I have a feeling that March 2026 will be viewed as the month in which Fishing for Schools truly came of age and entered another world of angling education.
Already – in a term endorsed by the Angling Trust head of coaching, Graham Mabey – our coaches can rejoice in being no longer perceived as simply an L2 coach, but, deservedly, as (drum roll, please) Coach Educators.
A fitting accolade for a band of people that have driven this initiative to the heights it has achieved for nigh on twenty years. Their collective expertise is bewildering and profound, and manages to dress the complex in supreme and telling simplicity.
Simply put, they are the best in the business.
Recently, the best became better still, if that was possible, with the inclusion of Will Bridges as our educational advisor.
Will is a teacher of consummate ability – indeed, a teacher of teachers – and brings that structure and learning to the group, bolstering an already richly endowed body of learning.
Having his depth of core educational understanding and classroom technique added to our delivery places the Fishing for Schools programme even further to the fore of angling and learning, be it bankside or in the classroom.
All this expertise is even more important, given the enthusiasm of schools wishing to be at the vanguard of our Angling and Countryside qualification, which is scheduled to be implemented in the coming academic year.
Work to do, a busy time – but to see one’s endeavours come to fruition in this way makes nearly two decades of “graft” truly worthwhile.
Angling educators, I salute you!