What staffing records does an RYA inspection ask for?

The staff list with awards, expiry dates and vetting; the rosters showing who taught what and who supervised; your operating procedures; the record of overrides and changes after publishing; and incident reports. If you can produce all of them for any day last season in a minute, you are ready.

Who should be present at an RYA recognition inspection?

The Principal, who is accountable for recognition, and the Chief Instructor, who is responsible for the teaching. An inspector may ask to speak to instructors too, so tell the team in advance.

How often is an RYA recognised training centre inspected?

Recognition is reviewed on a regular cycle set by the RYA, with an inspection visit as part of it, and the RYA confirms the timing with the Principal. Check your recognition paperwork and the RYA's current guidance for your schemes rather than relying on last time.

Does rostering software help with an RYA inspection?

It helps if it keeps the records the inspector reads: who was rostered, the qualification checks run at the time, overrides with reasons, and changes after publishing. A roster that is only a grid does not.

RYA recognition inspection: the staffing records to have ready

6 min read · Updated 26 October 2026 · Written for Principals, Chief Instructors and centre managers

The short answer

On the staffing side an inspection wants to see that the people teaching were qualified for what they taught, supervised as your procedures require, rostered at the ratios and safety cover you set, and that you can show it from records rather than memory. Have six things ready: the staff list with verified qualifications and vetting, this season's rosters, your operating procedures, the override and change log, incident reports, and training records.

What the inspector is really checking

Recognition rests on the Principal running the centre to its own operating procedures and to the RYA's requirements for the schemes it is recognised for. The staffing questions follow from that: who taught, were they entitled to, who was in charge on the water, what were the ratios and the safety cover, and what happened when something went wrong. An inspector cannot watch last season; they read it from your records and talk to your staff.

The six records to have on the table

Staff list: every instructor and assistant, their awards and levels, expiry dates, first aid, safeguarding training, vetting status, and who verified each against the original.
The season's rosters as published and as changed: who was on each session, in what role, with the Senior Instructor or Chief Instructor on duty named.
Operating procedures and risk assessments, with the ratios, supervision and safety-cover rules you actually roster to, signed and dated.
The override and change log: every time someone went ahead despite a warning (an assistant unsupervised, a ratio stretched, a licence close to expiry), with the reason and the name.
Incident and near-miss reports, and what changed as a result.
Training and briefing records: inductions, standardisation sessions, daily briefings.

Read your own rosters before the inspector does

Pick three busy days from the season at random.
For each session, check that every person on it was qualified and in date for that course on that day.
Check the supervision: an assistant or trainee working alongside a qualified instructor, the Senior Instructor named and present.
Count the ratio and the safety cover against your procedures for that activity and those conditions.
Find the paper trail for any change made after the roster was published.

Tip: If any of those five steps takes longer than a minute per session, your records are the problem, not the staffing. Fix the record-keeping before the visit.

Common findings, and what they look like in the records

Illustrative. Your inspector works from the RYA's current requirements and your own operating procedures.
Finding	How it shows up	The fix
Expired first aid or award on a rostered instructor	Expiry date earlier than the session date	Expiry checked at the moment of rostering, with a lead time
Assistants running sessions alone	An assistant on a session with no qualified instructor beside them	Roster rules that require the pairing, and a recorded override if ever not
Ratios stretched without a decision	More learners than the procedure allows, and no note	Count at rostering, and a named override when conditions justify it
Vetting missing for someone working with children	No check recorded, or recorded without a date	Vetting status on the staff record; no rostering with under-18s until it is in
Nobody can say who was in charge on the water	No Senior Instructor named for the day	A named senior role on every session, printed on the day sheet

The week before

Re-verify any record with a date in the next 90 days.
Print the staff list and the season's rosters, or have them a click away.
Brief the Chief Instructor and the instructors the inspector may talk to.
Walk the safety boats, kit and first aid provision against the procedures.

Questions

What staffing records does an RYA inspection ask for?: The staff list with awards, expiry dates and vetting; the rosters showing who taught what and who supervised; your operating procedures; the record of overrides and changes after publishing; and incident reports. If you can produce all of them for any day last season in a minute, you are ready.
Who should be present at an RYA recognition inspection?: The Principal, who is accountable for recognition, and the Chief Instructor, who is responsible for the teaching. An inspector may ask to speak to instructors too, so tell the team in advance.
How often is an RYA recognised training centre inspected?: Recognition is reviewed on a regular cycle set by the RYA, with an inspection visit as part of it, and the RYA confirms the timing with the Principal. Check your recognition paperwork and the RYA's current guidance for your schemes rather than relying on last time.
Does rostering software help with an RYA inspection?: It helps if it keeps the records the inspector reads: who was rostered, the qualification checks run at the time, overrides with reasons, and changes after publishing. A roster that is only a grid does not.