More Aims Award success for Kent schools

Fishing for Schools (F4S) was accredited to provide the Ofqual regulated Aim Awards in angling skills last year and so far nine pupils have worked towards this qualification with us.

In January three pupils from Broomhill Bank North School, in Swanley, Kent became the first in the country to gain the Level One Aim Award through F4S.

All three boys – Neo Goncalves Whiffen, 15, and thirteen-year-olds Harrison Mulholland and Jon Jon Perry - have learning difficulties which made this course challenging but thrived on the 10-week course.

And this summer term six pupils from Thamesview School in Gravesend (pictured) have been working towards the same award with the Kent team.

Subjects covered in the weekly sessions in the classroom and at Hadlow College's Grove Farm Fishery, include the branches of angling, equipment, fishing permits and rod licences, as well as practical skills and environmental topics, with instructors Warren, David Evans, Charlie Rayner and Bob Goble.

Warren said: "This year we have tried to add some more skills to the generic AIM Award format to make our F4S course unique. We have added rod building, a mixture of fly and coarse skills and the group will visit the Hadlow College hatchery for a practical session. These are all activities that hopefully make our courses stand out, but importantly make it more enjoyable for our students."

Sixty-one students also achieved the Angling Trust's Cast Awards with the F4S Kent team in 2017.

Cast Awards are short, structured courses that encourage students to progress from starter level to level 6, learning new skills along the way.

Both the Cast and Aim Awards can be a stepping stone towards other qualifications, like the BTEC in Fisheries Management at Hadlow College, Kent.