Coach Education
Policies and Procedures
Booklet for Learners, Apprentices and
Course Tutors
Level 1 Award in Coaching Tennis (QCF) – L1ACTENNQ
Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Tennis (QCF) – L2CCTENQ
Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Tennis (QCF) – L3CCTENQ
Level 4 Senior Coach course
(Last updated August 2013)
Apart from any fair dealings for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted
under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the express written consent of inspire2coach limited.
For courses delivered by inspire2coach
Copyright © inspire2coach 2013
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1
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY FOR THOSE
TRAINING WITH INSPIRE2COACH
inspire2coach practises the principles of equal
opportunities in its learning programmes, courses
and workshops. The company is committed to the
development of practices that do not discriminate,
either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of
nationality or colour, ethnic, racial or national
group, religion or belief, gender, marital status,
gender reassignment, age or disability. It is
company policy to treat candidates equally, fairly
and consistently.
It is the responsibility of each manager to ensure
that the following policy is understood and carried
out and each employee has personal responsibility
for the implementation of the Policy. Not to do so
is unlawful under UK legislation, under the Sex
Discrimination Act 1986, the Race Relations Act
1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. All
employees are expected to abide by the
requirements of these Acts.
Training with inspire2coach

inspire2coach maintains and seeks to
apply a series of core values which it
believes make it a reputable,
professional and high quality training
organisation.

inspire2coach takes very seriously the
welfare and safety of those attending
its learning programmes, courses and
other events, and the quality of the
work of its employees.

The company aims to ensure the best
possible levels of customer care,
learning environment, learning
resources and value for money.

In the event that any customer or client to
the company expresses
dissatisfaction with the standards and quality
of work of the company or any of its
employees, the company will listen to any
complaints or suggestions, endeavouring
where possible to correct and improve on the
cause of the initial complaint, subject only to
feasibility, practicality, the economic viability
and the company’s wish for it.
Specifically, discrimination is prohibited in:

treating any individual on the grounds of
nationality or colour, ethnic, racial or national
group, religion or belief, gender, marital
status, gender reassignment, age, disability or
membership or non-membership of a trade
union, less favourably than others.

expecting an individual for any reason
whatsoever related to their training, to comply
with requirements that are different to the
requirements for others solely on the grounds
stated above.

Victimisation of a candidate on grounds of
gender, colour, marital status, race, nationality
or ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, disability or membership or nonmembership of a trade union.
The Company will immediately investigate any
written claims of discrimination on the above
grounds.
inspire2coach will not discriminate, either directly
or indirectly on the grounds of colour, race, gender,
marital status, disability or any other grounds of
discrimination not prohibited by legislation, such as
religion, age and sexual orientation. Every possible
step will be made to ensure that decisions relating
to an individual’s training are based solely on
course-related criteria.
Scope
The policy applies to the training of coaches and to
the treatment of those coaches and others who
may receive assistance, training through a learning
programme, course or workshop provided by
inspire2coach.
People with disabilities
inspire2coach commits itself to the training of
people with disabilities whenever possible, and will
treat such candidates in aspects of their training in
exactly the same manner as other candidates, the
difficulties of their disablement permitting.
Assistance may be given and reasonable
adjustments made, wherever possible, to ensure
that people with disabilities are helped in their
training and assessments (for example by providing
individual assessments), in gaining access to course
premises, and in progressing in their training and
development, subject only to the opportunity
existing, the economic viability, the applicant’s
suitability, talent, and wish for it. Appropriate
training may be made available to such personnel
who request it.
inspire2coach is keen to hear ideas whereby its
courses can be made more user-friendly for the
benefit of people with disabilities.
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2
Complaints of discrimination
To make a complaint about direct or indirect
discriminatory conduct the company’s Grievance
Procedure should be used.
inspire2coach will investigate immediately any
written claim of discrimination and where a case is
proved take action to ensure the discrimination is
stopped.
If the matter relates to sexual or racial bullying or
harassment or bullying and harassment on the
basis of disability then the grievance may be raised
under the terms of the Company’s Bullying and
Harassment’ Policy.
Complaints of discrimination must be submitted in
writing to the offices of inspire2coach, and
addressed to the Company Secretary. To make a
complaint of discrimination, bullying and
harassment, victimisation or unfair treatment the
complainant should try to have available:

written details of what, when and where the
occurrence(s) took place

any witness statements or names

names of any others who have been treated in
a similar way

details of any former complaint made about
the incident, date, where and to whom made

