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Due to the current situation, departmental curriculum plans are not currently available.
Here is the Cowley COVID resuming plan as an interim guide.
Curriculum aim
At Cowley, the BTEC First and BTEC National qualifications in Sport have an essential core of knowledge and applied skills. There is an external assessment in which the students have to explore the travel and tourism sector. This provides independent evidence of learning and progression alongside the predominantly portfolio-based assessment.
Our curriculum should give learners opportunities to link education and the world of work in engaging, relevant and practical ways. It should enable learners to enhance their English and mathematical competence in relevant, applied scenarios as well as support learners’ development of transferable interpersonal skills, including working with others, problem solving, independent study and personal, learning and thinking skills. Ultimately, it should give learners a route through education that has clear progression pathways to further study or an Apprenticeship.
Fundamentally, after completing this qualification we want our students to have an insightful understanding of how the body’s major systems adapt to training as well as giving the students experience of designing sport and exercise session and situations in a coaching/personal trainer/sports development context.
Curriculum structure
Our curriculum is organised to give our learners a core of underpinning knowledge, skills and understanding, and a range of options to reflect the breadth of pathways in a sector. This gives learners the opportunity to gain a broad understanding and knowledge of the Sport sector as well being able to investigate areas of specific interest. The curriculum is designed to develop essential skills and attributes prized by employers, further education colleges and higher education institutions.
Students studying Sport at Cowley will start their learning by studying towards and externally assessed unit which underpins their knowledge of the travel industry. Following that they study portfolio based units which culminate in a synoptic internal assessment which will require them to utilise all of the skills and knowledge they have acquired in previous units of work.
Curriculum in action
Curriculum Beyond the Classroom
Meeting sports professionals and visiting institutions in the sports sector is vital to understanding and developing skills in this industry. As a result we take our students on several industry visits including John Moores University Sports Laboratories, Sporting venues such Old Trafford, Anfield and Lords Cricket ground. The students have the opportunity to speak to professionals in the industry thanks to our association with St Helens Rugby Football League Club.
Subject Expertise
All staff delivering Sport have delivered the curriculum at Level 2 and Level 3 for over five years. All have relevant PE or Sport qualifications to at least degree level with several members of staff studying to post graduate level. All new members of staff are given a full set of resources and are supported in assessment via the internal verification process.
Destinations
There are mandatory units and optional units. Mandatory units, developed in consultation with employers and educators, give learners the opportunity to gain a broad understanding and knowledge of a vocational sector. Optional specialist units focus more closely on a vocational area, supporting
progression to a more specialised Level 3 vocational or academic course or to an Apprenticeship.
Staff delivering Sport will have an ongoing dialogue with students about career choices and opportunities. Very often staff receive latest information about new courses, work experience and employment opportunities. This is relayed to students and staff facilitate students in their application process.
The sector-specific skills and knowledge will provide a sound basis for progression to further study of this sector at level 3 through a vocational qualification such as a BTEC National in Sport, an apprenticeship or a Degree programme.