Scotstoun Woodies Group Nights - Leaders' and Parents' Guidelines
These guidelines have been produced to promote safety and cohesion during our group’s evening meetings.
They were written up following a discussion amongst parents at a previous 'pre-term' planning meeting (21 August, 2007).
However, if anyone has any suggestions or issues with any of these guidelines, please rest assured that we will update this document
at our next planning meeting, if necessary. So please turn up next time and have your say!
Jump to the Parents' Guidelines
See a film of the "Group Outcry"
1. Leaders Guidelines
a) General
- On the duty roster for each evening, the session's Leader is always the first named person on that list.
- In advance of each evening meeting, the designated Leaders should always communicate with all the other parents helping out. This is to ensure that the Helpers are clear on what will be happening and what their role will be on the night. A list of phone numbers is emailed to all parents at the start of each term.
- We strongly recommend that the start and ending of group sessions follows a standard pattern. This is to bring the group together and, where appropriate, to ensure that the Leader and Helpers have some awareness of which children are there at the start, as well as have some control over their departure at the end. While the following suggestions will not apply to some outdoor sessions, Leaders should aim to use them as much as possible:
- The session should begin with "This Week's News". The group sits in a circle and each child (and adult) is encouraged to share any news or experiences from the previous week with the rest of the group. Every child is encouraged to speak in turn (but no-one is obliged to if they have nothing to share or just don’t feel like it). The children are facilitated in a way that ensures that one child speaks at a time and everyone else listens, which will help build mutual respect and individual confidence within the group!
- The evening’s session should always end with "The Group Outcry". Again, everyone sits in a circle and then chants the Outcry and makes the actions. This allows the Leader to bring everyone together in a controlled manner at the end and manage departures as well as fulfilling its more obvious role of reinforcing group identity.
Now for the difficult bit. The Leader needs to know the words and the actions to lead the Outcry. Here are the time-honoured words (which should be chanted with gusto and staccato emphasis!):
The Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk are we!
The Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk are we!
By oak and ash and thorn!
By bole of beechen tree!
The Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk, the Woodcraft Folk are free!
Please click here to see a film of the "Group Outcry".
- - During each session, certain areas are out of bounds. This is at the school's request.
- - Gymnasium/Dining Hall – No climbing on the walls, no-one allowed in the corridor or the equipment room.
Mr Boyd has explicitly asked that the children do not use the balls or other equipment stored in the equipment room
- - Main Hall – Children are restricted to this area and are not to go upstairs or off down the corridor.
- The Leader should always bring a mobile phone (or ask someone else to) to contact other parents in an emergency.
- Children are not to remove their shoes during a session unless a specific activity requires it. Please no Heelies or football boots!
- - Woodchips and Younger Elfins are to be signed in and signed out without exception by a parent.
- - At each session, the Leader should appoint one of the helpers to stand at the door and check children in and out.
- - Leaders to ensure that they have the standard signing in/out document by arrangement with Bridie.
- - All Younger Elfins’ sessions are to start and finish in the main hall where the children are to be both signed in and out by their parents.
During each meeting, the group will be split into two for activities but at the end, all will congregate in the Main Hall for the Outcry
after which parents can sign them out.
- - For older groups, parents should ask the Leader at the start of the session if they want their child signed out.
- - Please be sensitive to the fact that other groups will be using the hall after you (or that Mr Parker, the school Janitor
will want to be getting home). The Leader is responsible for ensuring that:
- - Indoor sessions end on time
- - The hall being used is properly cleared up at the end
b) Outdoor Trips
- Any group activity away from the school needs a risk assessment
It is the responsibility of the people in charge to complete one of these, and carry it with you . It appears we are not insured if this has not been done, and it is good practice anyway.
A proforma risk assessment form can be downloaded here.
- The Leader should take particular care with safety when preparing outdoor trips. S/he should take care to have good communication with each Helper
on what s/he is responsible for on the trip, both in advance and on the evening.
- Particular care and preparation is necessary when road safety will be an issue, especially on bike trips.
- On outdoor trips, each Helper-parent should be allocated a maximum 5 individual kids by the Leader. That Helper-parent should then be responsible for their safety throughout the trip.
c) Behaviour
- All children will be invited to participate in all activities at a particular session.
- If a child does not want to participate in a session’s activities for whatever reason, then s/he should be asked to watch from the sidelines.
- Very occasionally, a Leader may perceive that child’s behaviour during an evening session requires that s/he should phone that child’s parent and ask them to come and pick up that child.
- Please remember that this decision is entirely at the Leader's discretion.
- Most behaviour problems will be naturally dealt with by Leader and Helpers during a session. However if the Leader perceives that a child is extremely upset or is consistently acting in a disruptive or uncooperative manner (and is not responding to efforts to encourage a change in their behaviour) then the Leader is perfectly within his/her rights to request that child’s parents to take them away for the rest of the session.
2. Parents' Guidelines
a) Helper Role
Scotstoun Woodies is fairly unusual in that all parents are expected to help out at some sessions, rather than just relying on a small number of leaders to run things. Indeed, your child’s membership is conditional on your preparedness to help out at these, unless you are unable to and have prior agreement with the group.
- If your name is down on the roster to act as a Helper for a particular session, please ensure that you turn up to the event on time to help the Leader out
- If for some reason, you are unable to attend a specific session for which you are a named Helper, then it is your responsibility to
ensure that there is an appropriate replacement. It is not the Leader of that session's responsibility to find a replacement for you. Normally
parents swap sessions informally in advance, when necessary..
- If you have arranged for another Woodies parent to take over your Helper duty on a specific evening, then it is also your responsibility to let the Leader of that session know in advance that you will not be attending and who will be taking over from you .
- At the end of the session, for which you are a Helper, please stay behind to help the Leader clear up, if need be, rather than leaving it all to the Leader.
- Please read the Leaders’ section above to ensure you are clear what their guidelines are.
b) Behaviour
The Woodcraft Folk’s values and way of working means it take a less regimented approach to managing children’s behaviour than other groups,
such as the Guides or the Scout’s. Children are encouraged to develop as individuals and express themselves freely during group activities.
Good behaviour should be reinforced through an understanding of what is reasonable behaviour is and why.
Values of cooperation, respect and sharing are very much built into the Woodies' DNA.
However, the success of each group’s activities is dependent on the children meeting minimum behaviour standards which promote the successful working of each group session. To support this, parents should:
- Remind their child of the importance of co-operation, joining-in and general good behaviour in advance of each evening's session
- Recognise that the Leader running that session has the right to ask your child to sit on the sidelines
if s/he does not want to participate in a particular group activity. The Leader may feed back to you on any non-participation or disruptive behaviour. Additionally, that Leader has the right to ask you to come and pick up your child if s/he is consistently disruptive or upset during a session.
c) Other
- Children are not to wear Heelies or football boots to any session (indoor or outdoor)!
- - Woodchips and Younger Elfins are to be signed in and signed out without exception by a parent.
- - All Younger Elfins will be signed in and out in the school’s main hall.
- - Please do not enter the relevant hall and take your child away at the session’s end without properly signing him or her out
with the designated person
- For older groups, parents should ask the Leader at the start of the session if they want their child signed out.
