What our clients say...
"Course very well delivered and coached, good atmosphere throughout and good knowledge. Received lots of information with ample opportunity for communication. Very good equipment and variety. A high level of information delivered to a high standard. Very good instruction with good clear reviews on all aspects. Highly recommended." "Very supportive staff. Gained experience and I learnt some new technical skills." "Well organised, well resourced. Given plenty of info to support with portfolio. Good supportive staff. Have done lots of Wild River courses and always enjoyed them and learned a lot."

British Canoeing

Canoe and/or Kayak Coach Assessment (Sheltered Water)

During a sheltered water coach assessment we will assess your ability to coach intermediate paddlers in canoe and kayak. We can deliver a sheltered water coach assessment in a variety of ways. The traditional manner is to book a place on one of our scheduled assessments. Otherwise we can come and watch you work with your students at your local venue. This one to one assessment can be arranged on dates that suit you. Please contact us to discuss this.

British Canoeing Coach Assessment

As with all our assessments we will provide students for you to work with. All we ask is that you meet your students, so you can assess their needs and accommodate them. We will create the opportunity for you to work with your students while being watched unobtrusively by our highly experienced coaches.

We are very aware of the stressful nature of assessments. Our staff are very experienced outdoor professionals who will do everything possible to put you at your ease. We will make sure that you understand all instructions and what the plan is for the day. We are very happy to lay out our expectations for you as a coach any stage. We encourage you to ask questions to make sure you understand the tasks we are asking you to complete.

Preparation for Assessment

Whilst working with students in your development phase between discipline specific training and assessment we recommend that you keep a record of the learning. This could be via session plans and reviews or a simple logbook. It could also be documented and a different way that suits you.

We will also want to read your coaching episode in preparation for the professional discussion.

Two weeks prior to the assessment we will need:

Proof of pre-requisites check from British Canoeing.
A completed professional discussion task.
A record of your experience.

For candidates proceeding to assessment using coach training courses prior to January 2018 see Appendix 1.

British Canoeing advice for coaches transferring to the new Coach Awards.

Sample Itinerary

Sample itinerary for a sheltered water ssessment day where there are 2 candidates completing canoe and kayak assessment:

09:30 Meet staff for briefing and equipment checks
10:00 Meet your students
10:30 Candidate A canoe session
11:15 Candidate B canoe session
12:00 lunch
12:30 Candidate B kayak session
13:15 Candidate A kayak session
14:00 Assessment of rescue and personal skills
15:00 Professional discussions
15:30 Debriefs

Please note that all programmes must be flexible.

We promise that...

If the assessment involves leadership or coaching of others we will do our best to bring real students for you to coach our lead.
We will assess you at the correct standard as stated in the syllabus.
We will make sure that the assessment environment is at the right standard, eg a grade 2 river for moderate water canoe leader assessments.
We will give you as much time as possible to show what you can do.
We will make sure you fully understand what you need to do.
We will take you through the assessment process in short steps that are clear and simple.
We will be supportive and do our best to make sure you are as relaxed as possible.
Our decisions will be made based solely on performance and not with any bias of any sort.
All our assessment team are encouraged to smile and give you a hug when you need it.