Sea Scouts are 10 1/2 to 14 year old do-ers and give-it-a-go-ers. Yes, we go sailing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, camping, hiking, swimming, abseiling, and cycling. But, we also get to hang out with our friends every week – having fun, playing games, working in a team and taking on new challenges. Join our waiting list
The Sea Scout Troop is run and supported by a team of trained scout leaders.
The joining age is 10 1/2yrs for both boys and girls.
During the summer we meet at a local Sailing Centre, WOSC, where we allow the Scouts to either learn to Sail or Kayak or both. Most Scout groups stop meeting during the summer holidays, but this is the best time for us!
The winter season consists of evenings spent at Cokethorpe School learning key Scouting skills, like fire lighting, compass and map work, rope work and playing team games.
Winter Meetings
Winter (Sept - April)
Thursday : 7:30pm-9:30pm
Location: Cokethorpe School gym
During the winter months we run a more traditional scouting programme based at Cokethorpe School Sports Hall and in the local communities.
Full uniform is required for winter meetings. All scouts must bring a bag of scruffs - clothing to change into that is warm and that they don't mind getting messy!
Summer Meetings
Summer (1st week of May until beginning of Sept)
Thursday : 6.30pm-9pm (dusk)
Location: West Oxfordshire Sailing Club (WOSC)
In the summer we focus on water activities and sailing skills. We are based at the West Oxfordshire Sailing Club.
Uniform is not required in the Summer as Scouts should arrive ready to go in the water with appropriate wet clothing. A barbeque is run by parents so that Scouts and their families can finish the evening with a warm meal and time with scouting friends.
Royal Navy Recognition
The Scout Association and the Royal Navy operate a recognition scheme, through which high quality Sea Scout provision is recognised and rewarded. There is real prestige associated Royal Navy Recognition. Standards are checked at regular inspections by an officer of the Royal Navy. 1st Standlake and Cokethorpe are proud to be Royal Navy Recognised Group Number 98.
As a Royal Navy Recognised Sea Scout Group we are entitled to fly a Red Ensign and blue pennant, both defaced with a Scout arrowhead and Admiralty crown. We also wear the Royal Navy Recognition badge on our uniform. Sailing, Kayaking and Canoeing are at the heart of our activities in the Summer!
Activity and Staged Badges
During the time your child is a Sea Scout they will move through an award system. Scouting has a number of Activity Badges and Challenge Awards which we aim to work towards as your child goes from Scouts to Explorers. Should you wish to know more about the award system, you can find details on the Scouts web site. Badges can be worked towards outside of regular Pack meetings by Scouts and discussed with one of the leaders.
In addition there are the three Nautical Skills activity badges which combine a number of activities together with maritime tradition and associated skills.
Challenge and Award Badges
Sea Scouts may achieve the same awards as other Scouts. The challenge awards can be adapted to achieve a more nautical bias to enable Sea Scouts to build on the skills training they receive.
Challenge Awards are all about stepping outside your comfort zone. Try out something you wouldn't normally be interested in. Take the lead on something that scares you. Along the way, you'll unlock hidden talents and stand tall.
The Chief Scout's Gold Award is the highest award a Scout can earn. To complete it, you need to earn six Activity or Staged Activity Badges of your choice, as well as all seven of the Challenge Awards.
Parental Support
As you will understand, our leaders are all volunteers. It will help the group and Scout Troop if you are prepared to give up your time for a night a year, particularly running the barbeque during summer meetings. Without your help we cannot run the activities that the scouts most enjoy.
Subscriptions are £15 per Month ideally paid direct to bank by standing order. Please contact the Treasurer for details of the Group bank account. You can also sign up for Gift-aid to further aid the group. Details are in OSM
Online Scout Manager
We use OSM to help us administer our Scout Troop. We ask that all parents login and keep details up-to-date. We rely upon OSM for accurate information about medical, allergy and contact information. You can also use OSM to see badges and progress, see our programme and sign-up for camps and other events. This is also where we will show when we would like parents to volunteer.