a proposal for a solution to the incident.
The company is concerned to ensure that
employees feel able to raise such grievances and no
individual will be penalised for raising such a
grievance unless it is false and found to be
malicious, in which case it will be dealt with under
the company’s Disciplinary Procedure.
Discipline
Any employee accused of discrimination will be
investigated. Any employee guilty of
discrimination, who is responsible for harassing any
other employee on the grounds of gender, race or
disability will be subject to the company’s
Disciplinary Procedure. In serious cases, such
behaviour will be deemed to constitute gross
misconduct and, as such, may result in summary
dismissal, under the terms of the company’s
Disciplinary Procedure.
Monitoring
Applicants for learning programmes and courses
delivered by inspire2coach may be asked to
complete a form denoting their gender, race,
ethnic origin and any disabilities in accordance with
the Monitoring of Ethnic Origins Policy. The
company guarantees that this form will be used for
the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of its
Equal Opportunities Policy only.
INSPIRE2COACH HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
One of your primary responsibilities as a tennis
coach is the safety of the players, to ensure that:

the environment of the coaching situation is
as safe as possible – eg the surface is not
slippery or, in the case of indoor centers, the
fire exits are known

the physical demands put on the players
during coaching do not cause injury – either
in the short or long term.
This section provides information and guidelines to
help you carry out the above responsibilities.
Guidelines on health and safety in tennis
These guidelines appear under the following
headings:

Players

Equipment

Court surface area and facilities

Coach/assistant
Players
The number of players on a court, or courts, should
be safe in terms of proximity and amount of space
available for each player, and controllable by the
number of coaches and assistants involved. The LTA
gives guidelines on numbers for different ages. In
general young children need more adults for
supervision.
In hot weather dehydration can become a
significant problem especially for younger players.
Therefore, fluid intake – before, during and after
play is vital. Rest periods are important. Players
with medical conditions such as asthma or
diabetes, hearing impairment or those with a
disability, should be known to coaches before the
session begins. Coaches should ensure that
application forms request information on health
issues which may affect the players during coaching
sessions.
Players should be given information concerning the
procedures in situations such as fire or security
emergencies in indoor centres. These will vary from
centre to centre.
Plastic lenses should be used if glasses are worn.
Players should:

only practise particular skills in tennis for

reasonable periods of time to reduce the
possibility of muscle or overuse injury. Age
and ability should be a major consideration in
what is reasonable

be aware, and reminded as necessary, of
safety considerations when practising in
groups, especially during activities such as
serving

be dressed in appropriate clothing and have

suitable footwear for the court surface on
which they are playing
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
be taught always to warm up and cool down.
By law, there is an extra duty of care when
coaching players with disabilities – the type of care
depends upon the following situations:

Players with a learning disability may be less
aware of safety on court, with other people
and of emergency situations such as fire
alarms. They should be given a partner to
help them in an emergency situation.
 Players with a hearing impairment may not
hear the fire alarm (some centres now have
flashing lights) and so should be given
assistance.
 Players with a visual impairment may not be
able to find the exit and should also be given
assistance.
Equipment
With regard to equipment:
 rackets should be of the correct size for the
height and age of the player. They should be
inspected regularly regarding grips (eg too
slippery for players to hold) and frame
damage
 balls (foam, transition, tennis) should be
available for the age and ability of the player
 nets should not have holes in which players
can catch their feet and they should be close
against the posts to prevent the net wire
being exposed to players running about
 net-winders should not protrude because
they can cause injury
 any supports to net posts should not
protrude since players can trip over them.
Court surface and facilities
With regard to court surface and facilities:
 court size and net height should be
appropriate for the age and ability of the
player
 playing surfaces should be suitable for tennis
 the surrounds and playing area should be
clear of obstructions such as ball hoppers,
ball machines (and on some courts, football
and netball posts). Debris such as glass should
either be removed or the court not used
 indoor courts should be clear of equipment
which could obstruct players
 the surrounds and playing area should be
non-slip. Some court surfaces (particularly
the lines) can become very slippery when wet
 court lines on courts with a loose surface
should be completely flat to the court surface
 the surrounding netting should not be
damaged with holes or broken mesh, both of
which can cause injury if a player runs into
the netting.
Coach/assistant
Coaches and/or assistants should:
 be very familiar with the techniques, tactics
and rules of the game, and apply them with
regard to the age and ability of the players















