Scottish Orienteering Association

Let's Get Started in Planning workshops (senior) Jan 2026
2025-06-06 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
This series of workshops is for those who have no planning experience or have just started to do some planning and want to know more. It will run across the following dates:

Monday 19th January 2026
Monday 26th January 2026
Monday 2nd February 2026
Monday 9th February 2026

The workshops will be held on Zoom and run from 7:30pm to 9pm; it is expected that delegates will attend all the workshops and that they will have access to either Condes or Purple Pen on their computer (tablets / phones are not suitable for this). There will be a planning exercise to do between each workshop date.

There is a PP/Condes workshop for this series on Monday 12th January 2026. Please indicate on the form if you would be interested in this.
Please register by 15th December 2025 using the Google form to allow us time to allocate trainers.

Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport - 9th Jun 2025
2025-06-09 18:30 - 21:30 | Online
This course, approved by Children First and run by sportscotland is for all those involved in coaching, including Foundation coaches and helpers, or otherwise working with juniors in the club, e.g. chaperones on weekends away or providing First Aid cover. All those volunteering in such capacities should have a PVG and undertake CWPS training.
Sportscotland CWPS training comprises 2 modules:

Module 1– An online self-paced (approx 45 minutes) module hosted on Brightspace. Once registered you will be sent log in details for Brightspace to allow you to complete module 1 before attending module 2.

Module 2 – A three hour online face-to-face training course lead by one of sportscotland’s approved tutors. Learners must complete both modules to gain the qualification and receive their certificate.

Once complete the training lasts for 3 years after which you only need to do a self-paced online renewal to last you another 3 years.

Cost: £10 – this may be covered by your club – please speak to your club treasurer.

Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport - 1st July 2025
2025-07-01 18:30 - 21:30 | Online

Event Safety Workshop (ESW) - S6D - 29th July
2025-07-29 05:30 - 20:00 | Deeside
This in-person Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a coach, a competitor, an event official (planner or organiser) or helper. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!

Delivered in person at the Scottish 6 Days, this 2.5 hour workshop will cover event safety and is a prerequisite for all event officials with SOA/BOF events and licensed coaches and is free to members of Scottish clubs. ( £10 for all others)

Date – 29th July
Time – 5.30 – 8pm
Venue – S6D Event Centre V and A Halls, Ballater (Mike Sheridan Room)

Please complete the registration form by 21st July 2025

Club Coach (L5/25_2) – In person
2025-09-08 10:00 - 2025-09-14 17:00 | Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
A Scottish Coaching Certificate in Orienteering fully accredited by the SQA, this course blends theory and practical providing the knowledge and skills to run single sessions within a framework set up by a more experienced coach.
INTENDED FOR:
Active Foundation level coaches or Young Coach Assistants interested in furthering their experience to gain a licenced coaching qualification.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Delivered mainly in person in Edinburgh over a 1 week period, this course comprises:

A mixture of online, tutor led, interactive sessions and in-person sessions.
The exact timetable will be decided in consultation with learners to take other commitments into consideration.
2 full days in person practical and theory which includes the assessment
The first session will be w/b 8th Sep. All pre-course work will need to be completed prior to this date.
The pre-course work will be sent out in late July giving the learner a good amount of time to complete the work.

ASSESSMENT:
Written tasks and observation of practical coaching sessions by a qualified assessor. The practical assessment will take place during the week of 8th September 2025
COURSE OUTLINE:
The focus of the Level 5: Club Coach is the single session usually progressing a skill within the session. Building on the basic skills and knowledge covered in Coaching Foundation, the course includes the theory of what and how to coach, practical exercise planning and delivery including risk management and developing yourself as a coach.
PRE-REQUISITES:

Attendance at Coaching Foundation course
Aged 17 or over
Evidence of competence at orienteering at TD4 or above
Current member of British Orienteering for insurance purposes
SOA PVG

COST:
£170 per person, £200 non-members. sportscotland funding is now administered through SOA and may cover part of your course fee depending on your circumstances. Please consult your club treasurer if you are expecting your club to pay your fee.
BOOKING:
Email suzanne@scottish-orienteering.org for further information or use the Google form to register for the course. Closing date for applications is 21st July 2025.

