Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Angling is a sport for everyone.

Entity: School Of Fish

Jurisdiction: United Kingdom

Date of Review: 01/01/2026

Next Review Date: 01/01/2027

1. Policy Statement

School Of Fish is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture across our entire organisation. We believe that angling is a sport for everyone, regardless of background or ability.

Our goal is to ensure that no individual, whether they are a junior participant, a parent, a trainee coach, a staff member, or a volunteer, receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their personal characteristics. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.

2. Legal Framework

This policy is grounded in the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to preventing discrimination based on the nine "Protected Characteristics":

1. Age
2. Disability
3. Gender Reassignment
4. Marriage and Civil Partnership
5. Pregnancy and Maternity
6. Race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin)
7. Religion or Belief
8. Sex
9. Sexual Orientation

3. Scope

This policy applies to:

• Recruitment: Hiring of staff and selection of Trainee Coaches.
• Service Delivery: How we treat junior anglers, adult learners, and their families on the bankside.
• Training: The environment we create for our coach education courses.
• Partnerships: Our relationships with fisheries, tackle shops, and external contractors.

4. Our Commitments

4.1 Accessibility & Reasonable Adjustments

We recognise that angling environments (river banks, lakesides) can present physical barriers.

• Venues: Where possible, we prioritise using fisheries with accessible pegs, flat paths, and disabled toilet facilities.
• Equipment: We will endeavour to provide or source adaptive equipment (for example, rod supports, easy-cast reels) to allow participants with physical limitations to fish independently.
• Learning Styles: For our Trainee Coaches, we will make reasonable adjustments to course materials and assessment methods to support those with neurodiverse conditions (for example, dyslexia, ADHD).
• The Diploma: When a learner is working through the Diploma, coaches adapt how each stamp is evidenced to suit the learner, holding the standard while changing the route to it. This is set out for coaches in our internal Diploma assessor guidance.

4.2 Zero Tolerance to Harassment

We maintain a zero-tolerance approach to:

• Bullying and Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic that violates a person's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.
• Victimisation: Treating someone badly because they have made a complaint or supported someone else's complaint about discrimination.

4.3 Inclusive Language

• Staff and coaches must use appropriate, respectful language.
• We respect the pronouns and names preferred by our participants and staff.
• We avoid gender-stereotyping in our coaching (for example, assuming boys are more capable of handling fish than girls, or vice versa).

5. Roles and Responsibilities

• The Management: Responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented, monitored, and that all staff are trained in EDI principles.
• Coaches and Staff: Responsible for setting a positive example on the bankside, challenging inappropriate behaviour (such as racist or homophobic language or banter), and reporting incidents immediately.
• Participants and Trainees: Expected to treat fellow anglers and coaches with respect.

6. Breaches of Policy

6.1 By Staff or Trainee Coaches

Any staff member or trainee coach found to have breached this policy (for example, engaging in discriminatory behaviour) will be subject to our Disciplinary Procedure. Serious breaches will be treated as Gross Misconduct and may result in immediate dismissal or expulsion from the training course.

6.2 By Participants or Public

If a participant (junior or adult) engages in discriminatory behaviour, we reserve the right to remove them from the session immediately without refund. If a member of the public harasses our group, our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our participants, and we will remove the group from the situation and report the incident to the fishery management or police.

7. Complaints Procedure

If you feel you have been discriminated against or have witnessed discrimination within School Of Fish:

1. Informal: If you feel safe doing so, speak to the Lead Coach on the day.
2. Formal: Submit a written complaint to Ulvis Strokss at info@schooloffish.co.uk.
3. Investigation: We will investigate the matter confidentially and impartially within 14 working days.
4. Outcome: We will inform you of the action taken.

8. Monitoring

We will monitor the composition of our workforce, trainee intake, and participant base regarding information such as age, sex, ethnic background, and disability. This data is collected anonymously and used solely to check the effectiveness of this policy and to identify areas for improvement (for example, "are we attracting enough female coaches?").

Concern or Question?

Get in touch and we'll handle it confidentially.

info@schooloffish.co.uk