Are you planning or in the process of setting up an RYA Training centre/ club/ school in the UK or Overseas?

If you are in the process of setting up a school or considering doing so then you will need to look into completing the following:

1. Download the Principals pack & Guidance notes relevant to your area (i.e. UK or Overseas) - read them thoroughly to see if you & your prospective site fit the criteria.
2. Create a set of Standard operating procedures, risk assessments etc
3. Make sure you or the person you will be nominating as your chief instructor have the relevant qualifications to beable to run the activities you want to offer (see 'Who teaches what?' download below).
4. Make sure your operating site, craft & equipment fits the relevant criteria for your activities and RYA standards.
5. Complete an RYA Application for recognition form and mail it into RYA HQ.
6. Once the application has been processed the RYA will contact you to arrange an inspection - the initial inspection will cover things like: health & safety, operating procedures, checking that your launching/operating areas/dry-teaching areas are suitable for the activities on offer, instructor qualifications are valid & in-date, craft are sea-worthy & correctly kitted up, child protection procedures, health/medical forms are in place etc. The inspector will also probably want to witness some on-water tuition. After your initial inspection you will have RYA inspections annually.
7. The result:- Regardless of how your inspection goes your inspector will be open & honest with you about their views (there are certainly no 'cloak & dagger' situations to contend with). If all is well, then the inspector will complete the report form and send it into the RYA recommending that your new centre/school is up to standard. If there are any issues during your inspection then your inspector will inform you of these and write an 'action plan' - this action plan will detail the areas that require improvement/changes and dates that they must be completed by. When you complete all of the points on your action plan you may either be required to have a re-inspection or if it is 'paperwork' based you may be allowed to send copies of the relevant documents to your inspector to 'check-over' - assuming all is well with this they will then recommend to the RYA that you are up-to-standard. Once this is complete the RYA will issue you with the relevant recognition paperwork and only at this time may you start operating as an RYA RTE (recognised teaching establishment).

UK centres (dinghy, powerboat, PWC, catamaran, keelboat, windsurf):

RYA Application for recognition - UK centre

RYA Principals pack

Guidance notes for inspections of UK centres

Overseas centres (dinghy, powerboat, PWC, catamaran, keelboat, windsurf):

Standards for centres outside the UK

Notes for Overseas instructors

Inspection report form

Who teaches what?