1st Potton Scout Group has five Sections: Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers.

Currently, all 1st Potton Scout Group sections are full. However, we operate a waiting list system to enable parents to register that their young people wish to join a Section.  This policy explains how to apply and how we match places, as they become available, with young people on the list. 

How to Apply:

For a young person to be added to the waiting list, they need to apply for a place. This can be done by completing a form on our website here.

The following details must be supplied:

  • young person’s full name
  • date of birth
  • address including postcode
  • phone and email contact details of at least one parent/guardian.

Applications are taken from the following ages:

  • Squirrels – applicants must be over 3 years old
  • Beavers – applicants must be over 4 and under 7.5 years old
  • Cubs – applicants must be under 10 years old
  • Scouts – applicants must be over 10 years old
  • Explorers – applicants must be over 13.5 and under 17.5 years old

Young people will be offered places in priority order (see below), once they have reached the appropriate age for that section and there are places available to start the following term/half term:

  • Squirrels – 4 years of age
  • Beavers – 6 years of age
  • Cubs – 8 years of age
  • Scouts – 10.5 years of age

Waiting List Priorities for Allocating Places

1st Potton Scout Group has been set up to serve the needs of the local community, and as such, we will prioritise spaces in our Group to those young people in Potton (SG19 postcode). For those people within Potton, places are offered according to the following criteria in order of descending priority:

  1. Young people who are already Group members and are moving up to the next section, i.e. Squirrels to Beavers; Beavers to Cubs; Cubs to Scouts; Scouts to Explorers. We feel it is important that young people, once they have embarked on their Scouting adventure, can see through their scouting time at their local Group and progress through their badges and awards without interruption.
  2. Young people whose parents/guardians are already volunteering as Section Leaders, Section Assistants, 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 willing to invest time in supporting the Scouting should be able to include their children.
  3. Young people with one or more siblings who are already members of the Group. Siblings of existing members would undoubtedly feel left out if they could not experience the same fun they see their brother or sister enjoying. We also appreciate the convenience to parents of being able to drop off and collect simultaneously. Parents must still register each child on the waiting list –there is no automatic prioritisation for unregistered siblings.
  4. Young people whose parents/guardians newly volunteer to actively help the Group. New leaders must commit to regular attendance at section meetings for a minimum of 12 months and complete the mandatory volunteer training required of a leader.
  5. Young people who have moved into the Group’s catchment area due to a parental/guardian’s transfer and have previously been actively involved in Scouting in their previous local community.
  6. Those who are socially disadvantaged. Not every Young Person starts life with an equal opportunity, and scouting can help redress this by giving those who are currently in care, have been adopted or are from single-parent families where no local family support structure exists a helping hand. This also extends to those young people who have additional physical or mental health issues, subject to the local meeting place being suitable and that adequate continuous adult support is available.
  7. Time on the waiting list. It is appropriate, having got this far down the criteria, a place should be offered to the young person who has been waiting for the longest for a place to become available. A young person will not usually be invited to join a section if their age means they cannot spend at least nine 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 in the next Section where possible.

Group Lead Volunteer 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 Lead Volunteer, in consultation with the Group’s Trustee Board, as to which person is offered a place.

Scouting is open to all young people (irrespective of gender, faith, ability, sexuality or other factors). If a young person needs additional support in order to participate in Scouting, this should be discussed with the leaders, who will work with parents to establish a plan of action. This will not affect their allocation of a place.

The school a young person attends is NOT a factor in deciding the priority for the allocation of places.

Offer of a Place

The offer of a place will be made directly to the parent/guardian registering the young person on the waiting list. If a place offered is declined (or not acknowledged within one month), or the young person leaves the Group and subsequently asks to return, they will rejoin the waiting list in the position determined by the criteria set out in this policy.

Second Opinion. If it is felt that your application for a place has not been treated fairly, the matter should be referred to the Trustee Board of 1st Potton Scout Group using the contact form here.