Are you compliant with 'Managing health and safety in swimming pools'?

RLSS UK offers two versions of its National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC): the full award and an NRASTC LIGHT version. Although both awards train swimming teachers, coaches, and instructors in water rescue and CPR, there are a few differences to be aware of so that you and your team qualify in the right course for your individual or business needs.

Here are details of the differences between NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT.

Course Suitability Differences Between NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT

RLSS UK's National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC) is a supervision and rescue award that teaches lifesaving skills to swim teachers, coaches and/or instructors who run programmed activities, e.g. swimming lessons. It is suitable for teachers working in a wide range of swimming pools, including pools where the water is deeper than the teacher's standing depth.

RLSS UK's National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches LIGHT (NRASTC LIGHT) is a supervision and rescue award for swimming teachers, coaches and/or instructors working during programmed activities, e.g. swimming lessons when a lifeguard or first aid backup is available to respond quickly in the event of an emergency.

It is suitable for teachers working in a wide range of swimming pools, including pools where the water is deeper than the teacher's standing depth. This award is only suitable when the facility has staff qualified as lifeguards or first aiders available to respond quickly to a swimming teacher or coach in an emergency.

Course Content Differences Between NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT

The National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches LIGHT (NRASTC LIGHT) course covers basic lifesaving skills such as:

• Pool safety operating procedures
• Types of pools and lessons
• Swimming lesson safety and rules
• Swimmers with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND)
• Types of casualty
• Personal safety during rescue
• Rescue equipment
• Types of rescue poolside-based
• In-water rescue
• Rescue skills
• Management of a spinal injury
• Managing an unresponsive casualty who is not breathing normally
• Adult, child and infant (baby) CPR
• Drowning effects

These basic lifesaving skills teach you how to provide the first rescue response in a pool where a lifeguard is present during programmed activities (e.g., swimming lessons) and/or first aid support is present to provide backup or take over lifesaving measures during an emergency or incident.

The National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC) is a full lifesaving course that goes into more detail and provides the course candidate with sufficient skills to provide lifesaving measures when pools are not lifeguarded and where there is no other first aid support immediately. The NRASTC course includes:

• Everything listed within the NRASTC LIGHT course plus…
• Emergency Action Plan (e.g. lost or found child, lack of water clarity, serious injury to a swimmer, etc.)
• Assessing an Incident
• Seizures
• Managing an Unresponsive Casualty Management who is breathing normally
• Choking
• External Bleeding
• Minor Injuries, e.g. Cramp
• Shock
• Medical Conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma, etc).

Course Duration Differences Between NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT

As already covered, the course content differs between NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT, therefore the course duration is also different between the two versions of the National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches courses.

NRASTC LIGHT is a one-day course that takes 6 hours plus assessment to complete. The NRASTC course is two days long (day one covers the same content as NRASTC LIGHT) and takes 12 hours plus assessment to complete.

Both the NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT awards are independently trainer-assessed. To pass the awards, candidates must pass a formal assessment at the end of the course. Candidates must demonstrate the skills and knowledge learned during the course through a theory and practical test. Once they have gained the certificate, both ss are valid for two years.

Hopefully, this article helped you understand the differences between the two National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC and NRASTC LIGHT) courses.

If you are unsure which course is appropriate for your individual or business needs, please do not hesitate to call 0300 323 0096 or email our training team via [email protected], who will gladly help you.

---

Find out more about the NRASTC course

Find out more about the NRASTC LIGHT course