Physical Education and Sports Coaching (HTQ)

Do you aspire to become a sports coach (whether it be in primary and secondary schools or communities) or become an inspirational role model within a physical education setting? The future looks promising, as CIMSPA’s 2023 workforce insight report identified sports coaches remain the largest Sport and Physical Activity occupation in the UK, having added over 36,300 net new jobs between 2006 and 2019 (52% growth). Likewise, LifePilot forecasts there will be 4.3% more PE teacher jobs in 2027.

This two-year HTQ-approved Foundation Degree will help you develop transferable skills tailored for a diverse range of sporting settings, ensuring that you’re prepared for employment after graduating.

HTQs have been approved against employer developed standards, also known as occupational standards. This ensures that learners gain the skills that employers want, and employers can be confident that learners have the knowledge, skills and behaviours for a particular specialist role.

This motivating course has been designed with the Sports Coach occupational standard to develop the skills and attributes necessary to work in the Physical Education or Sports Coaching industry. In the first year of the course, you will explore how to coach individuals and teams, how to analyse performance and cater for individual needs, human anatomy and physiology and leading others in outdoor adventurous activities. There will be extensive practice of coaching others in schools and to wider community groups, which will serve as excellent preparation for those looking to become PE teachers in the future.

Year two will focus on developing your ability to plan, deliver and implement strategies to ensure safe and inclusive sessions, gaining a greater understanding of the requirements of teaching and coaching in different settings and a greater awareness of the impact of physical education and school sport for lifelong development. Year two will contain an opportunity for you to gain experience in a school, sports club or at a community sports club which will help you make an informed decision on your career aspirations on completion of the course.

Fundamentally, the course is designed to be highly practical enhancing your coaching skillset, developing your inter-intra-personal skills through exposure to different environments and encouraging the development of progressive programmes to maximise engagement, whole child development and accelerate skill acquisition in young people. This course will be excellent preparation for anyone wanting to become a PE teacher in schools or to work in sports clubs.

May include:
Yr1
Learning & Teaching through Outdoor Adventure Activities (20 credits) You will explore and develop greater insight on the current needs to provide students/participants a wider range of sports & activities. Experiences including a residential will aid to build on your current skills & knowledge in order to assist with leading a supervised outdoor education session to small groups.

Anatomy & Physiology (20 credits) This modul will develop your knowledge & understanding of the structure & function of human anatomy. You will cover the structure & function of relevant anatomical systems within the human body (skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory & energy systems), emphasising their responses to the demands of physical activity.

Analysing Sports Performance (20 credits) This introduction to the fundamentals of sports analysis enables you to analyse performance & identify strategies for improvement. This is an opportunity to apply analysis of performance across a range of sports & physical activities & develop your understanding of the role analysis plays in supporting educators, students, coaches & athletes.

Developing Physical Literacy Through Dance & Gymnastics (20 credits) Through this module you will experience dance & gymnastics practices at key stages 3 & 4 within the national curriculum of PE. You will gain an appreciation of the demands of a PE teacher on how to choreograph, perform & appreciate dance as an art form. You will also develop an understanding of the principles of movement, composing sequences, & the sequencing structure within a gymnastics routine.

Learning & Teaching Team Sports (20 credits) In this module you will explore a range of team sports in school or community sports settings. Spending dedicated time on different activities, you will gain the essential knowledge required to develop appropriate teaching & learning strategies..

Learning & Teaching Individual Sports (20 credits) In this module you will explore a range of individual sports in school or community sports settings. Spending dedicated time on different activities, you will gain the essential knowledge required to develop appropriate teaching & learning strategies.

Yr2
Inclusive Physical Education (20 credits) In this module you will explore a range of individual sports in school or community sports settings. Spending dedicated time on different activities, you will gain the essential knowledge required to develop your own teaching & learning strategies.

Contemporary Issues in PE, Sport & Physical Activity (20 credits) This module develops your comprehension of equality, diversity, & ways in which PE & sport coaching can overcome barriers to physical activity adherence & sports participation. You will evaluate how physical activity & healthy lifestyle choices can affect a range of public health agendas within a range of specialist populations.

Physical Education, Health & Lifelong Participation (20 credits) You will develop your awareness of the current physical activity & wellbeing recommendations, health trends & the government frameworks or initiatives in place offering support. This module will raise awareness of the whole child approach to education, physical literacy & the holistic benefits of whole child development. You will gain a greater understanding of physical activity, holistic wellbeing, the long-term benefits & the development of a healthy lifestyle (DfE PENC).

Professional Practice (20 credits) This module aims to increase your awareness of the requirements of working within sports settings & provide you with an opportunity to participate in & lead practical learning activities.

Pedagogical Principles of Sport Delivery (40 credits) Through this module you will gain greater knowledge of a range of teaching strategies typically used within sports delivery. You will apply learning theories, targeted interventions & behavioural management techniques into a classroom & practical based settings

The assessments within the programme have been designed to emulate the requirements of employment in an educational or sports coaching setting, they have been carefully designed to assess your competence in both coaching the skills needed for practical delivery and planning.

It has been designed to promote authentic assessment of your abilities so feedback provided can help sculpt you into the right candidate for employment on completion of the course. Assessments will focus less on the successful completion of exams or writing essays on practical competencies and instead focus on knowledge, creativity, teamwork, problem-solving and communicating effectively in a written or verbal manner.

Assessment methods are varied across the modules to support and enhance the application of theory to assessment practice and subsequently nurture employability skills of the future workforce for physical education teachers, assistants or coaches working in a school based or community setting.