Our cookies

We use essential cookies to make our site work. We’d also like to use analytics to monitor web usage in order to improve user experience. Non-essential cookies will be set only if you accept. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

Essential cookies are required for the operation of our website. Due to their essential role of enhancing or enabling site processes, disabling cookies may affect your user experience of this website.

Non-essential cookies will only be set if you accept and are used to improve the functionality of the website by collecting information and reporting on your use of the website as well as improving your user experience.

Privacy and Cookies

Our Promise

We believe information about you, belongs to you, full stop. We are custodians of your data and we will always respect your privacy and safeguard your data.

We are committed to being fair and treating your data with care. So when it comes to the way we communicate with you and handle your data, we want nothing to come as a surprise to you.

Three things to remember:

  1. We don’t harbour any secrets when it comes to how we use your data. It’s all set out in our privacy policy below.
  2. We only store the personal data we need to complete requests and to develop, provide or assess learning.
  3. We invest in security to keep your information safe.

We collect and store personal data for three core reasons. 

To:

  1. Award certificates, provide learning solutions and enrol people on courses
  2. Respond to your enquiries
  3. Communicate with you about our services and our offers

The personal information we collect depends on your level of engagement with us. The core things we collect are listed below.

Things that make you ‘You’

  • Name and job title
  • Contact details
  • Email and password

Things you do

  • Your activities with 1st4sport
  • Your enquiries
  • IP address and cookie data

Our Privacy Policy

This privacy policy will help you understand the things we do and the long-term commitment we’ve made to make our privacy promise a reality.

1st4sport is an industry specialist Awarding Organisation (AO) and end point assessment organisation (EPAO). We operate as a brand of UK Coaching Solutions registered in England 02340767, part of The National Coaching Foundation Group.

This privacy notice in compliance with all relevant data protection laws, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).

How We Use Your Information

This section explains how we use your information when you do different things with us.

Our website, like many others, stores and retrieves information on your browser using cookies. We use cookies to:

  • make our site work as you’d expect it to.
  • see how people move around our site so we can see if there is anything we can do to improve our website to better meet the needs of our visitors.

We do not make any attempt to find out your identity when you visit our website without signing-in.

We use some third-party services, Google Analytics and Hotjar, to collect standard information and details of how you use our website. This allows us to measure the performance of our website. This information does not identify you. We do not allow Google or Hotjar to find out the identities of people viewing our website. We also use the ‘Recite Me’ web accessibility and language toolbar to make our website accessible and inclusive for as many people as possible.

Read our Cookie policy below to learn more about cookies we use.

1st4sport recognised centres deliver courses that lead to 1st4sport qualifications.

EPAO training provider delivers apprenticeship programmes and 1st4sport acts as the end point assessment organisation.

1st4sport recognised centres and training providers are required to inform their learners/apprentices that they will register their details with us so that we can keep a record of registration and subsequently, award certificates and submit their achievements to relevant regulatory, sector and National Governing Bodies of Sport. (Learn more below in When you enrol on a course that leads to a 1st4sport Qualification).

During a learner’s/apprentice’s enrolment at a Centre and prior to any training or assessment activities taking place, the Centre must ensure that their Data Protection Policy/Privacy Notice is provided to and understood by the learner. Learners/ apprentices must be willing to share their full name, date of birth, address, contact number and email address to be registered with 1st4sport. Learners/ apprentices must be aware of how they can exercise choice in respect of the use of their personal data, however, they must be aware that if they choose not to share their data with 1st4sport they cannot be registered and therefore cannot complete any training or assessment with the Centre.

If you work for one of our recognised centres/training providers, we may ask for your contact details and your job title so that we can contact you – by email, post or phone – to support you and your organisation to deliver our qualifications/assessments.

We may also email you with essential operational information about the service we are providing as well as further information about our products and services.

We upload your email address to specialist email provider MailChimp so we can send this email securely and increase the chance of it arriving in your inbox. MailChimp will not use your email for any other purpose than to send you, our email. You can read MailChimp’s commitment to privacy on their website.

If you are tutoring, assessing or quality assuring a course that leads to a 1st4sport qualification, your organisation will provide your curriculum vitae as part of the recognition process so that we can check your organisation meets our criteria.

We will remove your data as soon as you or someone else from your organisation tells us you have left the organisation or have moved into another position within your organisation where you will not be engaging with us and our services.

When you enrol on a course with one of our centres, such as a college or training provider, the centre registers your details with us so that we can register you as a learner or apprentice.

We require your name so that we can print it on any certificates we award you and your unique learner/ apprentice’s number that we can share it with our partners so they can submit it to access eligible learner funding.

We ask centres/providers to inform us about any special considerations we need to make to meet your needs when awarding a qualification or undertaking an assessment and for any reasonable adjustments you require so that we can monitor that our centres are making our qualifications and assessments accessible.

We request your date of birth so we can verify you meet the minimum age and verify you are ‘You’ should you contact us later for a replacement certificate.

