The Scout Association is the largest co-educational youth movement in the UK, Scouting provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for over 400,000 young people.

There are 6 main ‘Sections’ in Scouting –

• Squirrels – for 4 to 6 year olds
• Beavers – for 6 to 8 year olds
• Cubs – for 8 to 10 ½ year olds
• Scouts – for 10 ½ to 14 year olds
• Explorers – for 14 to 18 year olds
• Network – for 18 to 25 year olds

Scouting gives young people the opportunity to learn by doing, as part of a balanced programme. Our programme is a continuous progression of training, activities and awards that covers everything young people do in Scouting from the age of 6 to 18.

Every step of the way, we try to encourage friendship, social skills, teamwork and confidence and most importantly have fun!

Here at 17th Harrow we have three sections: Beavers (Beaver Colony), Cubs (Cub Pack) and Scouts (Scout Troop)3.
If you would like to join us and help support the launch of a Squirrels Drey, please do get in touch! We would love to hear from you!

Where do you meet?

Our building, known as our New Headquarters, is in the alleyway and we are sandwiched between Our Lady & St. Thomas of Canterbury RC Church and St Anselm’s Primary School.
We sometimes meet at an activity location instead this will be notified in advance

We do ask that members arrive at meetings on time and are collected on time and it is useful to know in advance if a member is going to miss a weekly meeting. You can update this information on Online Scout Manager (OSM).

Our terms are generally the same as the School terms, although we may run some special events and activities during the holidays.

How much does it cost?

Our subscriptions (subs) are paid annually (please see your Section Leader for the rates).

The subs covers the following:

• Membership of the Group/Unit, District, County and National Scout Association
• Insurance
• Part of this stays with your child’s section and goes towards paying for sectional activities and supplies such as crafts/activity materials, badges
• Running costs of the hut such as electricity, water, ground rent, and maintenance
• Purchase of larger pieces of equipment, training for leaders and various other expenses

Where a young person joins part way through the year, fess are payable on a pro-rata basis.

At 17th we believe that Scouting should be available to all. Costs should not be a bar to membership

• If parents/guardians are not able to pay for the whole year in one payment, the annual fee can be phased with the agreement of the membership secretary. This would normally be over three months but can be longer in exceptional circumstances.
• There is a small bursary fund available for parents/guardians who wish to apply. They have to complete a form explaining why the bursary is required. Any award is for one year only and has to be approved by the Treasurer and Group Lead Volunteer (GLV). Members of the Executive Committee will also be notified of this, but will applicant will not be named.

We are also proposing that children and grandchildren of warranted leaders do not have to pay membership fees. This concession does not apply to other relatives of leaders (e.g. siblings, nephews or nieces). This item is still in discussion.

Camps, Trips and some activities are charged separately. Trips are generally charged “at cost”.

Gift Aid? What is it and why do you ask for it?

Gift Aid is a valuable source of Group funds. When you are registered for Gift Aid the Group will receive an extra 25p from the Inland Revenue for every £1 of your subs payment. So for a £27 subs payment, we receive an extra £6.75 and this provides a substantial boost to our funds.

All UK resident taxpayers are eligible for Gift Aid. You will receive a Gift Aid request on OSM. Please help us by filling this online form out.

Is there a Uniform?

Once your child has been with us for a few weeks, they will need the correct uniform for their Section and this should be worn to all meetings unless told otherwise. Until they have uniform they should wear comfy clothes for their first few meetings, suitable for sporty games.

Does my child have to go camping?

A key part of Scouting is going away from home on residential “nights away” trips. These are a mix of camps, indoor sleepovers, and expeditions. Typically Beavers and Cubs will be offered at least one nights away experience each year (often a two night camp or residential), Scouts will be offered at least three nights away experiences each year. Please have a look at our section on Camping.

Whilst attendance at camps is not required it is strongly encouraged, and is a core part of the programme. Over the years we have found that young people who do not attend the camps miss out on a huge part of the Scouting Experience. Equally young people are not able to complete their Chief Scout Award without attending residentials. If you have any concerns about your son/daughter attending camps, or about paying for them, please do talk to us!

Will my Child be Safe?

The Scout Association has a safeguarding policy that we follow. This includes PVG checks for all our Leaders and helpers, running safeguarding training for them and following correct procedures at all our events. Have a look at The Scout Association’s Child Protection Policy. A qualified first aider is present for all activities and appropriate first aid equipment is available whether we are in the hall or out and about.