be confident of helping a number of players
of mixed ability on one court and be able to
control several courts with safety
be able to show players how to use all
equipment safely, and advise them of
particular situations (eg serving), in which the
safety of themselves and other players are
more under threat
be able to stop the group
immediately at any time
know where the nearest phone is
located
have a contact name and telephone number
for each player
be familiar with any illness or medical
condition – and remember to ask each time
ensure they begin every session with a warmup which follows the pattern of:
o
increasing the heart rate (perhaps by
gentle jogging)
o
stretching
o
tennis related activities
finish every session with a cool-down
be aware of situations which can increase the
likelihood of accidents and constantly
monitor all aspects of the safety of the
session
be familiar with possible tennis injuries and
aware of relevant principles of First Aid
stay calm, observe the situation, listen to the
injured player, and if necessary then wait for
assistance
have a First Aid kit with them or know where
one is (LTA Coach Education has a number of
available First Aid kits which have been
specially made up for tennis coaches)
have accident forms available and complete
them if an accident occurs (a sample form is
attached to these guidelines)
hold public liability insurance, or be sure that
the facility/centre management has the
necessary insurance cover
know how to obtain help in the event of an
accident.
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4
The coach/assistant must also be aware of the
health and safety requirements of the venue as
well as the LTA’s policy on health and safety.
If you have any queries relating to the health and
safety issues raised in these Guidelines, please
contact the inspire2coach office on 02476 150688
ACCESS TO FAIR ASSESSMENT STATEMENT
inspire2coach ltd is committed to providing
ongoing support to candidates with particular
requirements and aspires to eliminate
discrimination. On this basis, we ensure accessible
services and make appropriate adjustments, where
required, to facilitate candidates in completing the
course/programme as independently as possible.

assistant, etc) is available for selected
adjustments to delivery and/or assessment
use assistive equipment and personnel within
the reasonable adjustments framework, as
outlined by 1st4sport, without disadvantaging
others who are not affected by particular
requirements.
It is ultimately the responsibility of the Head of the
Centre, Mark Tennant, to ensure that this
statement and related procedures are published
and accessible to all personnel, candidates and any
relevant third parties. However, the quality
coordinators (QCs) specific to each qualification are
responsible for ensuring this information is fully
understood by their qualification team and by the
candidates who commence courses/programmes in
their area.
Candidates have the right to raise any issues
related to the implementation of access
arrangements or make a formal complaint via the
inspire2coach ltd candidate complaints procedure
or the inspire2coach candidate appeals procedure,
if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the
decision in relation to the access arrangements
applied.
Our personnel are committed to contributing to
this practice and the overall aims are to assist
candidates in managing their individual situation
and create a more accessible learning and
assessment environment for all. In order for this to
be achieved, we aim to determine candidates’
particular requirements and requests for the
provision of access arrangements at an early stage.
In making sure our access to fair assessment
statement is implemented effectively and all
candidates are treated fairly, we aim to:

ensure the access to fair assessment
statement and practice are understood and
complied with by any personnel involved in
assessment and also by candidates

promote equality in relation to the provision
of the learning programme and assessment
of the qualification

adhere to related procedures and regulations
regarding reasonable adjustments to
assessment and special consideration

ensure buildings and assessment sites used
for delivery and assessment are accessible to
all candidates, as far as is practicable

request permission for the implementation of
specific adjustments from the awarding body
where required

ensure appropriate equipment/personnel
(technological equipment or any assistant
personnel, ie reader, scribe, practical
COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS PROCEDURE FOR
COACHES TRAINING WITH INSPIRE2COACH
inspire2coach aims to deliver all its courses to the
highest standards, and prides itself on its excellent
reputation. In the unlikely event that you may wish
to make a complaint, you should follow the
guidelines below.
If you wish to make a complaint
Stage 1

Firstly, complete the course evaluation
questionnaires following the course;

If this is insufficient an informal complaint
can be made to your tutor/assessor. The
tutor/assessor will discuss the complaint with
you and attempt to agree a way forward or a
solution that suits both parties.

Candidates should allow the tutor/assessor
sufficient time to investigate the grievance in
the timescales agreed.
Stage 2

If the complaint cannot be resolved
informally to your satisfaction, or if you feel
that you cannot make an informal complaint
to your tutor/assessor, the complaint should
be submitted in writing to the Company
Secretary at inspire2coach.

You should give a detailed of your grievance
to the Coach Education Manager at
inspire2coach so that it can be investigated.
The Coach Education Manager will write to
you to acknowledge receipt of the complaint
Copyright © inspire2coach 2013
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5

within seven days and outline the course of
action to be taken
The Coach Education Manager will carry out
an investigation and write you within one
calendar month with their findings and a
decision as to whether the complaint was
justified. (Centres are required to retain
records of complaints for a minimum period
of two years)
Stage 3

If you have followed Stage 1 and/or 2 of the
complaints procedure and are still dissatisfied
with the outcome, you have the right to take
your complaint to the Internal Verifier for the
course, for whom inspire2coach will provide
all necessary contact details. The Internal
Verifier is responsible for internal quality
assurance of all courses delivered by
inspire2coach.
Confidentiality

inspire2coach undertakes that none of its
employees or tutors will disclose matters
relating to the complaint beyond the party or
parties involved unless legally required to do
so.
Quality assurance

inspire2coach are committed to providing a
first class service to all their customers and to
ensuring they are treated in a courteous and
considerate manner

inspire2coach will investigate any complaint
fully, where enquiry is required and facts are
in dispute.

