“FIRST JUDGES APPROVED THROUGH JUDGES EDUCATION PROGRAMME”
“The first judges have been approved to award Challenge Certificates via the Judges Education Programme (Breed Shows), following assessments which took place on 21 April at The Kennel Club Building, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
This milestone in the new judges training scheme involved two breed-specific assessments for Border Terriers and Welsh Springer Spaniels. The assessors for Border Terriers were breed specialists Ronnie Irving and Hilary Gilpin with Stuart Plane as the non-breed specialist assessor. In the afternoon Tom Graham and David Howarth were the Welsh Springer Spaniel breed assessors with Jeff Horswell as the non-breed specialist assessor.
Nine candidates attended the assessments and each judged a mock class of five dogs and were asked to place the dogs in order and justify their placings via a written critique. Two thirds of the candidates, most of whom were breed specialist judges, successfully passed the assessments to be listed at Judges Education Programme (JEP) Level 4 to award CCs to their respective breeds.
In order to qualify to sit the Breed Specific Assessment, candidates need to have met the JEP Level 3 requirements, which include:
Having attended a Breed Appreciation Day for their respective breed and passed a multiple-choice exam on the breed standard
Completing a minimum of three mentoring sessions with acknowledged breed experts
Being observed judging a breed club Open Show or championship show without CCs of a breed supported entry show
Judging a minimum number of dogs dependent on the judging tier in which the breed is listed
Successful judges will be listed on The Kennel Club’s Find a Judge website as approved to award CCs to the breed and are not required to complete any further paperwork or assessments prior to The Kennel Club approving any subsequent nominations for the respective breed.
Mark Beazley, Chief Executive at The Kennel Club said: “We are delighted that we have our first judges approved to award CCs through the Judges Education Programme. With Covid and other restrictions causing delays, this has been particularly frustrating for all concerned, however this milestone is a testament to the efforts of breed clubs, breed education co-ordinators, mentors, observers and assessors and we thank all these people for giving up their time to support the JEP.”
Further assessments are planned, and more will be arranged as sufficient people progress to JEP Level 3 within the breed they wish to judge. The Kennel Club is liaising closely with Breed Education Co-ordinators to plan these events.”
The NWGRC fully support the JEP and if any prospective/ or people who have already started judging require any further information about JEP. Please contact me via email g.erving@ymail.com
Graham Erving BEC for the North West Golden Retriever Club.
NORTH WEST GOLDEN RETRIEVER CLUB 