How enrolment works
How do I get my child on camp?
- Register your child as a potential new camper in September or October
- Once your registration is approved, you can apply online in January
- Accept your offer or choose to go on a waiting list for a different camp
It is also recommended that everyone reads the sections below:
What is the enrolment timetable?
Registration is open from 1st September to 30th October and we will tell you by the end of December whether we are able to accept your registration request. If your child is registered as a potential camper then you can apply in January for camps running that calendar year. We aim to make all offers to camp from the middle of March (earlier for Easter camps). You then have up to three weeks to either accept your offer, or reject it and choose to go on a waiting list for a different camp. If we are unable to offer you any places, we will also let you know from the middle of March.
Registering
What is registration?
Registration is the process we use to record the details of children who want to camp. Children must be registered with us before they can apply to camp.
When do you accept registrations?
You can register a child between 1st September and 30th October. During that time you can find the registration form here.
What age children can be registered?
You can find the current age range we are accepting registrations by following this link. Children younger than this cannot be registered until they are old enough to camp independently.
Why is my child too old to register?
We are heavily oversubscribed. We think that it is fairer and kinder to tell children from the outset that they will not be offered a place on camp rather than allow them to register and apply unsuccessfully year after year.
How do I register my child who has a disability?
If your child has a disability please email inclusion@fsc.org.uk for support with your application. There’s more information in Disabled Campers.
Do I need to register again if they have camped before?
You only need to register each child once. However, your registration will be suspended if you do not make an application for two consecutive years. If you wish to reactivate a lapsed registration please email children@fsc.org.uk.
Do I need parental responsibility to register?
If you do not have parental responsibility for the child you want to register please email children@fsc.org.uk to discuss your circumstances.
Is there a fee to register?
No, registration is free of charge.
My child has been on Associate camps, do I need to register them?
Yes, you need to register your child in order for them to camp independently.
My child has been an FSC Pixie, do I need to register them?
No, you do not need to register your child in order for them to camp independently. They have already attended at least one standard camp so they are already on our children’s database.
I have a question about registration not covered here.
Please email children@fsc.org.uk with your question.
Applying
How do I find out about the camps?
You can view download the camp programme on our website from the first week of January here
Can I apply online?
Yes. You apply by logging into your FSC account and choosing the camps you want to apply for.
How many camps can my child go on each year?
It depends on the age of the child and the time of the year. Children under 12 cannot go on both a Whitsun camp and a summer camp. If you apply for both periods, make it clear which is your first choice. Older children may go on both camps if spaces permit, but should still tell us which they prefer. All campers can apply for Easter and weekend camps as well as for summer or Whitsun. Being accepted on an Easter or weekend camp does not prejudice your child being placed on a summer or Whitsun camp.
How do I get a place the first time I apply?
Potential new campers in school years one, two and three (Elves) are often offered a place the first year they apply, particularly for Whitsun and summer camps. If you would like your child to be part of FSC, we strongly encourage you to accept this offer.
Most potential new campers in year four or above will not be placed in the first year they apply. Please be prepared for this and manage your child’s expectations appropriately. In subsequent years, if you apply for Easter and weekend camps, then your child is more likely to be offered a place. It would be very unusual for a new camper in year four or above to be offered a place on a Whitsun or summer camp due to heavy oversubscription in this age group.
How do you prioritise applications?
Children who have previously camped with us are placed ahead of new applicants. We then prioritise the registered siblings of existing campers. We also give children who have previously applied unsuccessfully priority over completely new applicants.
Can my child camp with their friend/their sibling?
We will always try to place siblings together, if you request it on their forms. We are unable to accept requests for friends to camp together.
Offers and Rejections
When will I find out if my child has a place?
If your child has a place on an Easter camp you will receive your offer by the middle of February. Offers for all other camps go out from the middle of March. You receive your offer by email, so it is vital that you have ensured our emails are not going to your junk or spam folders, and that you have notified us of any change to your email address.
I want to accept the place offered for my child, what do I do now?
You have up to two weeks to accept the offer to camp. To accept your offer, make a payment following the instructions in your offer email. Your camp organiser will be in touch by email and will ask for a signed consent form. If you do not return the consent form sent to you by the camp organiser within two weeks of your offer then we will assume you do not want the place and we will withdraw our offer.
I don’t want to accept the place offered to my child, what do I do now?
Log in to your account to decline the place you have been offered.
Can I hold the place I have been offered and go on the waiting list for a different camp?
No. You can decline the place you have been offered and go on the waiting list for a different camp. There is a strong possibility you will end up without any place on camp.
When will I find out if my child does not have a place?
We will let you know from the middle of March if your child does not have a place on any camp.
Why has my child not been offered a place?
The most likely reason is oversubscription: there are over 2,000 applications for around 1,200 places. It is also possible you have been too specific in your camp choices: if you choose only one camp you are likely to be rejected. If you choose a number of camping periods and are flexible about the actual camp, you are more likely to be offered a place.
Cancellations and refunds
I accepted the offer to camp, but now I need to cancel the place. What do I do?
Log into your account and cancel the place.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
If you cancel more than six weeks before the starting date of the camp then you will receive a full refund minus an administrative fee of 10%. If you cancel within six weeks of the start date of the camp then we cannot give you a refund because we cannot guarantee filling your cancelled place. FSC does not insure you against cancellation and holiday insurance may cover you against this risk. (Such insurance could also cover loss or damage to a member’s equipment, for which FSC cannot accept responsibility.) At the discretion of the Children’s Secretary, a partial refund may be made in exceptional circumstances.
Top tips for getting your child placed on camp
- Make sure the details we hold for you are correct. Go to your online account to do this.
- Get your application in on time. If your application is made after the deadline, then you are very unlikely to get any offer at all.
- When you apply to camp, choose as many camping periods as possible and choose as many camps as you can within each camping period. A child who can be enrolled for any camp during any camping period is much more likely to be offered a place than a child who will only consider a camp in the first summer fortnight.
- Check that your child’s school terms dates mean that they will be able to attend the camp (term dates often differ across the UK, especially half terms). Check that the escort details work with your school term dates, especially our weekend camps. Otherwise you may be offered a place on a camp where you later realise your child cannot attend and all other camps for the year will be full.
- Consider an Easter camp. Yes, the nights will probably be cold (take two sleeping bags and a hot water bottle to be snug) and you may have a mix of glorious sunshine, rain or snow during the day. However Easter camps are usually less heavily subscribed than other camping periods. Easter camps are smaller than most summer camps and attract experienced staff, so they can be a reassuring first camp experience for a Woodling.
- If you are not offered a place for any camp, join the waiting list. A significant number of places become available via the waiting list, particularly for weekend camps, so send the form in. The waiting list is dated, so a form that is received on 30th March will be prioritised over a form received on 5th April.
- In the following year, children who were not placed the previous year and joined the waiting list will be prioritised over children who were not placed and did not join the waiting list. Another reason for getting on the waiting list – even if it does not generate an offer this year, it will increase the likelihood of an offer the following year.
Age Groups
At camp, children will join a group based on their age on 1st September. Each group camps separately from the others, so siblings or friends can only share a tent if they are in the same group. The groups are:
| Elves | 6.6 to 8.11 | School years 1, 2 & 3 |
| Woodlings | 9.0 to 11.11 | School years 4, 5 & 6 |
| Trailseekers | 12.0 to 13.11 | School years 7 & 8 |
| Trackers | 14.0 to 15.11 | School years 9 & 10 |
| Pathfinders | 16.0 to 17.11 | School years 11 & 12 |
When campers reach the age of 18 we hope to welcome them back as staff or Waywardens.