We retain this data so that we can issue you with a replacement certificate should you request one and to ensure we are able to comply with any contractual, legal, audit and other regulatory requirements, or any orders from competent courts or authorities.

We also request your contact details – email and address – so we may contact you for your views should anyone who is also on your course raise concerns with us about the way the course was delivered or assessed. We will delete your contact details within six-years, after the period for lodging an appeal or complaint has expired.

Where applicable we will share your qualification data with the relevant National Governing Body of Sport so that they can keep a record of qualified coaches in their sport. You should check your governing body of sport’s privacy policy to check how they treat your data. And to disclose or respond to information requests from Qualification or Industry Regulators, sector skill bodies or any other professional body, where 1st4sport is legally required to provide the information.

1st4sport contractors will be required to submit a Curriculum Vitae and any supporting certificates of achievement for selection purposes. If your application is successful, we will store these details, your verifying activities and your bank details so we can:

  • get in touch with you about activities we would like you to undertake
  • check you continue to meet the requirements for being a verifier
  • pay you for the work you do.

You will also receive communications that contain essential information you need to know such as any changes to our qualification/assessment criteria.

We will retain your information for up to six-years after you cease to be an external verifier/assessor so that we can validate any future employer reference requests for you. However, we will remove your data after 6-months after you cease being an external verifier/assessor if you request, we do so.

If you work for an organisation that works with us to develop qualifications and have a responsibility for qualifications, we collect and store your contact details – name, email and position – so we can communicate with you while we work together. We may also send you emails about other products and services provided by 1st4sport or UK Coaching Solutions.

You can choose to opt-out of these.

Email marketing and opt-out

We send emails about our products and services, which we consider may be of interest to you, to pursue our legitimate interest to deliver excellent educational solutions and value-added services to sport, physical activity and the active leisure industry. We will not send you marketing emails if you have opted out of receiving them. You can easily opt-out by clicking on the unsubscribe links in the emails.

The 1st4sport website also provides contact details you may use if you want to contact us by email, post or telephone in order to unsubscribe.

How does 1st4sport keep my personal information safe?

We build layers of security into our processing activities and systems to protect your data and keep it safe.

Where you have a username or password (or other identification information) which enables you to access certain services or parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your personal data, we will use strict procedures and security features to prevent unauthorised access.

Will 1st4sport share personal information with anyone else?

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that our staff protect your personal data and are aware of their information security obligations. We limit access to your personal data to those who have a genuine business need to know it.

We will never sell your personal information. We may disclose and share your personal information with:

  • National Governing Bodies (NGB) for the purpose of verifying and monitoring the qualifications achieved by its members and workforce (where applicable)
  • Relevant third parties (such as your employer, your school, your internet service provider, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies) if we reasonably believe you may be in breach of the law or if required to do so in accordance with applicable law

Sometimes we use third parties – or their tools – to process your information on our behalf, for example, we may use a specialist email company to send you an email. We require these third parties to comply strictly within our privacy guidelines.

When we transfer your data, we will:

  • Always share it in a secure way
  • Make sure it’s treated consistently with our privacy promise
  • Never allow other companies to use it to contact you with their own marketing.
What rights do I have?

If you want to check something about the information we store about you, phone us and we’ll try to answer your question quickly over the phone.

If you want to make a more formal request, in the form of a Subject Access Request, you can do so by submitting this form.

We will send you your data securely within one-month of your request. If your request is complex or excessive, we may contact you to let you know it will take us up to another two-months, explaining why we need the extra time and any fees we will charge to cover our administration costs.

If you want us to remove any data, we hold about you then you can contact us. We will get back in touch to check that you are who you say you are, and we will respond with a confirmation within one-month.

If we cannot not remove the data you’ve requested (for example, for other legal reasons), we will respond to you within one-month to let you know why.

If you believe any information, we hold about you is incorrect, contact us and we’ll do our best to check it and put it right.

If you are under 16, please be sure to read this Privacy Notice with your parent or guardian and ask them questions about anything you don’t understand.

Links to Other Websites

Privacy policy does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Complaints

If you believe that your data protection rights may have been breached, and we have been unable to resolve your concern, you may lodge a complaint the applicable supervisory authority or to seek a remedy through the courts.

Please visit https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ for more information on how to report a concern to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

Contacting 1st4sport 

If you have any questions about our Privacy Notice, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

1st4sport please send an email to [email protected] or write to: Data Protection Lead 1st4sport 2 City Walk, South Bank, Leeds LS11 9AR.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. We will always include the date of a new version so that you know when there has been a change.

Our Cookie Policy 

We use cookies to: 

  • make our site work as you’d expect it to
  • help to maintain the security of your connection to our website
  • remember if you've accepted our cookies notice 
  • store individual preferences for the site 
  • keep track of how you move around the site so can make future improvements 
Cookies We Use

Our website uses Cookies that are built into Content Management System which is supplied by Kentico.

Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are required for the operation of our website. Due to their essential role of enhancing or enabling site processes, disabling cookies may affect your user experience of this website.

Cookie NamePurpose
CMSCookieLevelSpecifies which cookies are allowed by the visitor.
CMSVirtualContextIdentityStores a token that authenticates users in the administration interface when previewing or editing live site content (via virtual context URLs).
KenticoCookiePolicyTestA dummy cookie used to test whether the user's browser blocks 3rd party cookies. Does not carry any informational value.

Non-essential Cookies

Non-essential cookies are set by 1st4sport.com. They will only be set if you accept and are used to improve the functionality of the website by collecting information and reporting on your use of the website as well as improving your user experience.

Cookie NamePurpose
globalAlertHidden-*

Records whether a user has closed a global alert, to prevent the alert from opening on subsequent visits.

Note: Wildcard in use (indicated by * in the naming). Multiple cookies can be created, one for each alert which is closed by the user.


1st4sport.Session

Allows the system to maintain a user session across HTTP requests.

Only created if session storage is required.


CurrentContactUsed to track activities on the website.
VisitorStatusIndicates if the visitor is new or returning. Used for tracking the visitors statistics in Web analytics.
CMSAnalyticsDataPersists user-related data and is used by Web analytics to keep track of exit page candidates.
Third Party Cookies

We also use 3rd party cookies to improve our website.

Third PartyCookie Name

Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager

Cookies from Google Analytics are used to gather information on how you engage with our website. This insight helps us understand user behaviour and make improvements to enhance your site experience. Google Tag Manager is employed to efficiently manage and deploy these and other tags on our website. Both tools adhere to your privacy settings, respecting the choices you make through our cookie consent tool.

Google Ads

Our website utilises Google Ads cookies to present adverts we believe match your interests. With Google's Remarketing technology, these cookies may track your activity on our site to show personalised adverts to you about the campaign on other websites. Please note that these cookies help customise advert experiences without storing any personal information that directly identifies you to us or Google. For more details on how your data is managed, please look at Google's Privacy Policy.

Google Display Network

In our online advertising efforts, we may also use the Google Display Network to show you adverts on various websites. This network uses cookies to determine your interests based on your previous visits to our site and others, allowing for adverts that are more relevant and tailored to you. The Google Display Network follows the consent preferences you've set on our website, ensuring that your privacy choices are respected in the delivery of these adverts. For further information on how Google uses your data please visit Google’s business data responsibility site.


  • ad_storage 

  • analytics_storage

  • ad_user_data

  • ad_personalisation

  • functionality_storage

  • personalization_storage

  • security_storage



Recite Me

We have added the ‘Recite Me’ web accessibility and language toolbar to 1st4sport.com to make our website accessible and inclusive for as many people as possible.

The toolbar includes:

  • text to speech functionality
  • fully customisable styling features
  • reading aids
  • a translation tool
  • 35 text to speech voices.
The cookie used is to remember visitors Recite Me preferences. Learn more in their privacy policy

•    Recite.Persist

Hot Jar

We use Hotjar in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimise this service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users' experience (e.g. how much time you spend on which pages, which links you choose to click etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behaviour and their devices (in particular device's IP address (captured and stored only in anonymised form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), preferred language used to display our website). Hotjar stores this information in a pseudonymised user profile. Neither Hotjar nor 1st4sport will ever use this information to identify individual users or to match it with further data on an individual user. For further details, please see Hotjar’s privacy policy.



•    _hjSessionUser
Centre Portal

Our portal and quality assurance system grant specific users access to systems and databases that are not on this website. By registering for these services, you are consenting to the use of cookies that are necessary to enable them to work effectively.

How to Manage Your Cookies

You can opt-out of our non essential cookies by not accepting our cookie policy notice. If you turn this off, we will not know you have visited our site, and will not track your actions. Your visit will not be helping us to monitor the performance of our website for future improvements. Also, our Cookie notice will remain on our website while you browse.

Visit Google to find out how to opt-out of YouTube and Google Analytics Cookies. Visit Google to find out how to opt-out of YouTube and Google Analytics Cookies.

You can opt-out to the creation of a user profile, Hotjar’s storing of data about your usage of our site and Hotjar’s use of tracking cookies on other websites by following this opt-out link.

You can stop all parties from using cookies on your device by blocking Cookies through your browser. 

Visit aboutcookies to get independent advice on cookies.

Please note: turning cookies off at the browser level could disable cookies on ALL sites you visit, and therefore disable functionality on other sites that use cookies.

By using this website, you consent to the collection and use of the information specified above.

Email Communications

The email communications that you sign up to use web beacons (transparent GIFs) in order to find out whether the email has been read and links have been clicked on. We use this information to understand what content proves popular to our recipients and make improvements in our communications. If you would like to ensure that none of your email activity is tracked then you can opt out of receiving emails by clicking unsubscribe on your email communications (found at the header/footer of the emails).