4th Gainsborough, 1st Mayflower Academy Scouts
Cubs and Scouts News
Welcome to our Scouts Group page.
4th Gainsborough, 1st Mayflower Academy Scout Group was founded in April 2019 and is a registered Scout Group, part of Gainsborough Scout District and Lincolnshire Scout County. Scouting initially began at Aegir, A Specialist Academy (our Secondary School site) with 15 members and has since grown to include a Scout Troop and Explorer Scout unit based at Aegir and a Cub Scout Pack based at Warren Wood, A Specialist Academy (our Primary School site). We currently have over 100 members across the two sites, who take part in a diverse programme aiming to prepare them with skills for life and enable them to take part in a range of outdoor and adventurous activities.
Scouts are the fourth section in Scouting. Our Scout troop meets at Aegir during the school day and is open to all KS3 members (year 7- 9). Scouts costs £30 per term (£90 for the year) and this covers the cost of insurance, badges, resources etc.
Scouts at Aegir follow the UK Scout Programme, adapted as needed to meet the needs of our students. The Scout programme is based around three key themes: Outdoor & Adventure, World and Skills and the different badges and awards reflect these three themes. Scout badges include Challenge Awards, Activity Badges and Staged Activity Badges.
Challenge Awards: 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.
Activity Badges: Activity Badges encourage Scouts to take an interest in something new or to become an expert In something they enjoy. There are 59 activity badges ranging from survival skills to world faiths.
Staged Activity Badges: these badges are progressive and can be completed by the Squirrel, Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer sections. Some staged activity badges are awarded for the number of times a young person has been hiking, spent a night away or spent time on the water. Others are awarded for progression in things like swimming, sailing, map reading or first aid knowledge.
The Chief Scout Gold Award: the highest award a Scout can receive, this is earned by achieving all 9 Challenge Awards and at least 6 Activity or Staged Activity badges.
More information about the Scout programme can be found here: Scouts
Explorers
Explorer Scouts are the fifth section in Scouting.
Our Explorer Unit meets at Aegir during the school day and is open to all KS4 members (years 10, 11 and 6th Form). Explorer Scouts costs £30 per term (£90 for the year) and this covers the cost of insurance, badges, resources etc. Explorer Scouts at Aegir follow the UK Explorer Scout Programme, adapted as needed to meet the needs of our students. The Explorer Scout programme is based around three key themes: Outdoor and Adventure, World and Skills and the different badges and awards reflect these three themes. Explorer Scout badges include Challenge Awards, Activity Badges and Staged Activity Badges.
Challenge Awards: The Explorer’s programme is based around 3 main awards, the Chief Scout’s Platinum and Diamond awards and the King’s Scout award- the top award in Scouting. To begin these awards, you either need to have earned the previous award or be a certain age- 15 for the Diamond award and 16 for the King’s Scout Award. These awards are very similar to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze, Silver and Gold awards and a young person can complete both awards at the same time or count their Duke of Edinburgh’s award towards their Chief Scout or King Scouts award.
Activity Badges: Activity Badges encourage Scouts to take an interest in something new or to become an expert In something they enjoy. There are 25 activity badges ranging from creative arts to leadership.
Staged Activity Badges: these badges are progressive and can be completed by the Squirrel, Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer sections. Some staged activity badges are awarded for the number of times a young person has been hiking, spent a night away or spent time on the water. Others are awarded for progression in things like swimming, sailing, map reading or first aid knowledge.
More information about the Explorer Scout programme can be found here: Explorers
Badges at Home 
If your child takes part in any activities such as swimming, drama, horse riding or sports outside of school, please do let us know as it may link to a Scout Activity Badge. We can print of the requirements for the instructor/ teacher etc. to sign and return and will then be able to award your child the relevant badge.
Uniforms
Scout and Explorer Uniform at 4th Gainsborough, 1st Mayflower Academy consists of a black jumper with the Scout Group logo on it. It can be purchased from here. There is also an optional polo shirt available to purchase. You are also able to purchase hoody tops, softshell jackets, drawstring bags and water bottles. Please be aware the hoodies are not to be worn in school, only on out of school activities. Your child will receive the 4th Gainsborough, 1st Mayflower Academy scarf when they are first invested. All badges will be provided by the Scout group. We aim to present badges at least once a term.
Badge placement- if you are unsure where to put your badges then these diagrams are very helpful:
Promise and Investiture
An investiture is a small ceremony where your child makes the Scout promise and are given their core badges, including the membership award and a Scout scarf. There are a number of variations of the Scout promise, which can be seen here.
At 4th Gainsborough, 1st Mayflower Academy Scout Group we usually invest members using the promise for members who are Atheist or of no faith background, however if you’d prefer your child to use a different variation of the promise please do let us know.
The Scout Promise for members who are Atheist or of no faith background;
On my honour, I promise that I will do my best
to uphold our Scout values, to do my duty to The King,
to help other people
and to keep the Scout Law
How to join: if your child would like to join Scouts or Explorers please let their class teacher know who will then arrange for a letter to be sent home.