Become a Registered Coach

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

For further information on membership categories, please click here.

To become a registered coach you must have an accepted coaching qualification.

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  from the age of 16 on a Club Coach’s 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 Lorraine Rose.

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.

Replacement Coaching Qualifications

British Fencing will reissue BF awarded coaching qualifications/certificates if we still have a record of the pass – please be aware our electronic records do not go back much over 15 years

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.

You will then be awarded a provisional qualification level on the BF Coaching Framework which will then be subject to assessment.

We will recognise historic qualifications awarded by other organisations for the purpose of basic registration (level 1 and level 2) and insurance. However, the British Fencing courses are different in content so we can’t provide replacement BF certificates for these. If you want to get a BF coaching qualification you will need to attend a course or an assessment.

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).

DBS application processing takes place online using the KYP service via British Fencing.  You are advised to take the following steps:

Step 1 – Apply to British Fencing for a DBS check

Step 2 – Once you receive your DBS Certificate you are strongly advised to sign-up to the DBS Update Service.   This must be done within 30 days of the issue date of your certificate.

Step 3 – Once you are part of the DBS Update Service you then need to give BF permission to view your information online by completing this form.

This gives us permission to check your DBS and means that you do not have to reapply in 3 years time, as long as you remain part of the DBS Update Service.

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. Members of the PVG Scheme are required to have a Scheme Update check done every three years.

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, takes a minimum of 6hours and follows a prescribed syllabus.   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 in place of a First Aid certificate.

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

Please ensure you have read and understood the Policy and Guidelines before filling out the form.

POLICY & GUIDELINES ON FIRST-AID QUALIFICATION FOR COACHES

First Aid Declaration Form

To become a registered coach, you need to show you have an understanding of safeguarding in the sporting context. This is achieved by attending BF approved safeguarding in sport training. Currently, we accept BF led training: SafeGuard Core, Sport Scotland’s Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport and NI Sport’s Safeguarding Children & Young People Workshop.

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.

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 an approved safeguarding course should be dated within the last three years or 6 years with proof of annual CPD through the SafeGuard Programme. Please upload a copy of your certificate to your Sport80 member account.

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 when your Safeguarding certificate is uploaded to Sport80.

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 Lead Safeguarding Officer may request that an individual undergo a risk assessment prior to inclusion on the register.

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 if any of the minimum requirements expires.   The profile is added back automatically once all the minimum requirements 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.