Ammi
17-10-2025, 11:18 PM
Fishing is to be offered on the school curriculum for the first time.
Students will be able to study a course called angling and countryside at an equivalent to GCSE, BTEC and A-level.
The Ofqual-regulated qualification, devised by The Countryside Alliance Foundation’s Fishing for Schools programme, promises to present young people with opportunities outside of the classroom.
Launching the qualification at a reception in Parliament this week, Charles Jardine, the director of Fishing for Schools, said: “The Angling and Countryside qualification is the first of its kind.
“It will make a real difference, because the people that always were thought of as not being able to highly achieve will be able to achieve – and Fishing for Schools is about people achieving.
“This course and qualification will provide children with a range of practical, transferable skills that will pave the way for a career in angling – a huge global industry with massive opportunities – and beyond the industry too.”
The qualification will be available to centres and schools across the UK from autumn next year, with pilot delivery beginning later this year. Four schools have already signed up to the pilot scheme.
Accredited by Crossfields Institute, it ranges from Level One (Introduction) through to Level Three (Advanced Skills).
Learners completing Level Three will be able to earn UCAS points, recognising the qualification as a legitimate route into higher education and related vocational pathways.
Jamie Cook, the chief executive of the Angling Trust, praised the move, telling The Telegraph: “Angling offers a unique route into the natural world for young people, including those who may not thrive in traditional classroom settings.
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“This new qualification could open doors to a wide range of life opportunities, from conservation and habitat management to coaching, guiding, and careers across the wider angling and countryside sectors.”
Mr Cook said the Angling Trust’s own Reel Education programme had taught 40,000 children since it was launched in February 2022, adding: “We’ve seen how angling builds confidence, practical skills, and a deep connection with nature, creating real pathways into further education and employment.”
James Duffy of BigDuffsFishing, said: “Qualifications like these would have been invaluable for me as a young person. They would have helped me to both develop and showcase my own skills, skills that are unrecognised in the conventional educational system, but that have real world applications and great career opportunities.”
Students will be able to study a course called angling and countryside at an equivalent to GCSE, BTEC and A-level.
The Ofqual-regulated qualification, devised by The Countryside Alliance Foundation’s Fishing for Schools programme, promises to present young people with opportunities outside of the classroom.
Launching the qualification at a reception in Parliament this week, Charles Jardine, the director of Fishing for Schools, said: “The Angling and Countryside qualification is the first of its kind.
“It will make a real difference, because the people that always were thought of as not being able to highly achieve will be able to achieve – and Fishing for Schools is about people achieving.
“This course and qualification will provide children with a range of practical, transferable skills that will pave the way for a career in angling – a huge global industry with massive opportunities – and beyond the industry too.”
The qualification will be available to centres and schools across the UK from autumn next year, with pilot delivery beginning later this year. Four schools have already signed up to the pilot scheme.
Accredited by Crossfields Institute, it ranges from Level One (Introduction) through to Level Three (Advanced Skills).
Learners completing Level Three will be able to earn UCAS points, recognising the qualification as a legitimate route into higher education and related vocational pathways.
Jamie Cook, the chief executive of the Angling Trust, praised the move, telling The Telegraph: “Angling offers a unique route into the natural world for young people, including those who may not thrive in traditional classroom settings.
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“This new qualification could open doors to a wide range of life opportunities, from conservation and habitat management to coaching, guiding, and careers across the wider angling and countryside sectors.”
Mr Cook said the Angling Trust’s own Reel Education programme had taught 40,000 children since it was launched in February 2022, adding: “We’ve seen how angling builds confidence, practical skills, and a deep connection with nature, creating real pathways into further education and employment.”
James Duffy of BigDuffsFishing, said: “Qualifications like these would have been invaluable for me as a young person. They would have helped me to both develop and showcase my own skills, skills that are unrecognised in the conventional educational system, but that have real world applications and great career opportunities.”