BA (Hons) Sport and Physical Education

Why study this subject?

Physical education at an early age helps build the foundations for an active and successful life in the future. If children have experiences that feel fun, positive and engaging, they’re more likely to pursue their goals, and with your degree knowledge and your ideas, you play an essential role.

The role you will take post-graduation is a very important one, and the opportunity to have a formative influence on someone’s life is unique to the profession. After graduation you could be teaching children or mentoring young people, either as a PE teacher, sports coach or community worker. This is a big responsibility and you need to be properly prepared.

In addition to becoming a PE teacher or coach your experience may lead you to take on a teacher role in other subjects further on in your career if you choose to do so. Your role puts you in a unique position to inspire and take up social causes important to you in the public domain.

Within your career as a sports coach or PE teacher you could end up being anything from an inspiration to future Olympians to reassurance for an anxious young person. Therefore, its important, and in many cases required, that you obtain a specialised degree in the subject.

Your exciting new journey of inspiration can start here with a sport and physical education degree from Buckinghamshire New University (BNU).

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

This course provides exciting career opportunities for those wanting to become a PE teacher, sports teacher or sports coach. It also offers a route towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

You can gain an understanding of physical education and youth sport, including applied coaching, child development, sports education policy and sports science through this degree, which will set you up well for a future career.

We teach skills that enable you to lead and inspire young people with physical education, sports science, improving fitness, performance and coaching. We will help you gain a more philosophical approach to diversity, child development, education and inclusion.

By studying this course at BNU, you’ll be given the opportunity to gain externally recognised qualifications in a variety of sports as well as apply for work experience within local schools, colleges, sports clubs and societies, subject to a DBS check.

In addition there are plenty of ways to enhance your knowledge by taking part in extracurricular sports and societies which are provided for free, as part of our Big Deal scheme.

Studying at BNU, you’ll also get access to:

• student membership costs at our outstanding gym as well as access to our sports hall and facilities to increase your experience
• a wide range of sports clubs and sports societies to get involved in and meet new people
• a modern, well-resourced Human Performance Lab, with cutting edge industry standard equipment
• a coaching development curriculum
• an extensive student support system to strengthen your learning
• strong links with an outstanding network of schools and colleges
• the opportunity to apply your skills in a real-world simulated environment

You have the peace of mind that obtaining your degree from BNU will help set you up on your way to a future career in physical education, coaching and mentoring.

What facilities can I use?

Our Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre includes our Human Performance Lab (HPL) and our Sports and Wellbeing Clinic.

Equipped for assessing the function and performance of a wide range of human physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters, the HPL gives you the tools you need to succeed as you learn to use cutting-edge research tools for sport, exercise and therapy.

It includes an indoor three-lane running track that incorporates 3D motion-capture technology as well as advanced body and performance measurement devices.

Our facilities will help you to enhance athletes’ performance through improved technique and assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation. This will give you a key understanding of what an athlete in the field expects to experience after your teaching and coaching.

Our facilities can be used to adjust and review ongoing fitness and training plans and is directly relevant to your course, as it focuses on providing measurements to base personal improvement goals on.

We also have our Gateway gym, on our High Wycombe Campus, where you can benefit from great student rates. You’ll be able to get personalised help and advice from gym trainers, use a range of fitness equipment and choose from a wide range of exercise classes.

What will I study?

In this sport and physical education course, you’ll understand the national curriculum at primary and secondary school level, including major games, outdoor and adventure activities and how to teach them effectively. This course is perfect for an aspiring PE teacher or sports coach and has been structured to help you build your skillset towards your first job.

You’ll learn how to be a coach, a mentor, an educator and an inspiring role model. You will be involved in key youth sports issues, for example sustaining sports participation into adulthood, the obesity crisis and the need to promote physically active lifestyles and more. In this course you will understand the important role a PE teacher and coach plays in development of a person.

Across your three years here, you’ll have the chance to master subjects such as:

• physical education
• sports coaching
• sports within society
• diversity and wellbeing
• child development
• energy and nutrition

In your final year, you’ll also work with a lecturer to produce your final dissertation project, which will reflect an area within sport and physical education that you’re particularly passionate about.

You will also be able to study the skills needed to have a complete background to move onto PGCE or QTS teacher training or become a community sports coach.

Through the coaching studies modules, you could gain National Governing Body qualifications in a variety of sports. Undertaking this course also enables you to enhance the development of practical skills and teaching capabilities while at university.

You will be equipped with the skills to respond to the changing demands of physical education, combining both the practical and theoretical study of the techniques and skills involved in the teaching of sport. Students will learn the skills to be an effective sports leader and teacher at secondary, college and primary school level.

The professional development and employability module will encourage you to prepare for progression into suitable roles or QTS training opportunities after graduation. In addition it also prepares you for further postgraduate study.

As part of the physical education course you will also analyse the physical development of young people and the contribution of sport, exercise and movement to this development.

How will I be taught and assessed?

The BA (Hons) Sport and Physical Education course uses a continuous assessment method because it is coursework and practice based.

Assessment tasks are used as far as possible to link theory with practice, assessing knowledge and understanding alongside subject-specific skills as your modules are completed.

Team working is incorporated into the course to help you engage in more complex projects, getting you familiar with how you’ll work with colleagues in your future career.

Assessments are 100% coursework-based and often carried out in the following ways:

• essays
• reports
• case study analysis
• presentations
• reflective writing and portfolios
• team projects
• lab sessions
• production and delivery of coaching plans

Placements Plus

BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student, to increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.