Scout archery permit: what it covers and what to log
By a volunteer Scout leader
Updated 16 October 2026
3 min read
Archery has been part of the Adventurous Activity Permit Scheme since 2015. You don’t need a governing-body qualification to apply, but you do need to show you can run a safe range. Here’s what the permit covers and what to note down.
Please note: this is practical advice from one leader to another, not official guidance. Always check the current Policy, Organisation and Rules and talk to your county or district assessor about their process.
The short version
- An archery permit is needed for all archery except toys and soft archery equipment.
- Two levels: without compound bows, and with compound bows.
- Leadership covers six archers; supervisory covers up to three groups.
- You don’t need a national governing body qualification to apply.
- Log every session: bows used, range setup, number of archers and your role.
What your permit covers
An archery permit is required for all archery, except children’s toys and soft archery equipment, meaning low-poundage bows with rubber or sucker-tipped arrows. Steel-tipped arrows aren’t covered by that exemption. There are two levels: archery without compound bows and archery with compound bows.
- Leadership lets you lead archery for six archers, and you must stay with the group.
- Supervisory lets you supervise up to three groups, with someone suitably skilled designated to lead each one.
Permits can be restricted, for example to a location or fewer archers. You don’t need a national governing body qualification to apply, and shooting at targets that represent people or animals isn’t allowed in any Scout activity.
What to log each session
- Date and venue, indoor or outdoor.
- Bows used: recurve, compound or soft archery.
- Range setup: distances, backstop and how the range was controlled.
- Number of archers, and groups if supervising.
- Your role: leading, supervising or supporting a permit holder.
Building experience
The most reliable way to build experience at a new level, is to support a current permit holder in their sessions. Take on more as your confidence grows, and log every session, noting that you were supporting and who held the permit. When you come to be assessed you can show exactly what you’ve done, rather than relying on memory.
Young people can also be designated as group leaders under a supervisory permit if they’re capable, which helps them work towards permits of their own.
Don’t let it lapse
Adventurous activity permits expire within five years of being granted. When yours expires, you must be assessed and granted a new permit before you can run the activity again, so an unnoticed expiry date can mean cancelled sessions.
Keep logging between assessments. When renewal comes round, you’ll already have years of evidence ready to show.
Log your next archery session in Paracord
Free for one activity type, with unlimited logs. Export a PDF of your history for your assessor with Pro.
