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  • Black Belt UK help to promote strong values in Martial Arts as well as help schools grow in their approach to being professional and providing the best service possible to their students.

    As part of this we offer School Approval.  This means that we have looked into the school and validated core elements that schools should have to operate to the best of their ability.

    We know that ot can take time to get every "t" crossed and every "i" dotted, we also know that it is important to approve those on track and help them in their progress.  With this in mind starting in May 2017 we have introduced a 3 level system for schools seeking approval.

  • Our Levels of Approval

  • Current Approved Schools: 2

  • Awarding Criteria

  • Instructors must be minimum of 1st Dan/Degree Black Belt

  • We need to ensure that the Instructors that are teaching are at least of a certain standard in terms of their proven ability.  Holding a Black Belt is deemed by many as a pivotal point in Martial Arts and therefore we require all BBUK Approved Schools to be run by someone holding at least 1st Dan/Degree or equivalent

  • Instructors to hold VALID Instructor or Teaching Qualification

  • Being a Black Belt is just simply not enough, we want to ensure that all BBUK Approved Schools have Instructors that have been trained to teach Martial Arts well but also know the legalities and finer points on running a school.  By having this requirement in place you can rest easy if they are approved.

  • Instructors must hold VALID First Aid Qualifications

  • As Martial Arts Schools, the chance of injury is increased from other activities and therefore we have a duty of care to all students to provide an increased level of care to our students.  Therefore we ensure that any BBUK Approved School has First Aid Training as standard.

  • Instructors must have APPROVED Enhanced DBS Checks

  • We understand that it is impossible to know if an instructor is 100% safe, but we do however take safeguarding very seriously and therefore we require all Instructors who wish to be BBUK Approved to provide their Enhanced DBS Check to ensure that they are allowed to work with Child and Vulnerable Adults.

  • Instructors must have VALID Instructor Insurance

  • Injuries can happen and therefore we need to ensure that Instructors have the correct level of protection from this should there ever be an issue, we ensure that Instructors have their Insurance in place and is a crucial part of our requirements.

  • Instructors must be Child Protection Trained

  • Child Safety and Duty of Care to students is paramount at BBUK.  Therefore we need all Instructors to have received Child Protection Training from a reputable source as part of our requirements.

  • School must have a Clear Pricing Policy

  • Martial Arts are about honesty and integrity.  We like to help ensure that this starts before a student enters a school and require a full clear pricing policy from any Approved School to ensure that any new and existing students know what is required.

  • School has an accurate Student Database

  • We live in a digital world and a world full of information.  We aim to ensure that all BBUK Approved Schools know what student information they should be keeping, how long for and ensure that it is accurate.

  • School has an APPOINTED Welfare Officer

  • By having someone in charge of student welfare, we are able to provide better assistance to students should any need arise.  This is a must for all schools.

  • School Provides Student Insurance

  • Students can and may get injured through the study of Martial Arts, it is a combat sport/art after all.  It is paramount that a school provides students with insurance to cover for this should any injuries occur.

  • School has all appropriate policies in place

  • To ensure that schools as well as those who utilise a Martial Arts School understand all procedures, policies and more we need to ensure that these are in place at a school including constitutions, child protection policies and more.

  • School must have a full grading structure with clear criteria

  • All schools need to provide their students with a solid set of requirements, after all how do students know what is expected if there is nothing stating so.  We aim to help schools ensure they have these key factors laid out and available for their student base.

  • School to have an up to date Website and Social Media Presence

  • Communication is incredibly vital to the success of any school and therefore we aim to promote the use of key media that will help achieve this level of communication.