Accredited Sports Massage Courses

Ofqual is the UK Government department regulating national qualification standards. Under their regulations to achieve accreditation, qualifications must demonstrate that they meet the following:

The qualifications must be fit for purpose

• Developed by a team of clinical and educational experts who understand the skills and knowledge a therapist needs to succeed.
• All Unit and qualification Levels must comply with the Ofqual Level Descriptors.
• All aspects of the qualification must be formally assessed at the correct Level.
• Assessments must be valid, fair, reliable, consistent and accurate
• All assessments must be independently monitored for consistency and accuracy.
• Qualifications must be reviewed annually and regularly updated

Training centres delivering the qualification must demonstrate that they meet the following:

• Have suitable premises with well-maintained equipment.
• Have tutors with the training and experience to deliver the qualification content.
• They must have an administration that meets the needs of the students.
• They must comply with the Equalities Act 2010
• They must have an effective appeals and complaints policy
• Training centre performance is reviewed annually.

This detailed and thorough accreditation process is your guarantee of good quality training.

Beware of false claims

Massage and soft tissue therapies are not Statutory Regulated so there is no control over training and this is being exploited. There are many so called ‘accrediting’ bodies which are little more than an impressive looking name and Logo. They only require schools to complete an online form outlining their course details and the payment of a small fee. The course then appears to be ‘accredited!’ At best some do a single in-person or remote site-visit and observe a single class. Apart from that there are no checks to see if or how their courses are actually delivered and assessed. They can, and do, get away with anything.
If in doubt, check out their ‘accreditation’ and see how valid it really is.
If they are not accredited through an Ofqual approved awarding organisation, then whatever Level they claim for it is meaningless because they don’t have to comply with any regulations. And if they do not deliver the quality or scope of training that they claim, you have nowhere to go to complain.
To check this: The Register of Regulated Qualifications: Home page (ofqual.gov.uk)

The Level 5 qualification that London School of Sports Massage delivers has been developed by its associated organisation, the ISRM which is an Ofqual approved BTEC centre.
It is a ‘Customised’ qualification which does not appear on the ‘National Qualification Framework’ show on the BTEC  website.
Accreditation can be verified through BTEC enquiries with these details:
ISRM Centre number:01987
BTEC Qualification code: VKX56
Qualification title:  BTEC Level 5 Professional Diploma in Soft Tissue Therapy.