Become a Registered Coach

Updated 24/02/2023

* A new system for the Coach Register was introduced in January 2021, replacing the old format published once every month. Registered Coaches must create a Coach Profile and ensure their certificates are uploaded on Sport80 to be added to the new system. Read more about the new Coach Register here and how to create a Coach Profile in Section 7. 

To see the Coach Register, click here.  

STEP 1: Meet the requirements. By meeting all seven requirements listed below, British Fencing will be able to confirm your public liability insurance for coaching delivery.

 

STEP 2: Once you have obtained all of the documents listed below, upload your certificates (except your DBS, please see no.3 for further details) to your Sport80 member account. Watch this short video to learn how to upload certificates.

STEP 3:  Registration completion. Upon receipt of all of these documents, British Fencing will add you to the Current British Fencing Coach Register. You can then share that you are a registered coach.

*Please read this page with frequently asked questions before contacting us.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. BE A CURRENT MEMBER OF BRITISH FENCING

To become a registered British Fencing coach, you need to be a member of British Fencing.

 

 

 

For further information on membership categories, please click here.

 

2. HOLD A QUALIFICATION IN COACHING FENCING

To become a registered coach you need to qualify in coaching fencing.

 

Are you under 18?

The minimum age for candidates to attend our courses is 18 except for the “Introduction to Coaching Fencing” Course, which is open to people 16+ on a club coach recommendation.

Clubs can request a dispensation where the candidate will become 18 years within 3 months of the course completion. To request this dispensation, please contact BF Pathways Director  Steve Kemp.

 

Where did you qualify?

If you are a coach from Jersey, Guernsey, Northern Ireland or Wales, send us a copy of the coaching qualification(s) you hold with that fencing association.

In Scotland, Coaches are required to attend Child Wellbeing and Protection in sport (CWPS) training. The first part of this is an e-learning module followed by a workshop. Coaches can find courses on sportscotland’s website using this link. Scottish Coaches will have to renew their Safeguarding training every three years. If a coach completes Module 1 and 2 in April 2019 then by March 2022, they must complete a refresher Module (currently under development) and at least one of the online topics. This is valid for another 3 years. Then in April 2025, they repeat module 1 and 2 of CWPS.  The process is repeated thereafter. Further details can be found here.

If you do not hold a British Fencing Qualification you need to send us:

 

Overseas Qualifications

• A copy of the coaching qualification(s) you hold from your country of origin or country you were trained in and an appropriate translation into English.
• A reference letter from the issuing Federation, confirming the coaching qualification and your current status (an approved coach).
• A further reference letter from a former club or organisation.

Other UK Qualifications

• A copy of the coaching qualification(s) you hold from the awarding body
• A reference letter from the issuing awarding body, confirming the coaching qualification and your current status.
• A further reference letter from a former club or organisation.

The coach will be awarded a provisional qualification on the BF Coaching Framework. The coach may need to undertake further development to meet the requirements of the BF Coaching Development Framework and they will need to undergo a suitability assessment as soon as possible to confirm the agreed coaching level.

 

3. HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK

To become a registered coach, you need to have a criminal record check.

If you are a coach based in England or Wales, you should apply for an Enhanced DBS certificate (Basic and Standard certificates will not be accepted). In 2020, all registered fencing clubs received details to register for the online application processing system Vibrant Nation (read more about it here). If your club has not signed up to Vibrant Nation, they should follow the instructions here. Please contact your club to organise your DBS application via this method as soon as possible.

You are strongly advised to register for the DBS online Update Service at the same time as your Vibrant Nation application or you can register directly through the DBS.    This will save you time in the long term.   Please note that the Vibrant Nation service is entirely separate to the DBS Online Update Service

Once you have registered with the online Update Service  You will need to give BF permission to run checks on your status.   You can do so by completing this form .

If you are a coach based in Guernsey you need to obtain a Guernsey Vetting Bureau (GVB) check through Guernsey Fencing. Please contact Guernsey Fencing for a GVB application form.

If you are a coach in Northern Ireland, you need to obtain an AccessNI check through Northern Ireland Fencing. Please contact Northern Ireland Fencing for an AccessNI application form.

If you are a coach in Scotland, you need to obtain a DisclosureScotland PVG check through Scottish Fencing. Please contact Scottish Fencing for a DisclosureScotland PVG application form.

4. FIRST AID TRAINING

To become a registered coach, you need to confirm suitable first aid training or provision. This can be achieved in two ways:

1) Attending an approved first aid course. The minimum course that is accepted is: Emergency First Aid at Work. Please note this is a face to face course, and online alternatives are not accepted.