Where failings are demonstrated
inspire2coach will undertake to address them
and remedy them where resources permit.
APPEALS PROCEDURE FOR COACHES TRAINING
WITH INSPIRE2COACH
inspire2coach ltd is are required by 1st4sport
Qualifications to have an explicit Appeals
Procedure in place. The procedure ensures that
candidates undergoing assessment have access to
an appeals procedure should they wish to challenge
an assessment decision made by an assessor
employed or contracted by inspire2coach limited.
The purpose of this procedure is to describe the
process in which a candidate can appeal against
any assessment decision or procedure that they
consider to be unfair and/or inaccurate.
Candidates wishing to appeal must do so
within 14 days of receiving the assessment decision
and are advised to keep copies of all documents
relating to the appeal.
acceptable, although you are advised to put the
appeal in writing. The tutor/assessor:
 may choose to explain their rationale for the
decision which is being disputed.
 is required to record an overview of the appeal
and the outcome of the discussion and forward
this to the Coach Education Manager at
inspire2coach to retain with the centre's
assessment records.
Stage 2
If you are still dissatisfied with the assessment
decision and wish to challenge the outcome of
Stage 1, then you should take your appeal to the
Internal Verifier. At this stage, the appeal must be
made in writing, within 14 days of the Stage 1
process. You are advised to provide as much
information as possible regarding the disputed
assessment decision, including:
1. the date and nature of the
assessment (i.e. observation of practical
work, assessment of a set
task/assignment, result of an internally
assessed question paper)
2. the name of the tutor/assessor involved,
3. a brief outline of the reason for the appeal
4. any associated documents (i.e. candidate
evidence, record of feedback from the
tutor/assessor involved).
The nominated tutor/assessor or internal verifier
may review/reassess your work against the
assessment criteria for the qualification and
consider the appeal. inspire2coach limited will then
make one of the following decisions:
1. to uphold the original assessment decision
2. to offer the candidate an opportunity for a
resit/reassessment with a different assessor
free of charge to overturn the original decision.
The decision will be communicated in writing to
you, the original tutor or assessor and the
tutor/assessor who handled Stage 2 of the appeal.
Copies of records of appeals will also be forwarded
to the Coach Education Manager for retention with
other assessment records.
Stage 3
If you have followed Stage 1 and/or 2 of the
complaints procedure and are still dissatisfied with
the outcome, you have the right to take your
st
complaint to 1 4Sport Qualifications, the Awarding
Body for the Level 1, Level2 and Level 3 Certificates
in Coaching Tennis. Complaints should be made in
writing and sent to:
st
1 4Sport Qualifications,
Coachwise Ltd,
Chelsea Close,
off Amberley Road,
Armley,
Leeds LS12 4HP
Stage 1
The first line of appeal should be to the
tutor/assessor who made the original assessment
decision. At this stage, a verbal appeal is
Copyright © inspire2coach 2013
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6
Complaints regarding the Level Senior Coach course
st
(which is not a 1 4Sport qualification should be
made in writing to:
Jane Bowen,
LTA Coach Education,
NTC,
100 Priory Lane,
London SW15 5JQ
CHILD/VULNERABLE ADULT PROTECTION POLICY
inspire2coach has a professional duty to provide
children and vulnerable adults with appropriate
safety and protection. As the welfare of the
child/vulnerable adult is paramount, we are
committed to providing safe equipment and
facilities so that children/vulnerable adults may
participate in courses/programmes in a secure
environment. Additionally, we promote ethical
behaviour, providing children/vulnerable adults
with a sense of being valued. On this basis, we aim
to ensure safe recruitment practices are always
followed, to establish the suitability of personnel to
work with children and/or vulnerable adults.
It is ultimately the responsibility of the Head of the
Centre, Mark Tennant, to ensure that this policy is
published and accessible to all personnel,
candidates and any relevant third parties. However,
the quality coordinators (QCs) specific to each
qualification are responsible for ensuring this
information is fully understood by their
qualification team and by the candidates who
commence courses/programmes in their area.
In order to provide safety, protection and security
to children/vulnerable adults throughout our
operations, we will adhere to our child/vulnerable
adult protection policy/statement and aim to:

