The sector’s health and safety and quality management expert, Right Directions, has been awarded the industry’s contract to deliver the assessments for ukactive’s The Active Standard (TAS).
TAS is designed to give customers confidence, knowing leisure providers showing the TAS mark are taking their health and wellbeing, as well as their safety, seriously.
Initially launched by ukactive in November 2024, Right Directions was instrumental in the pilot phase of TAS, meticulously testing the assessment with a representative sample of operators to ensure the certification is fit for purpose for organisations of all types and sizes.
TAS accreditation is free to any sport, fitness or leisure facility in the UK that is a member of ukactive and is achieved through a 40-question independent assessment with Right Directions.
It covers health and safety practices, professional standards, safeguarding procedures and data protection processes. Certification lasts three years before a reassessment is required.
Caroline Constantine, Managing Director of Right Directions, who led on the development and pilot of The Active Standard for Right Directions, explains: “The original assessment contained more than 100 questions for operators to answer and provide evidence for.
Working through a detailed pilot, capturing feedback from the industry, we have now condensed this into a user-friendly system, facilitated on Microsoft Teams, that encourages operators to actively get behind the quality mark.”
Developed over a four year period by ukactive in partnership with leading standards professionals and organisations across the UK and Europe, including Right Directions, TAS is now compulsory for ukactive member operators.
It has been designed as a foundation and baseline certification and means operators can further progress their level of standards through other quality marks such as Sport England’s Quest, which is also delivered by Right Directions, and EuropeActive/NEN’s FITcert, without duplication.
Any facility that has actively achieved Quest or FitCert against the preferred sampling metric for TAS, does not need to be assessed for TAS.
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, says: “The Active Standard is a major benefit for ukactive members and we’re grateful to be working alongside organisations like Right Directions, that are helping to raise the standards of health and safety and inclusion across our sector, so more people can access and enjoy the benefits of being active.
“With our sector seeing an increasing demand for its services as more people across the UK and Europe prioritise physical activity for their own health and wellbeing, we know the value health and safety standards have for consumers and we’d encourage all members to utilise this opportunity.”
