative).

    EXISTING MEMBERS OF 20TH SHEFFIELD

  13. Young people who are already members of the Group always take priority for places, i.e. those waiting to move up to the next Section, e.g. Beavers to Cubs, Cubs to Scouts.

    WAITING LIST SELECTION CRITERIA

  14. Where places become available within a section, we will offer them to young people who have reached the necessary age for that section. The Membership Secretary, in conjunction with the appropriate section leaders and Group Scout Leader, is responsible for determining how many places are offered and to whom, taking account of the needs of the section and the longer-term impact upon subsequent sections.

  15. When selecting names from our waiting list, we consider the following, in this order:

    • People moving into Sheffield who are existing members of the Scout Association

      We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests but we cannot guarantee an instant place.

    • Total number of applicant points
      With the exception that newcomers will not usually be invited to join a Section if their age means they cannot spend at least 9 months with that Section (to gain the full benefit of the programme) – however they will be given priority to the next Section up where possible. Our Applicant Points system described above gives priority to:

      • Families who help run the group
        Ultimately the Group cannot exist without volunteers, and we feel it’s reasonable that someone who’s willing to invest time in helping to support the Scout Group should be able to include their child (or children) in that experience. So, preference is given to young people whose parents/guardians are prepared to become Section Leaders, Section Assistants, or take another formal role in supporting the Group. If you are interested in the available roles please make this known on your application to join.

      • Siblings
        We do appreciate that siblings watching their brother or sister enjoying Scouting with us may have a twinge of jealousy! So we do give some priority to older or younger siblings of Young People who are Members of the Group, but take into account their time on the waiting list, as it would be unfair to give a place to a younger sibling whose name has been on the list one week compared to a potential member who has been on the list for some time.

    • Catchment area
      We don’t have a fixed catchment area, but generally we think it’s fairest on everyone if we give priority to new members who live in the surrounding area of Ecclesall – primarily S7 and S11. This is especially true if two members have similar profiles on the list but one potential member is closer to another Group.

    • Exceptions
      There may be certain circumstances where we make an exception to the priorities set out above. These may include, but are not limited to, specific family circumstances, special educational, medical or other needs. The Membership Secretary, the Group Scout Leader and the Group Chairman must approve all exceptions.

    HOW OFFERS OF PLACES ARE MADE

  16. The Membership Secretary has the delegated authority over membership and is the only person who can make an offer of a place in one of our Sections.

  17. Offers will only be made by email to the address you supplied when you applied to be added to the waiting list. It is up to you to notify the Membership Secretary if your email address changes.

  18. If the email bounces back because the email address is no longer in use then the Membership Secretary will attempt to contact you by telephone.

  19. If the Membership Secretary cannot contact you by telephone then the young person will be removed from the waiting list.

  20. If a place is offered and declined (or not acknowledged by the deadline specified in the email) the young person will be removed from the waiting list. If they wish to re- join the waiting list at a later date they will be added to the bottom of the list.

    LEAVING THE GROUP

  21. If a young person leaves the Group and subsequently asks to return they will re-join the waiting list at the bottom.

    STANDARDS

  22. We expect our members to attend meetings on a regular basis. If a member cannot attend a meeting, then we expect them to inform the Leader in advance.

  23. If a young person fails to meet the standards required by their Section, in particular regularly attending meetings and events, paying subscription fees on time (please see our Subscriptions Policy) and maintaining an acceptable standard of behaviour then their place may be withdrawn and be offered to a young person on the waiting list.

    APPEALS

  24. If you feel your application has not been treated fairly, you are welcome to contact the Membership Secretary, who will discuss your case with the Group Scout Leader who will make the ultimate decision about Group Membership.

Version 1.03, Last updated: 31 May 2018