Organising Demystified - 6th Oct/3rd Nov 2025
2025-09-15 19:30 - 2025-10-13 21:00 | Online
A pair of low key Organiser workshops is being run over 2 online sessions, 7.30 – 8.45pm on 6th October and 3rd November with short home/in club tasks to be completed in between.
This informal and accessible course is open to anyone who is just starting out in organising and will cover the basics of putting on a local (level D) event. The trainer will share their knowledge and guide you through the process step by step, with plenty of time for discussion and questions. There will be take-away resources to help you organise your first event successfully.
A must for beginner organisers!
Please fill in the Google Form if interested

Coaching Foundation (CF/25_3) – Blended Learning
2025-09-22 19:30 - 2025-10-13 21:00 | Online
An initial, unassessed course for orienteers who are interested in getting involved in coaching. This fun course will give you the basics and get you on the pathway to becoming a coach. Also useful for qualified coaches in need of a refresher.
COURSE STRUCTURE:

•

Run mostly online, with a practical club supported element, this course will be held over 4 sessions.

•
Weeks 1, 2 & 4 – 1.5 hrs online weekday evenings.

•
Dates are w/b 22nd Sep, 29th Sep & 13th Oct .

•
Exact day will be decided in consultation with learners to take other commitments into consideration.

•
Week 3 is a club based self-evaluated practical session. Practical session by negotiation with club mentor.

COURSE CONTENT:

Discussion based learning around what to coach and how to coach orienteering.
Practical self and peer evaluated exercises.

PRE-REQUISITES:

•

Competent orienteers at least at TD3

•
Age 16+ (open to negotiation for exceptional candidates)

•
You must be able to arrange a practical exercise with either a club coach or a local school/youth organisation within the time frame of the course, ideally between online sessions 2 & 3 but anytime before session 4. You will be supported in this process.

COST:
£50 per person (non-members £75)
OTHER NOTES:
This course is a pre-requisite for the SCCO Level 5 Club Coach course.
REGISTRATION:
Book online through the Google form or contact Suzanne Robins-Bird with any questions. Closing date for applications is Friday 9th May 2025

ESW – in person, Edinburgh w/b 27th Oct 2025 - cancelled
2025-10-27 19:00 - 21:30 | Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
This in-person Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a coach, a competitor, an event official (planner or organiser) or helper. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!
This course will be run in person in Edinburgh – venue tbd – and is free to members.

Please fill in the registration form to express and interest and a preference for a date and watch this space for confirmation of the date.

Planners' Discussion 27th October 2025
2025-10-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
For this coming winter we have twisted the arms of some experienced planners to share their knowledge and answer your questions to enable you to broaden your knowledge of the planning process.

These discussions are open to all including juniors. The whole series is as follows but each one has a separate sign up form:

Urban Planning for safety – 27th October
Eavesdroppping on the planners thought process – 4th December
Experiences of a rookie S6Ds planner – 23rd February

In this discussion hosted by Graeme Ackland and Lindsay Knox topics covered will be:

Planning for the under 16s and older competitor.
How to deal with annoyed neighbours/members of the public.
Examples of good and bad practices.
Q&A.

The discussions will be held on Zoom and run from 7:30pm to 9pm;

Please register using this form by Monday 20th October.

ESW & Organiser workshops Perth, 1st Nov 2025 - Cancelled
2025-11-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Kinnoull Hill, Forestry Classroom, Jubilee Carpark, Muirhall Road, Perth, PH2 7LN, United Kingdom
The Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a competitor, an event official (planner or organiser) or coach. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!

The Event Organiser workshop is to prepare you to organise a local (Level D) or regional (Level C) event.

You can attend both or either workshop although you should note that you must attend an ESW before you can organise, plan or coach and having all learners sign up for both workshops means that the tutor can integrate the workshops to make the whole day flow better.

If we have to run them separately:

The Event Safety and Welfare workshop will start at 10am and finish by 1pm.
The Event Organiser workshop will run from 1pm to 4pm.

