HALF Fish Training - Delivering Professional Qualifications

Welcome to the training arm of our organisation.

Here we aim to develop teachers and lifeguards in aquatic areas, so supporting the leisure industry, most of our courses sit on CIMSPA's Professional Framework. We are an approved centre for Swim England and the STA, as well as hosting RLSS courses too. We deliver UK Coaching CPD courses too.

We have been accredited to deliver these courses by the appropriate awarding bodies and have been endorsed as CIMSPA Education Partner.

Please use the tabs below to navigate through the resources we have produced and to find training courses that we are delivering across the country and overseas.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch, we pride ourselves on our supporting and individualised programmes of study.

We are a training company able to organise courses for the aquatic industry from Swim England, STA, and RLSS. We deliver for a number of awarding bodies as we have found that different courses fit better for some people and certain situations ..... please ask about all of your options - we will find the best one for you at the time!

We are able to organise courses that meet YOUR needs .

Many of the courses we run are individualised to meet a teacher or coaches requirements, and so are programmed to fit with your life.

Club as well as industry based tutors understand the needs of poolside swimmers, we enable them to pass on their expertise to you!

And if you are a member of a club we will support you by discounting your course fee .... as we know how valuable volunteers are to each of our local clubs!!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Which should I choose STA or Swim England?: This will depend on where you would like to work, some swim schools work from the Swim England pathway and others work from the STA pathway. Either way, if the swim school recognises your qualification you can deliver either. If you have a centre that you know you would like to work for, check what they accept first.
If you would like to work abroad the STA qualifications are more likely to be accepted abroad. However, the Swim England qualification is more recognized across swim schools in England.
If you would like to get teaching straight away, the STA Award means you can teach non-swimmers, beginners and improvers once qualified. The Swim England course means you assist first to gain experience from Level 2 teachers.
Think about what experience you already have ... in swimming or teaching.
Please give us a call and we can help you choose what is best for you.
How long do the courses last?: Swim England courses are ran over 3 to 4 days for a level 1 and 8 days for a level two.
STA courses are ran over 4 to 5 days for an Award course and 3 to 4 days for the Certificate course.
Our courses are now organised to be flexible to fit in with everyone's changing lifestyle. This is called Flexible Learning, so you may do some of your course online in a virtual classroom with a LIVE teacher and then some in our classroom at the pool and your practical at your centre
How will I be assessed ... I am not very good at exams?: On Swim England courses you are assessed by the course tutor throughout, using written questions, ongoing assessment in class and observing on poolside.
On STA courses you are assessed throughout the course with a written portfolio and on the final day of the course, there is an external assessment carried out.
What if I don't pass my assessment?: On Swim England courses you are ‘referred’ so we will help you to complete what it was that you struggled with, whether that means more practical or to complete lesson plans or questions. If additional money to support this process is needed we will discuss this with you - this wouldn’t be the full course cost though.
On STA courses, if you do not pass you will need to pay £14 to the STA to retake again after 12 weeks. You will need to find another assessment, or arrange another with us. If additional money to support this process is needed we will discuss this with you - this wouldn’t be the full course cost though.
What do I need to do first?: Swim England courses start with the Level one in Assisting Swimming Teaching, then onto the Level 2 in Swimming Teaching.
STA courses start with the Level 2 Award in teaching swimming, then onto the STA Level 2 Certificate in teaching swimming.
We suggest that you go along and watch some lessons at your local centre, or volunteer with your swim schools lessons if this is possible .... they may even decide to support you through your training!
Do I need to be a good swimmer to become a swim teacher?: It actually doesn’t, as long as you know how the stroke should look and how to convey that to the participants you can become a swimming teacher through these qualifications. We have experience of tutoring courses with learners who could not swim strongly, and they improved their own swimming skills on the course as well as passing with flying colours!
Be aware that some swim schools may ask you to teach in the water (and it may be deep) so swimming ability may be something for you to work on in the lead up to your course.
We do lots of our practical stroke work in the water during your course, just have a go ... remember you may be experiencing the same thing that a learner swimmer will be doing, so this gives you a great insight into how they may learn!
I am a little worried that I might not do well on my course?: Many people feel apprehensive about teaching, even if it is a big passion for them. Throughout the course your confidence will grow though support and guidance and learning how you should teach. However, if you would like more support and guidance we can create a bespoke package for you to meet your needs.
Remember we have done this lots of times and many of the teachers we train have gone on to teach all over the world! Just try your best, attend all of the lectures and take a full part in your course and your tutor will support and guide you
Don't Swim England and STA run their own courses?: Swim England and the STA, are Awarding Bodies, they provide the certificates - think of them in the same ways as the organisations which structure GCSE's - so they do not run ‘their own’ courses but train individuals to tutor the courses which are administered by them.
Companies wishing to deliver the courses must be registered as an Approved Training Centre (just the same as a school delivering GCSE's) with each governing body. HALF Fish is an approved training centre for Swim England, and the STA . Our tutors have been involved in qualification development too, so know what is involved in all of the qualifications they host
What do I need for my course: You will just need to remember a swimming kit and shorts and T-shirt. Some days will need to go into the pool twice but this will be communicated to you before the course starts. You can also bring a notepad and pen, but it is not essential. On an STA Course you will be given your e-portfolio and manual at the start of the course.
We use google classroom to host our online delivery - all of this will be explained on your course joining instructions
Can I have a paper manual rather than an e-manual? I prefer a book to my tablet to learn and revise from.: Yes you certainly can, it will cost and additional £20 and will need to be requested before the start of the course.
NRASTAC .... NRASTAC Light and Safety Award for Teachers .... Which one do I need?: The NRASTC full course allows you to rescue within a pool which doesn’t have any lifeguard or first aid cover.
The light version is for teachers who will have lifeguards on poolside with them, so they can react first and gain support from the lifeguard after.
The STA Safety Award for Teachers offers similar course content to allow you to teach swimming without a lifeguard on poolside.

