About the course
Knowledge
K1: Coaching philosophies and professional practice that consider key stakeholder needs, sporting contexts and codes.
K2: Professional development planning methods and self-awareness skills training techniques.
K3: Transformational coaching methods and strategic planning techniques.
K4: Organisational vision, strategies, policies and processes required to ensure legal, ethical, effective and efficient coaching systems. Including current health and safety, safeguarding, data protection and equality laws.
K5: Approaches to organisational workforce structures that underpin best practice and showcase the value of scope within the coaching team.
K6: Coaching team development and deployment techniques aligned to all relevant and current legislation, policy, process, operating standards and scopes of practice.
K7: Coaching service delivery approaches including industry support networks and collaborative, cohesive and competent coaching teams.
K8: Curriculum design methods and coaching pedagogies relevant to the participants unique development needs, the demands of the sport or physical activity and the occupational environment.
K9: Progressive programme design and delivery techniques that prioritises accessibility, duty of care and accelerate whole child/person development and sport specific skill acquisition.
K10: Progressive programme design and delivery techniques that ensure safe practice and support at events and competition and embed learning transfer across situations.
K11: Inclusive coaching techniques that embed human rights, equality laws and conventions to ensure ethical coaching practice.
K12: Chief Medical Officer guidelines, Public Health England agendas, organisational, sport specific and holistic approaches to wellbeing considering stressors relevant to the participants context.
K13: Learning theories and skill acquisition techniques relevant to participant�s unique development needs, the demands of the sport and occupational environment.
K14: Positive learning environment attributes and behaviour management strategies relevant to the participant�s unique development needs, demands of the sport and the occupational environment.
K15: Developments in learning resources including technological advancements and wider industry support mechanisms that maximise engagement, development and performance gains.
K16: Methods to measure the impact of the coaching strategies though analysis of key indicators from participant, coach, coaching team and organisational perception and performance data.
K17: UK sport and sport specific strategies, global data, trends and contemporary issues in high performance sport, including social, economic, educational and technological influences.
K18: UK sport guidelines, high-performance sport stakeholders, organisational context, culture, codes, direction and politics that influence coaching processes.
K19: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure bio-psycho-social attributes and inform whole person optimisation planning.
K20: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure sport specific technical and tactical attributes and inform sustainable development and high-performance goals.
K21: Session planning techniques that consider high performance athlete's/player's unique needs, goals and curriculum plans.
K22: Session preparation techniques including resource organisation, event risk assessment and safe operating procedures in line with high performance sport policy.
K23: Session delivery and adaptation techniques that motivate high performance players/athletes through tailored coaching and communication methods for maximum impact.
K24: Session evaluation methods that measure sustainable development and performance gains to shape future plans as part of the continuous enquiry cycle.
K25: Methods to measure the impact of the coaching practice on the national and international positioning of the sport by comparing athlete/player results against national and international benchmarks.
K26: Sport England Professional Workforce Strategies, social change agendas, national trends on national physical activity participation, local data and contemporary influences.
K27: Community initiative or club context, culture, stakeholders, Sport England Coaching Plan, sport specific codes, geographic infrastructure and networks that influence coaching pedagogy and process effectiveness.
K28: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure whole child/person development dimensions considering cognitive, social, emotional and physiological capabilities.
K29: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure participant motives, behavioural norms, psychomotor skills, technical and tactical awareness in specific sport and physical activity contexts to enable process goals to be agreed.
K30: Session planning techniques that consider each participant unique motives, access and development needs, goals and seasonal plans.
K31: Session preparation techniques including resource organisation, event risk assessment and safe operating procedures in line with community organisation health and safety policy.
K32: Session delivery and adaptation techniques including tailored coaching and targeted communication methods for maximum impact on long-term engagement and enrichment.
K33: Session evaluation methods that measure engagement, enrichment and whole child/person development dimensions to shape future plans as part of the continuous enquiry cycle.
K34: Methods to measure the impact of coaching practice on social change associated with access, participation, performance, equality and wellbeing by comparing results against local and national benchmarks.
K35: National trends in education, the Department for Education strategies, Statutory Guidelines, DfE National Curriculum the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and the educational paradigm shift.
