National Lifesaving Academy

The RLSS UK National Lifesaving Academy awards are a suite of progressive awards that teach personal survival, first aid, CPR, rescue, and fitness skills to anyone aged 12 years and over. 

The aim is to teach candidates how to stay safe around water and how to safely assist others who may have gotten into difficulty in both aquatic and non-aquatic situations.
The awards are structured to teach foundational skills and then progressively build up the candidate’s skills. On achieving the Bronze Medallion level of award, the candidate receives Recognition of Prior Learning hours towards the RLSS UK vocational lifeguard qualifications.
The awards are structured into three levels (Bronze Lifesaving Certificate, Bronze Star, and Bronze Medallion), and multiple environmental strands are available at the Bronze Star and Bronze Medallion levels.
The three award strands are as follows: 

  • Pool – completed in the swimming pool
  • Open Water – completed preferably in non-tidal, inland open water sites
  • Beach – completed on the coast

    • The Bronze Lifesaving Certificate is designed to teach new lifesavers the basics of staying safe in or around water. It provides the candidate with basic water safety knowledge, basic aquatic lifesaving skills, basic CPR, and basic First Aid.

    National Lifesaving Academy Award Journey

    The Distinction award

    The highest achievement within the RLSS UK National Lifesaving Academy programme is the Distinction award. This is awarded to candidates who achieve any single Bronze Medallion award and, with the 24-month validity period, also attain an Assistant/Instructor award or a minimum of thirty hours of volunteering or relevant work experience. The Distinction Award