Swim England Level 2 Teaching Swimming STA Level 2 Award in Teaching Swimming STA Level 2 Certificate in Teaching Swimming Swim England Level 2 Teaching Swimming to Babies & Toddlers STA Level 2 Baby & Pre-School Teacher STA Level 2 Award Teacher of People with DIsabilities Swim England Level 3 Swim Coordinator STA Level 3 Diploma in Baby & Pre School Teaching STA Level 2 Pool Lifeguard STA Level 2 Safety Award for Teachers STA Level 2 Pool Emergency Responder STA Level 2 Award in Mermaid & Monofin STA Level 2 Award in Open Water Swim Coaching STA Level 2 Award in Aquacise STA Level 3 Education and Training (Distance Learning) STA Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment (Distance Learning) STA Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (Distance Learning)

Everyone is different.

This is why HALF Fish Training takes your individual requirements into consideration and creates an educational environment that corresponds directly to your expectations.

We are here to give you helpful advice and help you achieve exactly what you want.

Think of different ways of learning too.......

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is designed to allow those involved in swimming that already have skills, knowledge and understanding gained from continuous learning in sport or other sports to achieve qualifications without the need to attend formally taught courses.

We like to reward all of our learners on a course with a certificate of attendance.

If you have passed the qualification you have attended the course to do, then the awarding body will forward your certificate to you

If you haven't managed to complete your qualification this time around we are able to award you with a certificate of credit which outlines which unit and elements you have achieved.

We can also offer flexible learning too ... where you can study some of your course at home ... online .... or within a virtual classroom with a tutor, and then come to us to complete your practical ... find the fit that works best for you .... it is your training!

We also have packages available so that you can group your training together and make savings .... just pop onto our packages page on the button below.

These can also be applied for a group booking for a centre or club, so taking care of all of your training needs in one swoop!

Remember we work in the industry so are happy to work with you and be as creative as we possibly can to deliver your training needs.

Learning Bundles