K36: School stakeholders, context, category, strategies, culture and codes that influence coaching pedagogy and process effectiveness.
K37: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure whole child development dimensions considering cognitive, social, emotional and physiological stages of development.
K38: Profiling and enquiry methods designed to measure psychomotor, technical and tactical skills in physical activity contexts drawn from the Department for Education National Curriculum and enable physical education targets to be agreed.
K39: Session planning techniques that consider each child's unique profile, development needs, educational targets, and curriculum plans.
K40: Session preparation techniques including resource organisation, event risk assessment and safe operating procedures in line with school health and safety policy.
K41: Session delivery and adaptation techniques that inspire children though tailored coaching and communication methods for maximum impact.
K42: Session evaluation methods that prioritise children�s mastery of physical education standards, psychomotor skills and whole child development and shape future plans as part of the continuous enquiry cycle.
K43: Methods to measure and evaluate the impact of coaching practice on school standards by comparing children's results against local and national benchmarks.
Skills
S1: Influence key stakeholders in the sporting context through own coaching philosophy and professional practice.
S2: Enhance coaching competencies and inter-intra-personal skills through continued professional development and self-awareness skills training.
S3: Develop transformational coaching strategies and tactics that consider sector, sport, organisation and participants unique needs.
S4: Comply with legal, ethical, effective and efficient coaching systems that align to the organisational vision, strategies, policies and processes.
S5: Promote the value of the coaching team considering w
Key Information
Location: Lancashire County Cricket Club
Course length: Two Years
Start date: August 2025
Entry requirements & additional information
Typically, an applicant must have attained a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade A-C (9-4) including maths and English, or a vocational level 2, plus GCSE grade A-C (9-4) in both maths and English. N.B. English & maths Functional Skills Level 2 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs. All potential Apprentices will be asked to complete an online functional skills assessment regardless of previous qualifications. Apprentices who begin their apprenticeship training when aged 19+ will no longer be subject to the mandatory requirement to study towards and achieve English and Maths. However, English and Maths will still be delivered as an embedded part of the apprenticeship. For apprentices aged 19+, the apprentice or their employer can still choose for the apprentice to study towards and achieve English and Maths qualification. 'The college advises learners to keep studying English and maths to enhance their career prospects and facilitate progression to higher-level qualifications'. The government will continue to fund those apprentices that wish to study towards an English and maths qualification.
Exceptional entries will be considered for all Apprenticeships at the discretion of the college based on experience, successful interview and outcomes of Initial assessments for English and Maths to establish current levels of ability.
It will also be of interest to Sports Coach apprentices, their employers and training providers. Sports Coach is a core and options apprenticeship standard. Apprentices must be trained and assessed against the core and one environmental specific option, either: � High-performance environment � Community environment � School environment Full time apprentices will typically spend 18 months on-programme (before the gateway) working towards the occupational standard. All apprentices must spend a minimum of 12 months on-programme. All apprentices must complete the required amount of off-the-job training specified by the apprenticeship funding rules. The EPA period should only start, and the EPA arranged once the employer is satisfied that the apprentice is deemed to be consistently working at or above the level set out in the occupational standard, all of the pre-requisite gateway requirements for EPA have been met and can be evidenced to an EPAO. The apprentice must have achieved English and maths qualifications in line with apprenticeship funding rules. The EPA must be completed within an EPA period lasting typically 6 months, after the EPA gateway. The EPA consists of 3 discrete assessment methods. The individual assessment methods will have the following grades: Assessment method 1: Work based project and presentation with questioning � Fail � Pass Assessment method 2: Coaching Session Plan and Practical Observation with Questioning � Fail � Pass Assessment method 3: Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio � Fail � Pass � Distinction Performance in the EPA will determine the overall apprenticeship standard grade of: � Fail � Pass � Distinction
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) for level 4. On successful completion of this apprenticeship the Sports Coach will be eligible to become a Coach Practitioner Member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
All apprentices are required to have suitable employment in order to complete the programme. A contract of employment must be in place and apprentices must be paid in line with minimum wage rules. Programme costs are covered by employers through their digital apprenticeship service account.