protect all children and vulnerable adults
from abuse, whatever their age, culture,
disability, gender, language, ethnic origin,
religious beliefs or sexuality

raise awareness of child and vulnerable adult
protection issues and promote good practice

conduct risk assessments to minimise
potential hazards to children’s and vulnerable
adults’ welfare

provide support to candidates who have been
abused and act proactively by preventing any
similar incidents through risk assessment

ensure all personnel fully understand their
responsibilities and are provided with the
appropriate training/regular updates of the
legislation.
In achieving our policy aims and being proactive,
we have developed procedures related to the
recruitment of personnel and how allegations of
child/vulnerable adult abuse should be dealt with.
In light of this, we implement safe recruitment
practices, in checking the suitability of personnel to
work with children and vulnerable adults.
Summary of the Personnel Recruitment Procedure
Applicants are required to complete an application
form (which may lead to a subsequent interview)
which contains explicit information about their
past. These are required to be returned to the
relevant department and the member of personnel
managing the recruitment process. Where
applicants will take significant responsibility for
safeguarding children during activities within
inspire2coach ltd, they will be required to complete
a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Personnel are selected on their suitability to meet
the job/role-related requirements and
responsibilities and their ability to demonstrate
that they can work safely with children and/or
vulnerable adults. Applicants will receive
confirmation in writing relating to the outcome of
their application/interview. If the outcome is
positive, arrangements are made for induction and
any relevant training, which includes clarification of
activity requirements, responsibilities and
child/vulnerable adult protection procedures and
further identification of training needs. New
members of personnel are then required to confirm
their agreement to abide by the inspire2coach ltd
policies and procedures, including the
child/vulnerable adult protection policy, in writing.
Awareness of child/vulnerable protection practice
will continue to be addressed via ongoing training.
All members of personnel who work with children
and vulnerable adults are required to adhere to this
policy.
Centre personnel/candidates/individuals
identifying possible abuse must report the
allegation to:
Child/Vulnerable Adult Protection Officer
Joe Hagan, Coach Education Manager
Tel 0151 342 8816
Email [email protected]
Allegations will be taken seriously and dealt with as
soon as practicable, in line with the recognised
centre’s child/vulnerable adult protection policy.
The Child/Vulnerable Adult Protection Officer is
also responsible for conducting any investigation
and demonstrating the results if the
child/vulnerable abuse is suspected to be
committed by a member of staff. Throughout this
procedure, records will be maintained and kept
securely and confidentially, separately from the
candidates’ file.
In the event of an allegation of child/vulnerable
adult abuse being committed by any 1st4sport
personnel or tutors/assessors/internal verifiers
who appear on a 1st4sport partner list (where
applicable), the Child/Vulnerable Adult Protection
Officer is required to report any allegation to
1st4sport. The 5.6.1 Alleged Child/Vulnerable Adult
Abuse Report Form (contained within the Quality
Assurance section of the Recognised Centre
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7
Resource CD-ROM) is the mechanism with which to
do this.

MALPRACTICE STATEMENT
inspire2coach ltd is committed to pursuing the
highest standards of probity and the elimination of
malpractice in the management of our
organisation, and aims to promote accountability
and a climate of openness, to encourage the
disclosure of allegations of malpractice.
Personnel/candidates/individuals must report
allegations to Joe Hagan, Coach Education
Manager.
It is ultimately the responsibility of the Head of the
Centre, Mark Tennant, to ensure that this policy is
published and accessible to all personnel,
candidates and any relevant third parties. However,
the quality coordinators (QCs) specific to each
qualification are responsible for ensuring this
information is fully understood by their
qualification team and by the candidates who
commence courses/programmes in their area.
Information contained within this documentation
applies to all personnel/candidates/individuals
involved with inspire2coach ltd. Arrangements in
place offer individuals a safe and accessible
procedure for reporting allegations of malpractice
in a confidential manner, on the basis that
inspire2coach ltd will take appropriate steps to
ensure that individuals reporting allegations of
malpractice are not penalised and are protected
and that individuals accused will be protected
against false, malicious or anonymous accusations.
inspire2coach ltd is keen to encourage
personnel/candidates/individuals to report
allegations without fear, and will ensure that any
disclosure is treated with the utmost
confidentiality.
Anonymous allegations will only be considered if
they are of a serious nature and the evidence is
sufficient to warrant an investigation and for
appropriate action to be taken. All allegations will
be recorded and submitted to the awarding body
for investigation.
Instances of malpractice that may be committed by
personnel or candidates include:

committing plagiarism by copying and passing
off the whole or part(s) of another person’s
work, with or without the originator’s
permission and without appropriately
acknowledging the source

