Sports Studies

Sport studies is an excellent course for students who wish to develop their knowledge on a variety of sports-based topics. This is a developmental course which requires students to study, and be assessed, in a variety of ways.

Over the duration of the course, students will cover 4 different topics: Contemporary Issues in Sport (theory), Developing Sports Skills (practical), Sports Leadership (practical and theory) and Sport in the Media (theory). All these units will allow students to be introduced to topics and issues that will allow them to grasp these key areas.

Physical Education [PE] Department – Overarching Curriculum Intent (September 2024) 

RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: 

To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress.  

PE Curriculum in Context: 

Our intention is to deliver an ambitious, inclusive and challenging curriculum that will stimulate students physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively within PE lessons. It will inspire our students to be confident, independent and inquisitive learners. Our aim is to promote a healthy active lifestyle focusing on enjoyment, a love of sport, physical activity and the importance of well-being. Giving students the ‘moral compass’ and values sport and physical activity promote, in order for them to thrive beyond the school gates and for the rest of their lives. 

With the increased use of modern technology, social media and the impact of Covid 19, research has shown that fundamental movement skills are lacking in our young people.  Social skills are also a concern.  PE at Rugby Free strives to fill in the gaps as well as improve these skills for all students. 

Communication, leadership and teamwork skills are developed, increasing students’ physical as well as mental health and well-being. 

We will provide the students of the Rugby area with a broad, inspirational curriculum that allows for opportunities to participate in competitive sport (team and individual) whilst ‘Physically Educating’ pupils, in an inclusive environment regardless of sporting ability.  

The department will continually push the importance of sporting values, such as, fairness and respect along with core British values. These will form the heart of the curriculum and will continually be revisited, along with opportunities to build character and resilience in pupils at every opportunity. 

Curriculum Aims: 

Our curriculum aims to: 

  • Instill and develop fundamental movement skills to give students the best chance of establishing and maintaining physically active lives both across a broad range of activities and in the long term. 

  • Give students full access to the National Curriculum for PE which is differentiated to meet students’ learning needs and styles. 

  • Implement the national curriculum for PE to ensure that all pupils: 

  • develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities. 

  • are physically active for sustained periods of time. 

  • engage in competitive sports and activities. 

  • lead healthy, active lives. 

  • Explore and develop the students’ physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills as well as promoting literacy and numeracy skills. 

  • Allow success to be experienced and exhibited for all students to encourage inclusion and independence. 

  • Provide students with the opportunity to express themselves physically, challenge themselves and others, experience different environments and activities, work together and release energy which will benefit the students’ mental health and lower anxiety levels.  

  • Allow students to achieve success in a variety of roles in PE such as leadership and officiating, not just practically. This will enhance their social and communication skills, self-belief as well as developing independent learners. 

  • Develop a healthy life-long love of sport and physical activity. 

Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them.   

We do this by: 

  • Providing fun and engaging PE lessons that are enjoyable, challenging, socially supportive and accessible to all. 

  • Exposing students to a variety of sports [both team and individual], physical activities and roles supported by passionate staff in lessons and after school during extra-curricular provision. 

  • Educating students into the mental benefits as well as the physical benefits of PE. 

  • Ensuring lessons are fully inclusive, nurturing students, promoting positive values, encouraging participation, as well as promoting excellence. 

  • Encouraging academic and personal progress through regular monitoring and assessment. 

  • Incorporating literacy and numeracy into PE lessons for cross curricular links and exploring new initiatives to get students more active. 

Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: 

  • Students who demonstrate the values of teamwork, passion, respect, determination, self-belief and honesty. 

  • Enthusiastic students who are motivated to take part in a wide variety of sports and physical activities both in and out of school. 

  • Hard-working students who are committed to fully developing and exploring their ideas. 

  • Resilient learners who reflect on their work, and the work of others in order to make progress. 

  • Physically and mentally aware students who understand the importance of being physically active and how to regulate their own mental health through physical activity. 

  • Ethically conscious students with values and morals. Moral traits such as kindness, respect, fairness, honesty and an appreciation of others. 

Curriculum Outcome: 

As a result of our curriculum, students will leave RFSS with a strong knowledge of a wide range of sports along with health and fitness ideas, on how to maintain a lifelong healthy and active lifestyle.  

They will leave wanting to be physically active, maintaining a lifelong involvement in sports and physical activity through participation, leadership or officiating. 

They will also leave knowing the importance of being physically active to their mental as well as physical health and with the social and communication skills combined with the self-confidence and independence needed to be successful in the future. 

Students who take the academic route through sport have an ability to gain employment within sport and gain access to Colleges/Universities. This will give them the opportunity to further study sport related courses and to supplement their understanding of the human mind and body and how it reacts to physical activity.

What are they learning?

Sport Studies

R184: Contemporary issues in sport. 

Students will explore and understand a range of topical and contemporary issues in sport, including learning about participation levels and barriers to completing sporting activities. Students will also learn how participation is impacted by the promotion of values and ethical behaviour, about the role of high-profile sporting events, the role of national governing bodies and how technology is used in within sport.

R185: Performance and leadership in sports activities.

Students will have an opportunity to develop their skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferable skills. They will work both independently and as part of a team, including communicating with team mates as well as being in front of an audience when they perform. They will perform under pressure, both as a participant and as a leader, and will use their initiative to solve problems and make decisions. Finally, they will deal with rapidly changing conditions and situations. They put their knowledge into practice by planning and delivering safe and effective sporting activity sessions. They then have the opportunity to review their own performance.

R187: Increasing awareness of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities.

In this unit students will understand how to find out information about what opportunities there are in their local area as well as nationally in the UK for all different types of outdoor/adventurous activities. They will learn how to enjoy the activities safely by finding out what equipment, clothing, facilities and technology they need, as well as completing planning to help keep them safe. Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of outdoor/adventurous activities and then evaluate their performance and the positive impact/benefits these activities have.

The OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Sport is a vocational / practical based course. It is designed to give students grounding into all areas of the sports industry. The course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the sports industry and the skills and knowledge required to pursue a career within the sports industry.

We offer 2 pathways at RFSS, the Extended Certificate, which is equivalent to 1 A Level as well as the Diploma, which is equivalent to 2 A Levels.

Within the Extended Certificate you would cover the following units:

2 Examination Units:

· Unit 1 – Body Systems and the effects of physical activity

· Unit 3 – Sports organisation and development

3 Coursework Units:

· Unit 2 – Sports coaching and activity leadership

· Unit 18 – Practical Skills in sport and physical activities

· Unit 17 – Sports injuries and rehabilitation

If you choose the Diploma (2 A Levels), you would complete a further

1 Examination Unit:

· Unit 4 – Working safely in sport exercise health and leisure

5 Coursework Units:

· Unit 13 – Health and fitness testing for sport and exercise

· Unit 5 – Performance analysis in sport and exercise

· Unit 19 – Sports psychology

· Unit 8 – Organisation of sports events

· Unit 11 – Exercise for specific groups

Sports is a vast industry within the UK, that has numerous options for employment for young people. This could be coaching or personal training, sports administration and organisation, or sport science. Students completing Level 3 Sport and Activity have a range of options available to them, including employment in any of these industries, or further study at University or College.

Strength and Conditioning Coach / Police / Army / Armed Forces Training and Education Officer / Health and Lifestyle Coach / Personal Trainer / Sports Development Officer / Grass Roots Coach / Sport Centre Manager / Sports Coach / Athlete / Sports Therapist / Sports Media / Youth Worker / Outdoor Activity Manager/Coach / Dance Teacher / Sports Administrato