Assessing badges and awards (Explorer Scouts)
You are responsible for making sure that awards and badges are
assessed correctly.
The District Explorer Scout Commissioner is responsible for assessing the completion of the Chief Scout's Platinum and Diamond Awards and Queen's Scout's Award.
You will need to make sure that the right assessors are used for the various parts of the Awards, for example, a swimming instructor would be an appropriate assessor for swimming as a physical activity. You will also be responsible for giving the assessor a short informal briefing about the philosophy of the award and why the Explorer Scout is undertaking that particular activity.
The individual activities for each award should be assessed by an appropriate person. For example, the Cub Scout Leader should sign off the Community Service section of an award if it has been achieved by assisting with the Cub Scout Pack as a Young Leader.
The Unit leadership team are responsible for the assessment of other badges and awards including partnership awards and activity badges. For further information, see page 56 of Scouting Essentials.
Assessment guidelines
Listed below are some guidelines for assessment of awards that you may find useful:
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Awards and badges are generally assessed on personal best effort, not fixed standards. Standards will be relative to ability and experience.
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Individuals should be encouraged to set their own standards before beginning an activity. Their progress can then be measured against their own standards rather than those of the leadership team.
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Showing sustained effort for a period of time is essential to many of the awards and badges. Many of the requirements for the two Chief Scout's Awards are measured in months. Although the time commitment required could be described as approximately one hour per week, young people should be encouraged to maintain their interest in the activity.
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The leadership team will need to take into account the special needs of any members of the Unit. The leadership team should feel free to adapt the requirements where appropriate to allow a young person to take part and still achieve the aim of the particular requirement.