Attendance Policy

We offer membership to as many Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers as we can accommodate with our current facilities and team of adult volunteers.  But we have a long waiting list of local young people wishing to join the group.

Because of this, it is important that young members attend regularly and don’t deprive another child of the opportunity to enjoy scouting.  Poor attendance also makes it difficult for young people to earn badges, can have a detrimental effect on their team and creates problems for the leaders in organising activities.

Please let us know if your child can’t attend

We are aware that many of our young members are involved in sports and other activities and do not expect them to forego these in place of scouting.  But we request that the section leaders are informed in advance when a young person will not be able to attend a meeting, and please let us know why.

If a parent knows in advance that their child will often have to miss meetings, they should discuss this with their Section Leader; they may need to relinquish their membership.

How we handle unexplained absences

If a young person misses four or more meetings in a term, without timely communication of a valid reason, they may be asked to leave the group at the end of that term.  If a young person misses three consecutive meetings without any explanation, we will assume they have left the group and will offer their place to another young person on our waiting list.

Events we expect all Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers to attend

As well as regular weekly meetings, there are three annual events at which the attendance of all members is required.  These are

• Saint George’s Day Parade, on a Sunday in April
• Remembrance Sunday service and war memorial parade, on a Sunday in November
• Family service at All Saints Weston Green, the White Church, our sponsor, on a date to be arranged

All other camps and events are optional, but all members are encouraged to participate as fully as possible in the group’s activities.