British Fencing follows industry standards, which recommends that coaches undertake this training every 3 years. So a valid certificate must be less than 3 years old, but for registration ideally less than 2 years old. If you hold a valid First Aid qualification please send a copy of your certificate (scanned documents or photograph), preferably by uploading it to your Sport80 member account.

If you need to sign up to a course, there are many providers out there who may be local to your area.   A few suggestions are below:

 

• County Sport Partnership Network
• Fyne First Aid – to run courses on demand, contact [email protected]
• St John Ambulance
• British Red Cross
• Stewart First Aid Training (Scotland)
• Syzygy Training

 

2) If there is First Aid cover at all the venues at which you will be coaching we can accept a signed First Aid Declaration confirming this over a formal First Aid certificate.

However, if there is no First Aid cover at just one of the venues you intend to coach at we do require that you complete a First Aid course.

You can find the declaration at the end of the document:

POLICY & GUIDELINES ON FIRST-AID QUALIFICATION FOR COACHES

5. SAFEGUARDING AND PROTECTING CHILDREN IN SPORT TRAINING

To become a registered coach, you need to show you have an understanding of safeguarding and protecting children in the sporting context. This is achieved by attending BF approved safeguarding and protecting children in sport training. Currently, we accept BF-led training, UK Coaching’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children, and Sport Scotland’s Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport.

You can search for these courses on the websites of the following organisations: UK Coaching, British Fencing, County Sport Partnerships, Sport Scotland and Scottish Fencing.

Exemptions may be accepted if an individual can supply certificated evidence of attendance on a similar course of which the learning outcomes include:

• Identify and recognise good coaching practice and the implications for your coaching
• Explore your values and feelings about child abuse, and recognise their potential impact on your response
• Recognise and respond to possible signs of child abuse
• Take appropriate action if concerns about a child arise

For verification of the alternative safeguarding training, the candidates should also provide a breakdown of the course content/syllabus, duration of course (in hours), and the format should include face to face training. These are judged on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer.

Coaches are expected to keep up to date with current safeguarding practice and policy. The industry standard update timeframe is every 3 years, therefore a certificate confirming attendance on a Safeguarding and Protecting Children course should be dated within the last three years. Please upload a copy of your certificate to your Sport80 member account.

British Fencing has launched an online renewal safeguarding course that will be accepted to refresh a full safeguarding training certificate for another three years. A renewal certificate cannot be refreshed, therefore the next course a registered coach should attend should then be a full safeguarding course. For example, a coach became registered presenting a certificate obtained in an approved full safeguarding course achieved in September 2017. Three years later, the coach can renew the safeguarding requirement with a certificate obtained in a renewal course in September 2020, but in 2023, the coach will have to attend a full approved safeguarding course again.

 

 

6. SIGNED CODE OF CONDUCT FORM

Individuals wishing to become Registered Coaches will need to display the highest levels of conduct whilst coaching and must confirm this expectation and responsibility. This is evidenced by declaring having read and understood the relevant British Fencing policies and Codes of Conduct and abiding by the code. This can be done in two ways.

1. Uploading your valid Safeguarding training to the Sport80 platform and completing section 3 in the Safeguarding section of on your profile.
2. Completing the Safety and Codes of Conduct declaration form and sending into British Fencing.

 

 

The relevant documents can be found here:

• BF Coaches Code of Conduct
• BF Child Protection Policy
• Safeguarding in British Fencing for Coaches

As part of the verification process, BF reserves the right to take into consideration any disciplinary and safeguarding history. Based on this, the Equality and Safeguarding Manager may request an individual undergo a risk assessment prior to inclusion on the register.

 

7. CREATE A COACH PROFILE

Once all the requirements explained above are in place, Registered Coaches should create a Coach Profile following the steps explained here.

*Coaches must have a Coach Profile to be considered registered and, therefore, be insured to coach.

Coach Profiles are listed on the Coach Search page. Each tile displayed corresponds to a profile, with a unique URL. A profile is removed automatically from the list every time at least one of the minimum requirements expires, and is added back automatically once all the minimum requiremens are up-to-date.

Coaches have the liberty to keep their profile blank or to fill it with as much information as they want. As one of the uses of the Coach Search page is to help employers locate coaches in their area, coaches who are open for working opportunities can use the profile to leave their contact details, tell more about their coaching philosophy, tell about the focus of their work, qualifications, etc.

Questions

If you have any questions or need clarification, check this page with frequently asked questions. For specific requirements, please contact us here.

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