Book online through the Google form or contact Suzanne with any questions. Please sign up by 17th Oct 2025

Junior Planners Workshops Nov 2025
2025-11-03 19:30 - 2025-11-24 21:00 | Online
This series of workshops is for juniors who have no planning experience or have just started to do some planning and want to know more. It will run across the following dates:

Monday 3rd November – Optional Condes/Purple Pen workshop
Monday 10th November – Workshop 1
Monday 17th November – Workshop 2
Monday 24th November – Optional TD3/4 workshop

The workshops will be held on Zoom and run from 7:30pm to 9pm; it is expected that delegates will attend both workshops 1 and 2 and that they will have access to either Condes or Purple Pen on their computer. Tablets / phones are not suitable for this and you will need to have uploaded and tried out your course planning software before the first workshop. There will be a planning exercise to do between each workshop date.

An optional workshop on Monday 6th January is to ensure that learners are familiar with the basics of using either Condes or Purple Pen. It is strongly suggested that you attend this unless you are confident using course planning software.

The trainers will decide in conjunction with the learners whether to run the optional TD3/4 workshop and the date will be negotiable.

Completion of all 3 workshops, including the accompanying homework, followed by planning 3 courses in your club and submitting an experience log will earn you a Young Planners certificate and buff.

Please register using the Google form by Monday 13th October 2025 or email Suzanne with any queries.

Grade C Controllers Course Sun 16th Nov 2025
2025-11-16 | Aviemore area
A Grade C Controllers’ Course is being run on Sun 16th November 2025, 10 am – 4 pm, in the Aviemore area

As well as attending the course, the requirements for obtaining the Grace C controller licence are:

Have organised a competition registered with British Orienteering within the previous 10 years.
Have planned a minimum of 3 events, with at least one at Level C, and at least one within the previous 5 years.
Completion of mandatory British Orienteering Event Safety & Welfare Workshop.
Be appointed to the Grade by their Regional Association.

These can all be completed after the course but a good level of competence at control placement is required for the course.

Please register by filing in the Google form by Friday 7th November

Young Organiser workshops - 20th Nov & 15th Jan - cancelled
2025-11-20 19:30 - 2026-01-15 20:30 | Online
An online Young Organisers’ workshop is being run over 2 online sessions (Thu 20th Nov and Thu 15th Jan) with fun club-based mentored tasks to be completed in between.
This informal and accessible course is open to juniors (16+) who want to help with organising and will cover some of the jobs that contribute to putting on a local (level D) event. The trainer will listen to your ideas and answer your questions. There will be take-away resources to help you.
Participants will need to attend both workshops and complete all the club based tasks to complete the Young Organiser award.
Book online through the Google form by Mon 10th Nov if you are interested or contact Suzanne with any questions

Young Coach Assistant 23rd November - Central belt
2025-11-23 10:00 - 16:00 | Central Belt, United Kingdom
A course combining theory and practical for juniors with some knowledge of orienteering (TD3 standard ), who are interested in helping with coaching in a club, squad, camp or school setting. This course is a fun and sociable introduction to aspects of coaching and is in 2 parts:

1.5 hours online (one evening during the week before the practical day)
A fun practical day (10am – 4pm) on Sunday 23rd November 2025.
You are required to attend both parts to complete the course.

Cost:
The training is provided free of charge but you will be required to commit to a period of mentored volunteering.

Course Content:

Discussion around what to coach and how to coach orienteering; practical self and peer evaluated exercises.
Pre-requisites:
Competent orienteers at least at TD3; age 14+
OTHER NOTES:

This course counts as a pre-requisite for the SCCO Level 5 Club Coach course.
MORE DETAIL:
This course will be held in Stirling or Edinburgh depending on location of participants
Book online through the Google form by Fri 7th Nov or contact Suzanne Robins-Bird with any questions

Emergency First Aid at Work Course
2025-11-29 09:30 - 16:30
An SOA Emergency First Aid at Work course is being run on Saturday 29th November at either Kinbuck village hall Nr Dunblane or in Edinburgh depending on best venue for participants. This course is suitable for L1/Club Coaches working in up to a Grade C area and those supplying First Aid cover at events.
The cost is £65 a head. Please register using the form or contact Suzanne with any questions.