failing to comply with the
assessor’s/invigilator’s instructions and/or
1st4sport’s regulations in relation to the
assessment and security

misusing assessment material

impersonating other candidates by
pretending to be someone else, in order to
produce the work for another, or arranging


for another to take one’s place in an
assessment
fabricating and/or altering results and/or
evidence, documents and/or certificates
using unauthorised material in relation to the
requirements of supervised assessment
behaving in such a way as to undermine the
integrity of the assessment.
Personnel and/or candidates who commit
malpractice and who fail to comply with the
guidance on regulations for assessment will lead
1st4sport to withhold the candidates’ results.
Withholding information or failing to report
promptly any suspected cases of malpractice or
non-compliance by centre personnel and/or
candidates may result in the imposition of
sanctions/penalties on inspire2coach ltd, with a
possible outcome being the suspension of
certification/registration or even recognised centre
status.
Candidates are required to be aware of the
penalties for/consequences of breaching
regulations, which may include one or more of the
following:

written warning

disqualification from entering one or more
(re)assessments

disqualification from the whole qualification.
Candidates must understand that if the allegations
are proven, certificates may be invalid and those
already issued may be withdrawn.
Personnel who commit malpractice, which is
confirmed after investigation, may be subject to
penalties, including:

exclusion from the delivery of the
qualification

exclusion from the assessment of the
qualification

exclusion from the internal
verification/moderation of the qualification

exclusion from the financial/quality
management/administration of the
qualification

temporary suspension

work only under supervision

undertake specific training.
The Reporting of Malpractice
In order to make an allegation of malpractice, you
are required to contact:
Malpractice Officer
Joe Hagan, Coach Education Manager
Tel :0151 342 8816 –
Email [email protected]
The Malpractice Officer is required to report
allegations of malpractice to 1st4sport by
completing the 5.7.1 Alleged Malpractice Report
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Form, with any relevant evidence attached.
INSPIRE2COACH DATA SECURITY POLICY
inspire2coach is committed to meeting the Data
Security Standard of the Payment Card
Industry (PCI) Council. To that end, we have
adopted the following security policies. This policy
states requirements for the protection of such
sensitive data according to the PCI Data
Security Standard (Version 1.2 is current upon
publication date of this policy).
Our employees
This policy applies to all employees of
inspire2coach and to all others given use of, or
having access to, sensitive data. This policy applies
to sensitive data stored, processed and transmitted
within or among any and all inspire2coach
information systems, whether individually
controlled or shared, stand-alone or networked,
and all computer systems and communication
facilities owned, leased and operated by or on
behalf of inspire2coach. This includes, at minimum,
networking devices, mainframes, workstations,
personal computers, smart phones,
telephones, wireless devices and any associated
peripheral equipment and software.
Our buildings
inspire2coach restricts physical access to
cardholder data. Physical access to all credit-card
data is restricted, with appropriate building access
controls in place to limit and monitor physical
access to restricted credit-card data. These
measures include:
• storage of access log data for at least three
months
 restriction of t physical access to publicly
accessible computer network access points,
including wireless access points
 visitor authorisation before entering areas
where credit-card data is handled or
stored
 a visitor log to maintain a physical audit trail of
visitor activity. The log must be retained for a
minimum of three months;
 secure destruction of media containing creditcard data, by cross-cut shredding inspire2coach
Our documents
inspire2coach maintains a variety of documents in
the course of conducting daily business.
Some of these documents may contain sensitive
data or references to information that could
provide access to sensitive data. Access to these
documents is explicitly restricted to a “need
to know” basis, and all unauthorized access or
sharing of restricted information may be met
with disciplinary and/or legal action.
Our network
inspire2coach maintains a firewall configuration to
protect data. A firewall is installed at each internet
connection point on the company network, which:

documents a firewall configuration that
denies all traffic from non-trusted networks
and hosts, except for those protocols
necessary for the secure transmission of
credit-card data

maintains a list of network services and ports
required for business purposes;

maintains a network diagram with all
connections to credit-card-related data,
including a diagram for any wireless networks

lists justifications for any open protocols
aside from hypertext transfer protocol
(HTTP), secure sockets layer (SSL), secure
shell (SSH) and virtual private network (VPN);

maintains documentation that justifies any
open firewall ports that could be considered
a risk to network security

maintains a router-configuration diagram
that demonstrates restricted access
between public networks and any company
computer system that stores credit card data;
documents personal computer firewall
requirements

prohibits direct public access between
external networks and any system
component that stores credit card related
data (for example, databases, logs and trace
files)

documents all firewall rule sets.
inspire2coach does not use vendor-supplied
defaults for system passwords and other
security parameters. inspire2coach prohibits the
use of vendor-supplied default settings and
removes unnecessary functionality supplied by
vendors and pre-packaged software solutions that
could create a security vulnerability. This means
that we:

