Sport
The Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Sport is intended to be an Applied General qualification for post-16 students wanting to continue their education through applied learning, and who aim to progress to higher education and ultimately to employment, possibly in the sport sector. The qualification is equivalent in size to one A level and aims to provide a coherent introduction to study of the sport sector at this level.
Why study this course?
The study of sport particularly encourages the development of skills and behaviours such as team working, leadership, performance analysis, resilience, evaluation, analysis and synthesising concepts. These skills are developed through the variety of approaches to teaching and learning enabled by the specification.
How is the course assessed?
Everyone taking this qualification will study three mandatory units:
● Anatomy and Physiology (assessed by a 1.5 hour external written exam)
● Fitness Training and Programming for Health, Sport and Well-being (assessed by a written task set and marked by Pearson and completed under supervised conditions)
● Professional Development in the Sport Industry. (assessed by internally marked assignment-based work)
In addition, students will undertake a further unit (Practical Sports Performance), in order to fulfil the requirements of the course. There is the option for some students to complete further units in Year 13 in order to gain credits for the Foundation Diploma Award.
Who is the course suitable for?
This is an interesting and challenging learning experience, linking key sporting ideas with practical performance and gaining insight into the relationships they have with each other. There is also the development of transferable skills including: decision making, psychological understanding of people, independent thinking, problem solving and analytical skills as well as thinking and acting under pressure. The study of BTEC Sport opens up a range of possibilities for further study and careers associated with the subject.
Progression options
BTEC Sport is an excellent base for a university degree in sports science, sports management, healthcare, or exercise and health. It can also complement further study in biology, human biology, physics, psychology, nutrition, sociology and many more. BTEC Sport can open up a range of career opportunities including: sports development, sports coaching, physiotherapy, personal training or becoming one of the next-generation of PE teachers. The transferable skills you learn through your study of Physical Education, such as decision making and independent thinking are also useful in any career path you choose to take.