Waiting List FAQ

Elstead Scouts currently has a waiting list for all sections. Here are answers to the questions we’re asked most frequently.

How long is the waiting list and what “place” in the list is my child?

We do have a lot of children on the waiting list. Unfortunately there are more children on our waiting list than we will have places to offer. We cannot tell you what “place” your child is on the list because admission depends on; places becoming available, your child being of eligible age, other factors e.g. exceptional circumstances, length of time on the waiting list. We also give priority spaces to children of adults becoming uniformed leaders or specific committee roles e.g. treasurer, who commit their time for a number of years to run the group, sometimes these children can bump the list.

When do spaces become available and how many spaces are there?

Spaces become available as and when our Scouts move out of the group, freeing up places for Cubs to move to Scouts, Beavers to Cubs and then Waiting List into Beavers. How many spaces there are each term depends on Scouts ageing out or other attrition in Scouts and Cubs. On average there are about 3 spaces a term for children to join at Beaver level, unfortunately there are rarely spaces further up the sections due to our very low attrition.

When will my child become eligible to join the group?

Your child will be eligible to join when they are between 6-6.5 years old.

Will my child get a space?

If there is a space available when your child is of eligible age to join, they will be considered as a cohort for the available spaces.

How do you decide who gets the spaces?

When we have places available, we will offer them on the following basis:

1. Priority is given to children of uniformed leaders and specific committee member roles
2. Existing members moving in (this is a national Scouts policy and we are obliged to give priority to existing members, for example someone who has just moved in locally but was a Beaver elsewhere would be given priority, this applies between sections too, which is why most of our Cub and Scout spaces are taken by children moving up from Beavers and Cubs)
3. Exceptional circumstances (these must be notified to the committee who will discuss and agree whether an exceptional circumstance is valid and whether a child should be given priority over other children on the list. This is a somewhat subjective area and will be discussed and agreed upon by committee. Reasons for the criteria include the support disadvantaged young people, to ensure the group is inclusive, or to fill a key leadership vacancy. If you feel you have an exceptional circumstance, please put it in writing to gsl@elsteadscouts.co.uk
4. From the waiting list as follows:
   1. Cohort is selected from the list (children aged 6-6.5 at point of admission)
   2. Residents of Elstead, Thursley, Tilford and Shackleford are given priority (for waiting list registrations after 10th September 2024)
   3. Then prioritized in order of length of time on the waiting list

What happens if my child is not offered a space by the time they are 6.5?

We do need to maintain a spread of ages in the group to enable forward succession through Cubs and Scouts, this means that if we have not been able to offer your child a space between the ages of 6-6.5 then unfortunately, they will be unlikely to be offered a space. The next round of admissions will then look at the next cohort of children aged 6-6.5.

If your child has not been offered a space, they may remain on our waiting list. It can happen occasionally that additional spaces come up (due to attrition) and it could happen that they are offered a space later on.