Retford Lifesaving Club offers an extensive range of awards and qualifications for people of all ages and abilities. The awards cover fitness, technical knowledge, skill and judgement when dealing with simulated incidents – each of which require varying levels of proficiency. Read more information about our scheme of awards below.
Rookie Lifeguard –
Targeted at 8-12 year olds, the Rookie Lifeguard programme has been developed in conjunction with the Amateur Swimming Association and the National Plan for Teaching Swimming. There are 3 stages; Bronze, Silver and Gold, and each stage is subdivided into 3 levels. Each stage takes roughly 1 school term to complete, and a pupil can enter the scheme at any point and then progress at their own rate. Items can be signed off as soon as they’re completed and don’t need to be completed all in one session. Visit the Rookie Lifeguard website for more information.
National Lifesaving Academy –
The RLSS UK National Lifesaving Academy awards are a suite of progressive awards that teach personal survival, first aid, CPR, rescue, and fitness skills to anyone aged 12 years and over.
Their aim is to teach candidates how to stay safe around water and how to safely assist others who may have gotten into difficulty in both aquatic and non-aquatic situations.
The awards are structured to teach foundational skills and then progressively build up the candidate’s skills. On achieving the Bronze
Medallion level of award, the candidate receives Recognition of Prior Learning hours towards the RLSS UK vocational lifeguard qualifications.
The awards are structured into three levels (Bronze Lifesaving Certificate, Bronze Star, and Bronze Medallion), and multiple environmental strands are available at the Bronze Star and Bronze Medallion levels.
The three award strands are as follows:
• Pool – completed in the swimming pool
• Open Water – completed preferably in non-tidal, inland open water sites
• Beach – completed on the coast
The Bronze Lifesaving Certificate is designed to teach new lifesavers the basics of staying safe in or around water. It provides the candidate with basic water safety knowledge, basic aquatic lifesaving skills, basic CPR, and basic First Aid.
The two subsequent award levels (Bronze Star and Bronze Medallion) are divided into three sections:
• Lifesaving Theory
• Lifesaving Survival and Rescue Skills
• CPR, AED & First Aid
Candidates will need to complete and pass all sections before moving on to the next award. Upon successfully completing the assessment, candidates will receive either a certificate or an e-certificate and medal depending on the award level.
Life Support – The aim of the Life Support award is to train candidates in Basic Life Support, including the diagnosis and treatment of choking, bleeding and shock, and the performance of effective CPR on an adult demonstrating competency at this level. The aim of the Life Support 3 award is to train candidates in Basic Life Support including the diagnosis and treatment of choking, bleeding, shock, drowning and hypothermia, and the performance of effective CPR on an adult, child and infant – demonstrating excellence at this level. Find out more about the Life Support and Life Support 3 awards on the RLSS UK website.
NPLQ and NRASTC – The National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) is widely accepted by swimming pools both in the UK and Ireland. This qualification also has full accreditation from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Find out more about the NPLQ on the RLSS website.
Endorsed by the DfES, the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management and the Amateur Swimming Association, The National Rescue Award for Swimming Tea -chers and Coaches teaches practical lifesaving skills that may be needed by anyone teaching or coaching swimming or other programmed activity in a pool. We run this course on demand from schools or other organisations.
Find out more about the NRASTC on the RLSS UK website.
Open Water Lifeguard – Open water swimming is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. The OWL qualification has been specifically designed to equip open water lifeguards with the skills required to supervise and provide rescue cover for planned, organised, and risk-assessed activities in still, non-tidal water.
The Open Water Lifeguard (OWL) Qualification was developed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) to address the role of open water lifeguards and the needs of open water operators. As the open water industry continues to grow, the RLSS UK have endeavoured to respond to change through the ongoing development of this qualification. The OWL qualification can be used to supervise and provide rescue cover for planned, organised and risk assessed activities in still, non-tidal water.
The Open Water Lifeguard Qualification, delivered over three days, is valid for two years and is independently assessed. The candidate manual and trainer resources help the Open Water Lifeguard Trainer Assessor deliver through the three sections:
- Section 1 – The Open Water Lifeguard, environment, hazards and supervision
- Section 2 – Responding to an emergency and taking action
- Section 3 – CPR and First Aid
New candidates: 18hrs + Assessment
Renewal candidates: 10hrs + Assessment
RLSS National Lifesaving Academy Instructor – The Lifesaving Academy Instructor course is a fun and challenging way to learn new skills including how to manage a class on poolside, how to teach effectively for different types of learners, and how to ensure that you’re complying with legislation that is relevant to lifesaving instructors.
Once you’ve qualified as a Lifesaving Academy Instructor you can choose to volunteer for lifesaving clubs or teach lifesaving in a swim school or other commercial environment.
Rookie Lifeguard Instructor – If you are a current member of RLSS UK and hold one of our Trainer Assessor (TA) or Instructor qualifications below, you’ll be able to update to deliver this award.
- NPLQ or NVBLQ TA (or higher)
- NWSMP Instructor (or higher)
- Lifesaving Academy Instructor (or higher)
If you have any questions or queries about the range of awards we offer, or have any specific requirements to discuss, get in touch via email, Facebook, or visit the Leisure Centre on a Saturday morning at 9am!
