Schools across England and Wales invited to apply for a free Fishing for Schools course

Schools across England and Wales need to mark 1 October in their diaries, as that's the day they can start to apply for free Fishing for Schools courses in 2019.

Fishing for Schools is an initiative run by The Countryside Alliance Foundation (TCAF), the charitable arm of the Countryside Alliance. It provides free, short angling courses at schools across the country, to aid the education of 10-16 year-olds who may not respond to traditional classroom-based learning but flourish when you get them outside onto the water. It celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2017.

Due to phenomenal interest in our courses, Fishing for Schools (F4S) is now operating an application process where schools use an online form to apply for our free sessions annually.

Who can apply?

• Applications are invited from educational providers in the following geographical areas: Avon, Bath and North East Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Norfolk, Somerset, Wales, Wiltshire and Yorkshire.


• We welcome applications both from new schools and those that have previously participated in F4S.


• All schools and educational establishments are welcome to apply. Our courses are suitable for children aged 10-16 years of all educational abilities.

If schools are interested in F4S but are not located in our current areas of focus they can register by emailing [email protected]

F4S director and founder Charles Jardine said: "There has been a huge growth in demand for our free Fishing for Schools courses, which is brilliant. We believe the new application process is a fair and consistent way of deciding how our resources are used."

Schools can still benefit from Fishing for Schools if their application is unsuccessful. F4S can provide paid-for courses where a school would be charged for sessions. This also applies to schools that were successful and want to continue their provision beyond the free sessions granted. For further details please contact [email protected].

How to apply

Schools should apply using our online form, which will be available on our website from 1 October 2018 until 9 November 2018. Successful applicants will be notified in early December 2018.

For further details on applying and to find out more about paid-for sessions, please visit our website: http://www.countryside-alliance.org/fishing-for-schools-apply-for-a-place-in-2019/