Planners' Discussion 4th December 2025
2025-12-01 19:30 - 2025-12-04 21:00 | Online
For this coming winter we have twisted the arms of some experienced planners to share their knowledge and answer your questions to enable you to broaden your knowledge of the planning process.

These discussions are open to all including juniors. The whole series is as follows but each one has a separate sign up form:

Urban Planning for safety – 27th October
Eavesdroppping on the planners thought process – 4th December
Experiences of a rookie S6Ds planner – 23rd February

In this discussion Clive Masson will guide you through the planner’s thought process for a typical forest line course event.

The discussion will be held on Zoom and run from 7:30pm to 9pm;

Please register using the form by Monday 24th November 2025.

Event Safety Workshop – online – 8th December 7pm – 9.30
2025-12-08 19:00 - 21:30 | Online
This online Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a coach, a competitor, an event official or helper. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!
Delivered online, using the Zoom platform and Google tools, this 2.5 hour workshop is a prerequisite for all event officials at SOA/BOF events and licensed coaches and is free to SOA members.

There will be a short pre-course task to enable us to make the most of the online time together which will be sent out one week before the course.

Please complete the registration form by 24th November 2025

Organising Demystified 22nd Jan & 26th Feb 2026
2026-01-22 19:30 - 2026-02-19 20:30 | Online
A pair of low key Organiser workshops is being run over 2 online sessions, 7.30 – 8.45 on Thursday 22nd January and Thursday 26th February with short home/in club tasks to be completed in between.
This informal and accessible course is open to anyone who is just starting out in organising and will cover the basics of putting on a local (level D) event. The trainer will share their knowledge and guide you through the process step by step, with plenty of time for discussion and questions. There will be take-away resources to help you organise your first event successfully.
A must for beginner organisers!
Please fill in the Google Form if interested

Coaching Foundation (CF/26_1) – Blended Learning
2026-01-26 19:30 - 2026-02-16 21:00 | Online
An initial, unassessed course for orienteers who are interested in getting involved in coaching. This fun course will give you the basics and get you on the pathway to becoming a coach. Also useful for qualified coaches in need of a refresher.
COURSE STRUCTURE:

•

Run mostly online, with a practical club supported element, this course will be held over 4 sessions:

•
Weeks 1, 2 & 4 – 1.5 hrs online weekday evenings.

•
Dates are w/b 26th Jan, 2nd & 16th Feb .

•
Exact day will be decided in consultation with learners to take other commitments into consideration.

•
Week 3 is a club based self-evaluated practical session. Practical session by negotiation with club mentor.

COURSE CONTENT:

Discussion based learning around what to coach and how to coach orienteering.
Practical self and peer evaluated exercises.

PRE-REQUISITES:

•

Competent orienteers at least at TD3

•
Age 16+ (open to negotiation for exceptional candidates)

•
You must be able to arrange a practical exercise with either a club coach or a local school/youth organisation within the time frame of the course, ideally between online sessions 2 & 3 but anytime before session 4. You will be supported in this process.

COST:
£50 per person (non-members £75)
OTHER NOTES:
This course is a pre-requisite for the SCCO Level 5 Club Coach course.
REGISTRATION:
Book online through the Google form or contact Suzanne Robins-Bird with any questions. Closing date for applications is Monday 12th January 2026

Club Coach (L5/26_1) – Blended Learning
2026-01-26 19:30 - 2026-03-08 21:00 | Online
A Scottish Coaching Certificate in Orienteering fully accredited by the SQA, this course blends theory and practical providing the knowledge and skills to run single sessions within a framework set up by a more experienced coach.
INTENDED FOR:
Active Foundation level coaches or Young Coach Assistants interested in furthering their experience to gain a licenced coaching qualification.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Delivered mainly online over a 5 – 6 week period, this course comprises:

Four online, tutor led, interactive sessions online of 1.5 hrs each.
Exact day will be decided in consultation with learners to take other commitments into consideration.
1 full day in person practical which includes the assessment
The assessment may be split over 2 days in the winter due to lack of daylight or split into a North and South day
The first online session will be w/b 26th January 2026. All pre-course work will need to be completed prior to this date.
The pre-course work will be sent out before Christmas giving the learner a good amount of time to complete the work.

