I just had a random conversation with a member of staff from another Sqn who informed me the age for joining had been lowered again as of 1st March 2018?
They said it was now aged 12 but now covered 1st year (scotland) whereas it used to be 12 but in 2nd year…
Have I completely missed this somehow???
It has been lowered in Scotland in a convoluted manner because they seemingly don’t have the guts to just lock it at 12.
The 12 and in “Yr 8” worked OK in england, but it doesn’t work the same in Scotland - Yr 8 is almost the same as S2 in Scotland except that students go into S2 after the exams finish - the start of June and before the holidays. HQAC couldn’t seemingly cope with that and had a rule saying “12, in S2, and you’ve started back in August”
They’ve changed it again for Scotland so now if you are in S1 and it is 1st March or later, you can join, or if you are 13 regardless of year. This is related to the dates that kids start school in the Scottish system.
They could have just left it as “12 and in S2” and let them join when that applied: June. Instead they have decided to let them join even earlier.
“A young person who is over 12 years of age becomes eligible to join the Air Cadet Organisation from the start of school year 8 in England and Wales and Year 9 in Northern Ireland. In Scotland, due to the differing school years, a pupil will become eligible to join the ATC from 1 Mar in Year S1. In addition any young person becomes eligible to join when they reach 13 years of age regardless of their school year.”
Thank you kindly for this… I feel another head ache coming on but thank you none the less 
I can’t see Scotland having a different rule if it fits better with their education system, being a problem.
Year 8 works well for England and NI.
I still think however there needs to be long hard look at the upper age limit and bring that down.
I don’t know why they don’t just make the starting age across the whole of the organisation! Are Scottish cadets more mature than their English counterparts??
What incubus is saying it’s to do with the Scottish education system.
As ever though it does seem that HQAC are trying to make something out of nothing.
I can’t see this being a problem for all but those in border areas, but then would it be that much of a problem?
I seem to recall there were or are some issues relating to Scottish cadets and CRB/DBS.
They’ve had a long, hard look at it and it is staying where it is.
Over 18s in Scotland need to be members of the Scottish PVG scheme.
I’m not sure how that is accepted south of the border, but I believe that the English vetting doesn’t meet our standards 
I get the reasoning why, it just seems a bit odd for a national youth organisation to have 2 different joining ages, depending on where you live.
Then again, having seen all of the different Wing and regional interpretations of how best to go about their business, I’m suddenly not surprised anymore!
An academy near to us does that and shoves all year groups “up a year” when Yr11s leave at the end of June, but they are still Yr8/9/10 until Sep. But they are the only one that I have heard of that does that. What is more bizarre is the primaries under the same academy banner send kids going there at the end of June. Those not going there stay at their primary, as do kids from other primaries going to the academy.
I never understood it.
Maybe their academy trust has a Scottish board and mimic what happens in Scotland.
That may be how your local authority deals with it, but under the Scottish system they properly move up a school year in June, about a month before the summer break. P7 will do a visit before summer but don’t start attending as S1 until August.
It’s not the LA it’s one academy and academies make up their own rules, as we’ve found with October ½ term. Mind you this one is bit spesh.
As far as I’m aware LAs have little or no control over academies.
There are English schools that do this too.
I’ve met the CEO of this particular academy and I think he would marry a mirror. If he got anymore up himself he’d disappear.