Franchise Minimum Operating Standard

The floor, not the target.

Every School Of Fish franchise operates at or above this standard. It sits under the Brand and Standards Agreement: the agreement sets who we are to each other, this sets what a running franchise looks like. It's a floor, not a target.

Policies

Full compliance with every SOF policy as published, including safeguarding, health and safety, biosecurity, equality, and complaints handling. Policy updates are adopted within 30 days of publication.

People

A named Designated Safeguarding Lead with current qualifications, contactable during all delivery. Every coach holds a recognised coaching qualification, an Enhanced DBS, current safeguarding training, Emergency First Aid at Work, and insurance. At least one Lead Angling Coach leads delivery, with enough Angling Support Assistants to run the calendar below safely and to ratio. Coaches taking referred or disclosed neurodivergent learners complete an autism-understanding module before their first such session, and deliver to the published guidance at /coaching-neurodivergence/.

The Session Calendar

The minimum delivery a franchise sustains:

The First Cast Award may be delivered at open days and taster events. Same criteria, same sign-off, stamped in Clubmate on the day. An event award that meant less than a session award would cost the scheme its currency, so there is one standard and no event version.

• First Time Fishing: at least once per quarter, all year round.
• Skills School: fortnightly, April to September.
• The Squad: fortnightly training through the season, and entry into recognised junior competitions, preferably the Let's Fish League events and the National Celebration of Young People and Fishing.

Weather, water conditions and venue closures happen. A cancelled session doesn't count against the standard when it's documented and rescheduled where the calendar allows. A new franchise reaches full cadence within its first two full quarters.

The Diploma

The full Diploma, twenty-five stamps, five awards and the Junior Assistant award, available to every enrolled learner, assessed to the assessor guide, with records kept current in Clubmate.

Adult Provision

The wider SOF product set, including the adult products, is offered as coaching capacity allows. The junior calendar above is the floor.

Insurance and Incidents

Public liability insurance of at least £5 million, with a certificate of insurance provided to SOF annually. Safeguarding incidents are reported to SOF within 24 hours.

Platform and Records

A Clubmate instance configured to the SOF standard, taking bookings, holding Diploma records, and kept current.

Brand

SOF brand identity used as published in the brand standards, on the bank and online.

Measurement

The standard is reviewed at the annual audit under the agreement, or sooner where there's a documented concern. A franchise below the standard is treated like any compliance matter: named in writing, 30 days to put right, escalation under the agreement only if it stays wrong.

This standard exists so that School Of Fish means the same thing on every bank that carries the name.