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The Methodist Church has requested that we continue with the same precautions as last term: social distancing will be observed and everyone should use hand sanitizer on entry to the hall & as necessary during the meeting. Scouts, adults and Young leaders must wear masks unless medically exempt. (This is also a Scout requirement for indoor areas that are poorly ventilated, such as the hall). Leaders are responsible for cleaning the toilets if they are used: this will be disruptive, so children will be discouraged from using the toilets unless it is essential. Please remind your child to go at home before the meeting.

If we are meeting at the Methodist, we will continue to use the lawn entrance on Sheep Street, not Victoria Road. Please wait, socially distanced, on Sheep Street until a Leader calls the Scouts in. Parents should not enter the lawn area or the church buildings unless they need to speak to a Leader

Although we have use of the hall as a backup in the case of wet weather, to reduce the risks and to make the most of being able to meet in person, we will continue to meet outside as much as possible. During our meetings, we will have a high emphasis on good hygiene & hand sanitizing, minimize the use of shared equipment & choose activities that avoid close contact between people. We keep a register to help with track and trace if needed. This is kept on OSM (an online Scout Management system that is GDPR compliant), along with our usual records.

Please follow the current government advice if your son/daughter has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or has tested positive themselves. Parents will be asked to collect their son/daughter if they are showing symptoms during a Scouting activity. If your son/daughter tests positive for Covid 19 within 48 hours of a Scouting event, please contact us by email as soon as possible, as we need to notify Scout Headquarters. We would also notify other parents & volunteers of the situation, without giving out any personal information about the individual concerned.

We are now able to use the church halls again. However, in Scouting, we are still required to keep a 2m social distance. To achieve this, the Beavers will meet in the main hall, not the smaller Primary Room and the Cubs will use both rooms. Cubs and Beavers will have use of the hall on alternate weeks, although we want to be outside as much as possible, so it will mainly be as a wet weather backup. 

Cubs and Beavers should wear their blue Group t-shirt, neckerchief, Cub/Beaver sweatshirt if cold, old dark trousers or shorts and suitable footwear. As we will mainly be outside, please be prepared for the weather with coats or sun hats, as appropriate. Cubs can bring a named water bottle in a small rucksack for outdoor meetings and, if it is hot, don’t forget to put on sun cream.

We will be using the lawn entrance, not Victoria Road. The church car park is for Leaders only, please don’t park in the residents’ spaces or the disabled parking next to the church (unless you have a permit/blue badge). Please wait, socially distanced, on Sheep Street until a Leader calls the children in. Parents should not enter the lawn area or church buildings.

Beavers and Cubs need to bring hand sanitiser, face masks are optional.  Please remind your child to use the toilet at home before the session. Leaders are now responsible for cleaning and it will be very disruptive if we have to clean toilets during a meeting.

Has been cancelled please see Kandersteg page for details.

Dear Parents & Carers,

We have been given the go-ahead to restart outdoor face-to-face activities but our guidelines have changed again. This letter will let you know the steps we are taking to make sure we keep everyone safe.

Firstly, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, or who has been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms (within the last two weeks), shouldn’t come to face-to-face activities, and should follow government guidelines on self-isolation and testing.

Secondly, young people who are shielding or in a vulnerable group might not be able to return to face-to-face activities at this stage. Also, some young people, including those with additional needs, might need reasonable adjustments putting in place to support a return to face-to Scouting. Please email to discuss any concerns.

Updates to our arrangements for making sure our outdoor activities will be COVID-19 safe.

Arrival & departure arrangements

• Please maintain social distancing on arrival and departure and follow government guidelines if lift-sharing. We would appreciate it if parents could wear masks when dropping off & collecting Scouts.
• We will usually be meeting in smaller groups to reduce the potential risks and enable us to maintain social distancing. Please remind your child not to mix with Scouts in other groups at the start or end of the session.

Social distancing

• Scouts need to remember to keep socially distant (2m) from other Scouts & Leaders during the meeting.

Hand sanitisation, hygiene and personal protective equipment.

• Scouts need to bring their own hand sanitiser & will be reminded to use it regularly.
• Scout Association guidelines state that face coverings are required by Scouts and Adults when outdoors if 2m distancing cannot be maintained. Although we aim to keep the 2m distance, there will be times when it is not possible (when crossing roads for example). Unless otherwise stated in the programme, face masks are required for all activities, unless your son/daughter is exempt for medical reasons.

Other measures

• Toilets are not available as we do not have access to a building. Please remind your child to use the toilet beforehand. It is only a short meeting but, if a child needs the toilet, we will phone you to collect them.
• First aid procedure: A (socially distant) Leader will assess the injury. For minor injuries, Scouts will be given first aid supplies to treat themselves. Obviously, if the injury is serious, or if they need help with a minor injury, this will outweigh the small risk of infection and Leaders will apply first aid, wearing gloves, face mask & apron if possible. If appropriate, the young person will also be asked to wear a mask. (We have disposable masks in the first aid kit).
• When possible, each child will be given an individual set of equipment needed for that meeting. This will be cleaned/quarantined before re-use. Any equipment that is only lightly handled and has to be shared will be thoroughly cleaned during the meeting.
• We’re required to keep a register of those attending to help with the track and trace process. This is kept on OSM (an online Scout Management system that is fully GDPR compliant), along with our usual records. If your son/daughter tests positive for Covid 19 within 14 days of a face to face scouting event, please contact Gillian by email as soon as possible.

We will discuss the new arrangements with the Scouts when we restart, but please also remind your child of the importance of social distancing, hand sanitizing and other hygiene measures.

If you/your child are not ready to attend face to face meetings, this is fine. While we are in the current amber phase, we will provide a blended programme of outdoor activities, zoom meetings and emailed activities.

Permission to attend: Please reply to confirm that you understand the new measures in place and are happy for your child to resume coming to outdoor meetings.

Please don’t hesitate to email if you have any questions or concerns.

Hopefully, we will be able to hold some face to face meetings in the new term.

It is increasingly looking that we will only be able to meet online in January.

We will be meeting face to face as soon as permitted.

We have a new closed Facebook group called ‘7^th Bicester Scout parents’. Details of outdoor meetings will only be posted on the closed group for parents/carers. The open Facebook page will still be maintained so that ex-members, grandparents etc. can see what we are doing.