Scouting encourages young people to take sensible risks… but in a controlled way. your child will climb trees, light fires and learn to use axes, saws & knives, as well as taking part in a number of adventurous activities. We recognise that minor injuries are an inevitable part of childhood but follow risk assessments and operating procedures to ensure that all activities are run safely.

How does my child join?

Please complete our online joining form which gives us all information we require about you and your child. We will then get in touch with you by your preferred method and give you further information about the joining process.

Please note we have a waiting list for Beavers. If you want to give your child the best chance of getting a space in Beavers we recommend adding them to our waiting list as soon as you can.

When a Section is full spaces are allocated according to our waiting list policy.

Is there a waiting list?

For Beavers… a definite yes. It varies for Cubs and Scouts.

In general, the admission priorities will be:-

1. Existing members of the group transferring to the next section i.e. Beavers to Cubs and Cubs to Scouts
2. Children whose parents/guardians have been formally working in the group as a Warranted Team Member or appointed officer for at least three months and who will be continuing to work with the group
3. Young people who have been on the group waiting for the longest time, with the exception that we will not usually offer a place if their age means they cannot spend at least six months with the section. In these circumstances, they will be given priority to the next section up where possible. When young people become too old for one section without the offer of a place (e.g. Beavers), they will remain on the list and may be offered a place at another section (e.g. Cubs).

There may be certain circumstances in which an exception to the priorities set out above may be invoked. These may include, but are not limited to, specific family circumstances, special educational, medical or other needs.

My child has been in the Scouts section.
What happens when my child reaches 14?

In year 9 many of our Young People look to complete the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) through the District lead programme. In order to take part they will need to be with an Explorer unit. In December of school Year 9, depending on the age of the Young Person, we arrange from them to move up to Explorer Scouts (ESU).
Explorers are run at a district level, however, we will aim to link you with Artemis ESU who are based in South Harrow… and not to far from where we are located.

Will I be expected to help?

In a word, Yes. The entire Unit is run by volunteers this includes all our Team Leaders. Team Members and Executive Committee members… and we need help from our member’s parents (who by default are members of our Scout Council) in order to keep running.
However how much you help is up to you and can vary from…

• Attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• Supporting our occasional social events and fundraising efforts – we run a range of social events for parents and families throughout the year, and its a great way to make new friends – for the adults as well as the kids!
• Helping with transport for events
• Helping out as much as you can do with our weekly meetings as part of a parent rota (Sign up via OSM)
• Helping out on outings.
  These require an increased ratio of adults to children for safety and to comply with insurance requirements, therefore, if there are not enough helpers, the outing cannot go ahead! However, in order to help out, parents must have a valid DBS certificate, issued by the Scout Association. If you speak to your Section Team Leader this can be arranged. As it is for voluntary work, this is at no cost to you.
• Or, even becoming a Leader yourself!
• You could join our Executive Committee, made up of Leaders and parents who are responsible for the overall running of the Group especially the Group’s finances and just prior to and at our AGM, we do ask for parents to join this committee
• Attend and help out at camps at no additional cost

Volunteering for the group is very rewarding, and can be great fun. 

What do I do if my child has a medical condition you should know about?

You must inform us if your child has any sort of medical condition that may become relevant to his/her time in the Scout Group. You can enter details of the condition on the registration form or you can tell your section leader directly if you would rather. Either way, this information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please don’t try to hide the condition, it may do more harm than good. We strongly believe in equal opportunity for all children and guarantee that your child’s condition will not negatively affect the way in which they are treated within the Scout Group.

Is Scouting a Religious Organisation?

Scouting is open to those of any faith, or no faith at all. During your child’s time in Scouting they will be encouraged to explore their own beliefs, and to learn about world faiths. Various versions of the Scout Promise are available, and your son/daughter will be encouraged to make their own choice as to which they would like to make. Whilst we do encourage young people to explore their faith, Scouting is not itself a religious organisation.

However, the founding fathers for our group were Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) and are links therefore are with them and our local Catholic Church, Our Lady & St. Thomas of Canterbury. Our official registration name with the Scout Association, since 1925, is 17th Harrow (Catholic).
Our HQ is on church grounds and the Group take part in a Church Parade Service in the Church for Remembrance Sunday. Whilst these services are entirely voluntary to attend we do try to get as many of us there as possible and all members and their families of all faiths or none are encouraged to join us for the parade service, which are child friendly.

We also try to host either a the same event for St. George’s day. Either with the parade to the church or we take part in the District event in Pinner.