- West Oxon District Badge (left) & Oxfordshire County Badge next to it
- Badge 2
- Badge 3 Challenge Badges
- Badge 4 Leadership Award
- Badge 5 Scout Membership
- Badge 6 Activity Badges
- Badge 7 Staged Activity Badges
- Badge 8 Moving on award
- Badge 9 Participation awards
- Badge 10 Chief Scout's Gold award
- Badge 11 RN Recognition Badge
- Badge 12 Union Flag
- Badge 13 Awards
- Badge 14 Name Tape - 1st Standlake & Cokethorpe Sea Scout Group
Uniform
Sea Scout Jumper
1st Standlake & Cokethorpe Sea Scout Polo Shirt
Necker Blue and White (pressed and rolled correctly)
Woggle
Black Shoes (polished to high shine)
Black Socks
Sea Scout White Hat With Tally band
Scout Belt (must be central to trousers or skirt and clean)
Black Smart School Trousers (pressed with a seam down the front and back) or
Scout Navy Blue Activity Trousers (pressed with a seam down the front and back) or
Black Skirt (Girls) A- Line Knee length pressed and worn with black tights).
Please remember to always bring a change of clothes with you for activities.
Always keep your uniform neat while at Scouts because an inspection may be done at the end of the evening.
Activities
Two main events:
We do expect all scouts to attend St George’s day parade usually held on the Sunday nearest to 23rd April.
We do expect all scouts to attend The Remembrance day parade usually held on the Sunday nearest to 11th November.
Regular repeat camps:
May half term sees the RN Sea Scout Summer Camp for ages 12 and over. A week long camp staying on HMS Bristol, Whale Island, Portsmouth.
This is a great week of activities or chance to gain a nautical qualification in sailing, power boating or kayaking.
Summer camp in July; surf camps, water activity weeks, and grand adventures abroad.
CPCW – County Patrol Camping Weekend, early October, camping competition for patrol, scouts get to do it all for themselves.
Also there could be boating and sailing weekends from Portsmouth, Kayak trips down the Thames and survival camps.
Water Activities
We spend our summer Thursdays from first week of May to the first week of September at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club (WOSC).
Get there for 18:30 to ready boats for the session, Flag break is at 19:00, we come off the water 30 mins before sunset to get the boats away.
Parents are asked to help with putting away boats and running the b-b-q – warm food and a drink of coke go down well after an evenings sailing and paddling. WOSC is a lovely place to spend a summers evening, by the water or walking around the lake.
The group has brought together a great range of water activity kit; kayaks and canoes, dinghys, buoyancy aids and helmets.
Leaders hold various water based qualifications between us, and we have BCU instructors, RYA Dinghy and Power boat instructors, RYA power boat level 2, RYA dinghy level 2, RYA Narrowboating (inland waterways) and RYA Day Skipper (yachting).
Activities are run under the Scout association POR (policy, organisation and rules), which means that all equipment has to be checked - to be safe to use, Instructors and adult helpers hold permits issued by the scout association to prove they are able to run activities. Scouts can also gain permits to show that they are at a level to look after themselves, whilst taking part in activities as long as an instructor is present for that activity.
Expectations
Expectations of a 1st Standlake & Cokethorpe Sea Scout.
All Scouts are expected to attend St Georges Day Parade in Witney (always keep the afternoon of the nearest Sunday to 23rd April free).
All Scouts are expected to attend the Remembrance Sunday service in Standlake or Northmoor (always keep the morning of the Sunday nearest to the 11th November free).
We have a very high standard and ask that all Scouts turn up to all meetings looking smart and in the correct uniform (See Scoutbase for information on uniform). Scouts should bring scruffs (clothes to do activities in) to meetings.
A high standard of good behaviour is expected at all times. It is advisable for Scouts to turn up ten minutes before the start time as it is important for us to start on time as we often have a tight programme.
Scout Subs are £15 a month, and can be paid in several ways.
At least one parent must attend the safety talk/AGM (this will always be held on the last Thursday of April).
The Scout group likes and needs parental support, we really need help at least for one fundraising event a year and support and attendance at as many other fundraising events as possible. Fundraising means your child gets to use better equipment have more fun and do interesting activities and outings, Fund raising helps us offer camps and events are cheaper to all and sometimes free.
Some parental support we need is during the summer water activities to help load canoes and put away sailing boats, kit etc after the session.
Please let us know if you cannot attend Scouts. If a Scout misses three consecutive meetings without a good reason or without letting a leader know it will be presumed that he/she has left and the place will be offered to the next person on the waiting list.
We want our scouts to enjoy themselves and have fun, but we will also expect discipline, whilst taking part in adventurous activities we need scouts to do as asked, immediately, it is important for everyone’s safety.
Therefore: All Leaders and Instructors have the right to refuse to take a Scout out on an activity if it is felt that it is not safe to do so.
Scouts are expected to have fun, take part in new and exciting activities, make new friends, learn life skills and have fun.