Membership and Joining List Policy

The Policy set out below has been agreed by the Cleeve, Claverham and Yatton (CCY) Scout Group Leadership Team and remains effective.

General Principles
 

1. CCY Scout Group is open to young people (both boys and girls) across all three sections - Beavers, Cubs and Scouts - regardless of ability, class, ethnic origin or religious beliefs. It is however assumed that those wishing to join will be residing in the relevant villages i.e. Cleeve, Claverham and Yatton or the immediate surrounding areas.
    
2. We will always endeavour to admit children with special needs to the Scout Group, provided we are able to cater for their needs with the facilities and suitable adult/carer help is available to us at the time.
    
3. CCY Scout Group (Volunteer/Leadership Team) will consider movement between sections and new intake at two points in the calendar year. The first co-incident with the commencement of normal school years in September and the second at the beginning of the school term in February.
    
4. Each section within the CCY Scout Group will have a maximum of 24 young person members. This is due to the relatively small size of the Scout HQ facility and a reflection on the reasonable ability of the volunteer leaders to effectively and safely manage a group of young people of this size. At the discretion of the relevant Section Lead Volunteer and with agreement of the Group Lead Volunteer this size limit can be breached to an absolute maximum of 30 members.
    
5. Our focus is to be in a position to offer a place in Scouting at the earliest opportunity based on age ranges in the following table. 
   
   

   	Beavers	Cubs	Scouts
   Core age range	6 - 8 years	8 - 10.5 years	10.5 - 14 years
   Expanded age range	5.75 - 8.5 years	7.5 - 11 years	10 - 14.5 years



6. The overall Scouting movement consists of a programme which can start with membership in a Squirrel section followed by Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and on to Explorers. Currently CCY Scout Group can offer scouting across the age ranges in the above table. A young person who commences this journey within the CCY Scout Group follows a structured progression and hence has an expectation of a place in each subsequent section of the movement. This principle is reflected in the criteria used in the priority for moving set out in the remainder of this policy.
    
7.  CCY Scout Group does not currently include an Explorer Scout Section and Scouts of the appropriate age will be guided towards moving to alternative Explorer Sections available within the local Gordano Scout District.

Starting in CCY Scout Group
 

1. A full list is maintained, by the CCY Leadership Team, that includes all young people already involved in each section and those who wish to join the CCY Scout Group and are thus waiting for a place to become available within the appropriate section. The list is formed from:
   
   A. All existing CCY members in each Section.
   
   B. Those in an existing Section with an expectation for moving to the follow-on Section, at the next Movement time (see General Principle 3), will feature at the top of the relevant Joining list.
   
   C. Those for whom a request to go on to the joining list(s) has been received.  This will also include young people moving into the area who are existing members in another Scout Group.
    
2. When places are available within each section and at one of the movement/intake times, young people will be moved between sections and / or selected from the “Joining List” and invited to join.  Invitations will be issued by the membership secretary or relevant Section Lead Volunteer.  The criteria and priority order for intake and movement will be as follows:
   
   A, Existing CCY members, wherever possible, will be invited to join the next appropriate section based on the appropriate Core Age Range.
   
   B. Children of regularly active Volunteers (uniformed leaders/section supporters/executive members) can move into Beavers when they are within the Expanded Age Range.
   
   C. Existing members of the Scout Association moving into the area from another District.
   
   D. From the joining list for the appropriate section, in order of time on the list and within the Core Age Range and who is also a sibling of an existing CCY member.
   
   
   E. From the joining list for the appropriate section, in order of time on the list and within the Core Age Range.
    
3. Allocation of places will normally be decided at the CCY Volunteer Leadership Meetings between the Group Lead and the Section Lead Volunteers.  
    
4. Should any Section require use of the flexibilities in age ranges, either the Expanded Age Range in General Principle 5 and/or in accordance with Scout Association Policy Rule 3.11b (Flexibility for Individual Members), this will be discussed and agreed as appropriate by the Group Lead and the Section Lead Volunteers.

Moving up
 

Beavers to Cubs

• Beavers will move up to Cubs at the beginning of September or in the February following their 8^th Birthday.  Movement is subject to availability of places and priority is given to existing colony members based on the intake and movement priorities set out in 2. A – E above.  In the event of insufficient places the Beaver name(s) will be placed at the top of the “Cub Joining List” in age order.
• On request children of regularly active volunteers (uniformed leads/section supporters/executive members) can move into Cubs within the Expanded Age Range.  If necessary, the discretionary number limits will be expected to be used to accommodate these particular young people into the Cub Section.
• If there are surplus places, then the Cub Leader(s) will also be aware, from the full membership list, of the number of Beavers who will be moving up in the next six months and can consider the ability to accommodate these before offering a place to a young person on the “Cub Joining List”.  The above starting priority criteria will be applied.

Cubs to Scouts

• Cubs will move up to Scouts at the beginning of September or in the February that follows when they reach 10½ years of age.  Movement is subject to availability of places and priority is given to existing pack members based on the intake and movement priorities set out in 2. A – E above.  In the event of insufficient places the Cub name(s) will be placed at the top of the “Scout Joining List” in age order.
• On request, children of regularly active volunteers (uniformed leads/section supporters/executive members) can move into Scouts within the Expanded Age Range.  If necessary, the discretionary number limits will be expected to be used to accommodate these particular young people into the Scout Section.
• If there are surplus places, then the Scout Leader(s) will also be aware, from the full membership list, of the number of Cubs who will be moving up in the next six months and can consider the ability to accommodate these before offering a place to a young person on the “Scout Joining List”.  The above starting priority criteria will be applied.

Scouts to Explorers

• Scouts will move up to Explorers at the beginning of September or in the February following their 14^th birthday.  Movement is subject to availability of places within the local Explorer Sections.
• Until such time as CCY Scout Group has its own Explorer Unit the Scout Leaders will support engagement of Scouts with the Explorer Unit of the Scout’s choice within the Gordano District.  Links to Explorer Units within Axe District are also possible.