always change vendor-supplied default
settings before installing a system on the
company network, including passwords,
simple network management protocol
(SNMP) community strings and deletion of
unnecessary system accounts;

document standards for system builds

document all enabled services, daemons and
protocols on servers

document all security parameters enabled on
each server

remove any unnecessary functionality, such
as features, scripts, drivers, file systems and
unnecessary Web servers

document all applications installed on each
company server

allow only one primary function for each
company server (example: Web servers,
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9
database servers and domain name system (DNS)
services should not be implemented in any
combination on the same server).
Our computers
inspire2coach encrypts transmission of cardholder
data and sensitive information across public
networks. We ensure that all transmission of
credit-card data across open, public
networks must be encrypted, including the use of
e-mail encryption software by employees. This
means that we:

maintain a documented list of URL(s) used for
transactions or passing credit-card related
information.

encrypt all wireless traffic used for
transmitting credit-card data.

encrypt credit-card data transmissions using
WiFi protected access (WPA or WPA2)
technology, IPSEC VPN, or SSL/TLS. Never use
wired equivalent privacy (WEP) to protect
confidentiality and access to a wireless
network.

document any current e-mail encryption
software being used by employees, if any
credit-card data is to be transmitted via email communications.
inspire2coach uses and regularly updates anti-virus
software inspire2coach uses anti-virus software or
programmes and regular anti-virus signature
updates, and documents this use. This means that
we:

document current use of virus protection
software

document that installed anti-virus programs
can detect and protect against other forms of
malicious software (malware), including
spyware and adware

maintain a copy of anti-virus logs and reports.
inspire2coach develops and maintains secure
systems and applications. inspire2coach develops
and maintains secure computer systems and
software applications, and ensures that security
measures are included for new or upgraded
systems and applications. This means that we:

maintain separate development, test and
production (live) environments.

separate the duties of those who work on the
development, test and production
environments.

remove all custom accounts, usernames and
passwords before a system goes live.

do not use “live” data from production
systems for testing or development of new
systems.

remove all test data and test accounts from
production systems before they go live.

keep a copy of the last formal code review
report for in-house created systems and
applications.
inspire2coach restricts access to data to a need-toknow basis. Access to all credit-card data is
restricted strictly on a need-to-know basis, limiting
access to only those employees who must access
the data to perform their job duties. This
means that we:

install and maintain access controls that
restrict computer user access to only those
systems and resources required for
performing their jobs

maintain access logs that show which
employees had access to what data, and
when, for all computer systems.
inspire2coach assigns a unique ID to each person
with computer access Each person with computer
access MUST be assigned a unique account ID with
a password known only to that individual. We
ensure that:

passwords change every 90 days.

passwords are a minimum of 7 characters,
containing numeric, alphabetic and special
characters.

new passwords cannot be the same as
previous passwords.

we maintain a list of any inactive accounts.

we keep a copy for six months of all
employees with computer access.

no shared accounts and passwords exist on
any computer systems.
inspire2coach tracks and monitors all access to
network resources and cardholder data All access
to inspire2coach network and cardholder data is
tracked and monitored for any signs of suspicious
or unauthorised activity. This means that we:

capture system logs and maintain log records
for 12 months.

monitor system logs daily or use automated
alerting mechanisms to ensure that
suspicious or unauthorized activity is quickly
detected.

respond swiftly to any indications of
suspicious or unauthorized activity.
Our data
inspire2coach protects stored data. inspire2coach
stored credit-card data is protected from
unauthorised use at all times. This means that we:

do not allow the display of personal account
numbers in full; display of the first six and/or
the last four digits is permissible.

we ensure that if personal account numbers
must be stored, they must be protected in
one of four ways:
o strong encryption with secure
encryption key management
o truncation of account number
o strong one-way hash
o use of index tokens and pads
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SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
inspire2coach realises that social media and
networking websites have become a regular part of
everyday life and that many people enjoy
membership of sites such as Facebook and
Twitter. However, we are also aware that these
sites can become a negative
forum for complaining or gossiping and care must
be taken not to breach our confidentiality policy or
offend anyone when using these services.
This policy covers the use of social media relating
to the following companies and organisations
which are either managed by or are partners of
inspire2coach:

