Latest news
Details of new Quest format revealed
The new format for the Quest assessment scheme has been revealed ahead of its launch date of 1 June.
There are significant changes to the way leisure centres are assessed by Quest, with the aim of making the process more flexible.
Three new levels have been introduced - Quest Entry is a one-day, operational assessment aimed at smaller and community sites; Quest Plus is a two-day process, which includes a one-day operational assessment; while Quest Stretch will feature an unannounced day-one assessment, plus a second day focussing on a centre's approach to measuring impact and outcomes.
According to Caroline Constantine, Quest operations director, there will also be a renewed focus on health and safety.
"Another new element is that we are introducing a health and safety threshold score," she said.
"If sites don't pass this, they won't pass their assessment. They will also have to know the impacts and outcomes their changes have made - for the first time Quest will be asking sites to measure the difference they make to their customer's lives."
Another new practice is that the minimum score an assessor can give will now be zero, rather than one. Historically, even poor sites could score 25 per cent just for signing up and very few failed.
A new website - www.questnbs.org - will launch on April 1 and includes a benchmarking spreadsheet, updated monthly, to allow sites to share best practice. The site will launch the guidance pack for Quest 2011 and provide further clarity on the day-two module choices.