Sports Coaching

This Foundation Degree will prepare you for a career in Sports Coaching. You will gain experience applying your knowledge and skills in a wide variety of sporting activities enabling you to not just learn the academic theories, but actively put them into practice. You will have the opportunity to experience coaching in a large array of sports such as football, hockey, basketball, netball, cricket, badminton and many more.

Six key themes run throughout the course:

Practical coaching
Anatomy and physiology
Sports development
Sports psychology
Physical education and school sports
Performance analysis
As you learn the academic theories across these areas, you will experience placing these overarching themes in a practical context across a wide variety of sporting activities. This will develop you as both an informed and skilled coach.

The programme has strong industry links and students on the course are able to specialise in a range of sports. You will benefit from guest lectures and visits such as sport scientists, elite coaches, performance analysts and from off-site visits.

Coaching certificates

You will also have the opportunity to undertake UK Coaching Certificates (UKCC) Level 1 and 2 (or higher should you already have Level 1 or 2 coaching qualifications) as part of the course at no additional cost (subject to meeting minimum attendance requirements).

Top up degree

After successful completion of this Foundation degree, there is the potential to progress onto a top-up degree.

The course duration is two years full-time.

Work-based learning is a significant part of the course. You will undertake 140 hours on placement – which we will either help you to find or you may already be working in a suitable role or have your own contacts. You will also take part in practical sessions both on and off- campus where you will benefit from observing and working alongside qualified coaches covering a range of sports.

All students take a total of 120 credits per level.

Modules include:

Level 4 Modules (all modules are mandatory) include:

Fundamentals of Coaching Children
Introduction to Sports Coaching
Exercise Physiology 1
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
Managing Sport
Introduction to Sports Development
Level 5 Modules (there are 4 mandatory modules and 3 optional modules as indicated by * of which you will choose 1) include:

Sport and Exercise Psychology
Sports Coaching and Leadership
Sport Placement
Enterprise in Sport
Physical Education and Sport*
Performance Analysis*
Optional modules

If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this may not be offered. If an optional module will not be run, we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Work placement

During the course you are required to spend at least 140 hours working in a relevant role in order to improve your knowledge and practice of the subject. This may be through paid employment or via a voluntary work placement in a relevant role. Your work placement is expected to have a focus on applying the knowledge from your degree programme in an employment context.

Please note: work placements are subject to availability. You are also responsible for any costs in travelling to and from your work placements, for any accommodation costs and in some instances the cost of acquiring a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) report.

Throughout the course a full range of assessment techniques will be used. You could be assessed by examinations (including open-book examinations), practical assessments, assignments, briefs, essays, presentations (including group presentations), reports, and portfolio building.

Each module is formally assessed through, for example, examination, open-book test, individual and group presentation, essay, observation of practice, assessment of course work (e.g. a written report), reflective practice, and portfolios of evidence. This formal assessment will count towards your module mark and feedback is usually given within three weeks of your formal submission of work.

Additionally, some lecturers will provide informal feedback, for example, following an examination they may choose to work through the exam paper in a tutorial. It should be noted that feedback is part of the ongoing learning cycle which is not limited to written feedback. Other forms of feedback include one-to-one meetings with a personal tutor, dissertation and project supervision meetings, a lecturer responding to learner questions or responses during topic or situation discussions.

Feedback is intended to help you learn and you are encouraged to discuss it with your module tutor.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS