January
2005
Last month the December newsletter
discussed our use of the term coaching
and outlined how the Federation’s Member Bodies have all been working together
since September 2003 to plan for the development of coaching across the
Federation. For those who missed last month’s news, the BEF Coaching Newsletter
for December 2004 can be accessed on the BEF website at www.bef.co.uk/prog/coaching.htm
A major part of our work is to work
with sport and Government on the implementation of the UK Coaching Certificate
(UKCC) in Equestrian sport and leisure. The following update is designed to
keep people as informed as possible about this initiative and its likely impact.
1. The UK Coaching Certificate is a
sport-wide and Government-supported initiative currently being developed
throughout sports coaching education, including equestrian. It is being
developed by sport, for sport (and is
not an NVQ). All Federation bodies are committed to implementing the UK
Coaching Certificate in equestrian sport and leisure by 1 Jan 2007, as part of
the BEF Coaching Development Programme.
2. The UKCC is only directly relevant to
the Coaching (teaching, instructing) elements of BEF Member Bodies’
qualification systems. All other qualifications organised by Member Bodies (eg
Stable Management, Rider skills) can remain unchanged and independent.
3. The UKCC system is optional, probably
until 2012, for holders of existing instructor/trainer qualifications. They
will not be compelled in 2007 to upgrade to UKCC standards, and their existing
qualifications are still valid after 2007.
4. Holders of existing instructor/trainer
qualifications are valued by the Federation for their existing contributions
and their commitment, and also for their potential to contribute even more to
the industry as they continue to develop themselves. We also recognise the huge
contribution of enthusiastic volunteers, and we are determined to retain and
support these important people in the future.
5. The UKCC aims to support qualified and
unqualified people to access improved and quality-assured coach education
opportunities, to help them to improve and become the coach/teacher they
ideally want to be.
6. In time, should the UKCC be seen by
employers/clients as even more valuable than existing non-UKCC qualifications,
existing qualification-holders may wish to upgrade their qualification to the
new UKCC-endorsed one. This is not compulsory, probably until 2012.
7. If holders of existing
instructor/trainer qualifications wish to upgrade to the UKCC system, their
current demonstrable levels of ability will be fully accounted for before any
assessment to avoid the need to retrain unnecessarily. For current
instructors/trainers/teachers (qualified or not) this would mean that a) no
additional training, b) some additional training (which seems likely), or c)
considerable additional training, would be required, depending on the
individual’s coaching skills and practical knowledge already acquired.
8. For future ‘generic’ (ie. not
discipline-specific) equestrian coaching qualifications, ABRS, Pony Club, SEA
and BHS will work together with the other Federation bodies to create one
generic UKCC-endorsed, Federation-wide Equestrian
coaching qualification (and associated educational opportunities). This
will be for each of NOS Levels 1-5, as agreed in the UKCC Delivery Plan for
Equestrian. Discipline-specific education and qualifications will also be
updated/created as part of the UKCC process, to a common Federation template.
9.
Therefore
the coaching (teaching, instructing) elements of ABRS, BHS and SEA
qualifications (BHS Preliminary Teaching Test, ABRS Initial Teacher Award etc)
will be replaced on 1 Jan 2007 by a single new UKCC-endorsed and Federation-agreed
Equestrian coaching qualification at
each of Levels 1-5. Disciplines (BE, BD, BSJA, EGB, BR, BEV, BHDTA) will identify which of the
levels 1-5 they will create for their respective qualifications. This will not
necessarily be levels 1-5 for all disciplines. In creating this, we shall bring together all that is
already best across the Federation, as well as looking beyond ourselves to
world’s best practice (including other sports and beyond sport). All bodies
meeting Federation criteria will be able to deliver the new education.
10. The future system will better recognise
excellence in coaching grass-roots riders, as well as recognising those who
coach/train high-performance riders.
11. BEF Member Bodies may add additional
modules or qualifications to the UKCC-endorsed coaching qualification, in order
to maintain or create organisation-specific qualifications that recognise both
coaching and competences beyond coaching.
12. All the UKCC qualifications (generic
and discipline-specific), will be created by the Federation as a whole, for the
Federation as a whole. They will be Awarded by Equestrian Coaching Qualifications, the proposed re-named
Government-accredited Awarding arm of the BHS, who will administer this
necessary UKCC function objectively on behalf of the Federation (nb there may
or may not be regulatory requirements in
13. The Federation bodies believe in
encouraging continuous professional development (CPD) in all
instructors/trainers and believe that any challenge posed by the UKCC will be
thoroughly positive in helping existing practitioners to continue to improve
their professional skills.
14. The UKCC will be supported by a range
of educational opportunities and resources to help all who wish to learn and
develop their coaching skills. The Federation has secured external funding
towards the design and development of these, which will therefore reduce the
cost to the user.
15. The Federation bodies recognise that to
serve the equestrian community well we need to communicate clearly, accurately,
concisely and helpfully at all times. We recognise that communications made to
our own members will also be seen by members of other bodies. We therefore
recognise our mutual accountability as Federation members to represent the
views of the BEF Coaching Development Action Group, as well as our own Member
Body’s interests, when we communicate. The BEF Consultant Director of Coaching
is available to support with ensuring the clarity of written coaching-related
material. In this way all the
grass-roots members of all the Federation bodies can feel that their interests
are being well-served by a unified Federation of independent Member Bodies.
Finally we recognise that there are some UKCC questions that
cannot be answered at present. As developments unfold, the BEF will publish
regular updates for dissemination through the Member Bodies that make up the
Federation. ‘No change’ is not an option. We can and must continue to improve
for the sake of the riding public, and we want to create the best coaching
system in the world for the leisure rider and across all competitive
disciplines.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Instructors
and Trainers in 2005/6
Here follow some dates for Equestrian ‘coaching’ CPD events:
|
Date |
Venue |
Organised by |
Title |
Target Audience |
Purpose |
Presenters |
Specific Objectives |
|
Monday 21st Feb 2005 |
|
British Eventing |
International Eventing Forum (linking to Accredited Tutor Training day) |
|
|
|
|
|
2nd March |
|
Pony Club |
Instructors’ Conference |
|
|
|
|
|
6/7th April |
RDA |
|
Regional |
|
|
|
|
|
14/15th April |
??(Addington??) |
BHS |
|
|
|
Raphael Soto |
|
|
Tuesday 21st June |
|
|
Dis-Mounted Coaching Day |
|
Improve delivery message |
|
|
|
November |
|
British Eventing |
Accredited Trainers Information Meeting |
Accredited Trainers |
Information meeting - UKCC |
|
|
|
End November |
|
British Dressage |
Coaching Convention |
|
|
|
|
Best wishes
BEF Consultant Director of Coaching