ASSESSMENT:
Written tasks and observation of practical coaching sessions by a qualified assessor. The practical assessment will take place over the weekend of 7th/8th March 2026
COURSE OUTLINE:
The focus of the Level 5: Club Coach is the single session usually progressing a skill within the session. Building on the basic skills and knowledge covered in Coaching Foundation, the course includes the theory of what and how to coach, practical exercise planning and delivery including risk management and developing yourself as a coach.
PRE-REQUISITES:

Attendance at Coaching Foundation course
Aged 17 or over
Evidence of competence at orienteering at TD4 or above
Current member of British Orienteering for insurance purposes

COST:
£170 per person, £200 non-members. sportscotland funding is now administered through SOA and may cover part of your course fee depending on your circumstances. Please consult your club treasurer if you are expecting your club to pay your fee.
BOOKING:
Email suzanne@scottish-orienteering.org for further information or use the Google form to register for the course. Closing date for applications is Monday 8th December 2025.

Coach CPD - physical preparation for orienteering 19th Feb
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:30
The next coach CPD session is being held online. Dave Ellis, Orienteering Coach, UK Athletics Endurance Coach who has coached at Commonwealth Games and Olympics will look at aspects of physical preparation for orienteering including strength and conditioning. It will look at the different needs of the young orienteer, performance orienteer and older orienteer and consider what a year round training programme might look like. . Please register using the Google Form by Monday 10th Feb if you would like to attend.

Controller CPD - 21st Feb 2026
2026-02-21 14:30 - 16:00
An opportunity for controllers to get together in person will take place 2.30 – 4 pm after the Scottish Middle Championships in the Trossacks on 21st Feb 2026

This will be an opportunity to have a safety update, to raise any topics of interest and highlight the requirement for future Controller CPD

Please register an interest by filling in this form using the option to give us any topics of interest to you.

Please let us know by 9th Feb so we can book a suitable venue.

Planners' Discussion 23rd February 2026
2026-02-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
For this coming winter we have twisted the arms of some experienced planners to share their knowledge and answer your questions to enable you to broaden your knowledge of the planning process.

These discussions are open to all including juniors. The whole series is as follows but each one has a separate sign up form:

Urban Planning for safety – 27th October
Eavesdroppping on the planners thought process – 4th December
Experiences of a rookie S6Ds planner – 23rd February

In this discussion Peter McLuckie will share his experience of planning at the S6Ds for the first time including:

The main differences that he noticed compared to other events he has planned, including working as part of a team of planners.
How his experience to date helped him to be prepared and advice that he has for others wishing to take on this role

The discussion will be held on Zoom and run from 7:30pm to 9pm;

Please register using the form by Monday 16th February 2026.

ESW & Organiser workshops Edinburgh spring 2026 tbc
2026-03-01 | Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
The Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a competitor, an event official (planner or organiser) or coach. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!
The Event Organiser workshop is to prepare you to organise a local (Level D) or regional (Level C) event.

You can attend both or either workshop although you should note that you must attend an ESW before you can organise, plan or coach and having all learners sign up for both workshops means that the tutor can integrate the workshops to make the whole day flow better.

If we have to run them separately:

The Event Safety and Welfare workshop will start at 10am and finish by 1pm.
The Event Organiser workshop will run from 1pm to 4pm.