inspire2coach limited

Inspiring Community Tennis

The University of Warwick

The Shrewsbury Club

The War Memorial Park Tennis Club

Coventry City Council

Beechwood LTC, Nuneaton LTC, Evesham
Rowing Club, Alcester LTC, Belbroughton
LTC, Boughey Gardens LTC, Ludlow Castle
LTC and Aston Cantlow LTC.
General Information
The following policy has been designed to give
coaches and others working for inspire2coach clear
guidelines on what we expect of you when
accessing these sites. This policy covers the basics,
and there will inevitably be aspects not covered.
Where no guidelines exist, you should use your
professional judgment and take the most prudent
action possible. If in any doubt, consult with your
manager or supervisor if you are uncertain.
Guidance for Personal Use
If you have your own personal profile on a social
media website, you should make sure that others
cannot access any content, media or information
from that profile that (a) you are not happy them
to have access to; and (b) which would undermine
your position as a professional, trusted and
responsible person.
As a basic rule, if you are not happy for others you
work with to see particular comments, media or
information simply do not post it in a public forum
online.
When using social media sites, you should consider
the following:

changing the privacy settings on your
profile so that only people you have
accepted as friends can see your content

reviewing who is on your 'friends list' on
your personal profile.

ensuring information published on the
Internet complies with inspire2coach
confidentiality and data protection
policies. Breach of confidentiality will


result in disciplinary action and may
result in termination of your agreement
careful and professional use of language.
Under no circumstances should swearing,
racial or homophobic language be used in
any comment made by a member of the
inspire2coach team on an social
networking site
ensuring you are always respectful
towards
o inspire2coach
o other members of the
inspire2coach team
o clients, players and parents of
inspire2coach and other
organisations
o agencies, sponsors and partners
of inspire2coach
o the ethos and ethics of the
game of tennis
You should be aware that any disrespectful
comments to the above might be seen as libel or
misconduct and could result in disciplinary action
or termination of your agreement.
The following guidelines should also be followed:

inspire2coach logos and trademarks may
not be used without agreement with your
manager.

at all times, in or out of working hours,
you are an ambassador for inspire2coach.
Be aware that your actions captured via
images, posts or comments online can
reflect on the company and its reputation
Use of Official Accounts
inspire2coach and its Social Enterprise partner
Inspiring Community Tennis operate a number of
accounts on social media websites for the
promotion of activities and events, and as a way of
communicating with customers. The following
outlines the limits of their use.

only authorised staff may use these
accounts to post online and access to the
account should be strictly limited.

all information published on the Internet
must comply with inspire2coach
confidentiality, data protection, child
protection, safeguarding and equity and
diversity policies.

parents or children must not be
referenced online without their express
consent. This includes all photos, videos
and other media.

Copyright laws must be respected, with
references or sources cited appropriately.

Any team member who becomes aware
of social networking activity that would
be deemed distasteful should make their
manager aware as soon as possible,
ensuring that it is removed as soon as
possible.
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All staff using official accounts must adhere to the
above guidelines; breech of
this policy may result in disciplinary action or
termination of your agreement.
Our service providers
inspire2coach closely manages all third-party
service providers and partners to ensure that all
business conducted on inspire2coach’s behalf is
performed to the PCI DSS requirements and
standards. This means that:

all new contracts must be reviewed from a
security perspective to ensure that services
provided by third parties will be rendered in a
PCI-compliant manner.

all existing contracts should be reviewed at
least annually and updated as needed to
ensure that third-party services continue to
meet PCI requirements.

where possible, conduct an on-site inspection
of any potential new third party or partner
and document the state of secure data
practices.
employee’s new role and what sensitive data
access that the new role requires will be
conducted. Access to sensitive data may be
granted or revoked based on need to- know
basis according to the new job duties.
A background check may also be required for a
current employee moving from a role where no
access to sensitive data was required to a role that
necessitates access to sensitive data.
Our security programme
inspire2coach regularly tests security systems and
processes All inspire2coach systems are tested
quarterly to ensure that security systems and
processes are in place and performing as needed.
This means that we:

maintain a security-breach-response plan,
and test the plan at least annually.

perform internal and external vulnerability
scans of all systems connected to the

cardholder data environment, per current PCI
DSS requirements.

ensure that all credit-card data is completely
destroyed (degauss disks, shred paper) once
the data or the medium that the data resides
upon is no longer needed for clear business
purposes.
inspire2coach maintains a policy that addresses
information security. The inspire2coach
information security policy is reviewed and
updated as needed at least annually by
inspire2coach management. This means that:

we will train all new employees on data
security practices to a level appropriate for
their job positions.

all employees will receive security awareness
training at least annually, and all employees
must sign this policy to indicate that the
policy is understood and will be abided by.

background checks are suggested for all
employees with access to one credit-card
number at a time, and mandatory for all
employees with access to multiple credit card
numbers at a time in performing their duties.

when an employee moves to a new position
within inspire2coach, a review of the
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