Inclusion and Admission Policy

It is our aim to continuously reflect on our experiences to ensure that we foster an inclusive environment for all children engaging in our activities. Through our contact we can create a child-centred environment where children with additional needs are included, protected and provided equal opportunities to achieve their full potential with respect and without discrimination.

We believe that our Athletics Programmes can be a positive channel through which children can have fun, feel included and through participation have engaging and worthwhile experiences.  Echoing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child we should provide an environment “conducive to the child’s achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual development”.

Through partnerships with parents, we encourage participation for children with disabilities removing, where possible, the barriers to inclusion.  We can through such partnerships determine if additional available resources could be sought to meet the changing needs of all our members. We will create an awareness of inclusion amongst our coaches and clubs to support them in its provision.

We recognise that the needs of each child are different and we work to ensure that in all that we do we have the interests of each at its heart. Inclusion provides every child the opportunity to take part and we provide an environment where no one is turned away isolated or excluded. Responding to individual children’s needs ensure that we provide opportunities while setting individual goals

Admissions

Children aged 7 and older join the club from the club waitlist.  The waitlist is open to all and some age groups (especially the teenage ages) may not have any delay from the time of joining the waitlist to being offered a place in the club. Children may be added to the waitlist at any time but the Club does not accept waitlist entries from very young children, so children who are not turning 6 in the year that they are put on the waitlist will not be held on the waitlist.  Places are offered to the waitlist as they arise.  Children are offered places when a space becomes available in their age group in the following order:

1. Siblings of existing active children with over 12 months of membership 
2. Children of existing active adult club members with over 12 months of membership
3. Children of volunteer coaches and committee members.
4. The date on the waitlist

 

Note: while the majority of children joining the club follow this policy, the Club reserves the right to make exceptions to facilitate coaching and team needs.