Book online through the Google form or contact Suzanne with any questions. Please sign up by 3rd Feb 2026

Add to calendar

Grade C Controllers Course Spring 2026 tbc
2026-03-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Central Belt, United Kingdom
A Grade C Controllers’ Course is being run in spring 2026, one day, 10 am – 4 pm in the central belt

As well as attending the course, the requirements for obtaining the Grace C controller licence are:

Have organised a competition registered with British Orienteering within the previous 10 years.
Have planned a minimum of 3 events, with at least one at Level C, and at least one within the previous 5 years.
Completion of mandatory British Orienteering Event Safety & Welfare Workshop.
Be appointed to the Grade by their Regional Association.

These can all be completed after the course but a good level of competence at control placement is required for the course.

Please register an interest by filing in the Google form – dates and exact location will be decided depending on requirements of participants.

Event Safety Workshop – online – 9th March 7pm – 9.30
2026-03-09 19:00 - 21:30 | Online
This online Event Safety and Welfare (ESW) workshop is aimed at all who orienteer – whether you are a coach, a competitor, an event official or helper. It is a suitable refresher for those who have attended the course before – there are some new materials!
Delivered online, using the Zoom platform and Google tools, this 2.5 hour workshop is a prerequisite for all event officials at SOA/BOF events and licensed coaches.

There will be a short pre-course task to enable us to make the most of the online time together which will be sent out one week before the course.

Please complete the registration form by 23rd February 2026

Child Welfare and Protection in Sport - 11th March
2026-03-11 18:30 - 21:30
This course, approved by Children First and run by sportscotland is for all those involved in coaching, including Foundation coaches and helpers, or otherwise working with juniors in the club, e.g. chaperones on weekends away or providing First Aid cover. All those volunteering in such capacities should have a PVG and undertake CWPS training.
Sportscotland CWPS training comprises 2 modules:

Module 1– An online self-paced (approx 45 minutes) module hosted on Brightspace. Once registered you will be sent log in details for Brightspace to allow you to complete module 1 before attending module 2.

Module 2 – A three hour online face-to-face training course lead by one of sportscotland’s approved tutors. Learners must complete both modules to gain the qualification and receive their certificate.

Once complete the training lasts for 3 years after which you only need to do a self-paced online renewal to last you another 3 years.

Cost: £10 – this may be covered by your club – please speak to your club treasurer.
Please register using the form by Wed 25th Feb in order to give time for Module 1 to be completed. This also also has space to request training another time if 11th March is unsuitable.

Coach CPD day Kinnoull Hill 21st March 2026 - CANCELLED
2026-03-21 10:00 - 16:00
A day for coaches to get together to learn from each other facilitated by our Coach Education Team.

In line with SOA strategy to provide lifelong pathways for members in the sport, the theme of this day will be bringing on youngsters at TD3 and 4 . Please bring along your ideas and an open mind to try out those of others.
The day will run from 10 am – 4 pm with a mixture of discussion and outdoor activities. Detailed joining instructions will be sent out nearer the time.
This training is free of charge. Please fill out the Google form if you wish to attend or email Suzanne with any questions.

Coach CPD - Adapting O coaching for ASN/younger children
2026-03-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
David Robertson and Suzanne Robins-Bird will share their experience in creating resources and running sessions for those with additional needs and younger children.
Please register using the form by Monday 16th March if you would like to attend.

Young Coach Assistant Glenmore Lodge - 26th April
2026-04-26 10:00 - 16:00 | Aviemore area
A course combining theory and practical for juniors with some knowledge of orienteering (TD3 standard ), who are interested in helping with coaching in a club, squad, camp or school setting. This course is a fun and sociable introduction to aspects of coaching and is in 2 parts:

1.5 hours online (one evening during the week before the practical day)
A fun practical day (10am – 4pm) on Sunday 26th April 2026.
You are required to attend both parts to complete the course.

Cost:
The training is provided free of charge but you will be required to commit to a period of mentored volunteering.

Course Content:

Discussion around what to coach and how to coach orienteering; practical self and peer evaluated exercises.
Pre-requisites:
Competent orienteers at least at TD3; M/W14+
OTHER NOTES:

This course counts as a pre-requisite for the SCCO Level 5 Club Coach course.
MORE DETAIL:
This course will be held in Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore
Book online through the Google form by Fri 17th April or contact Suzanne Robins-Bird with any questions
