Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching & Development
About The Course
This qualification is ideal for students who are interested in pursuing a career in the sports industry. This unique programme will give you the opportunity to tailor your course to your area of interest where you will have the choice of one of two sports pathways: Sports Coaching or Sport, Exercise and Fitness.
You will study core modules as well as modules specific to your pathway and have the opportunity to gain a specific additional qualification that will enable you to access employment in this area.
You will learn in dedicated classrooms equipped with interactive learning technology, with access to high-quality facilities including a full-sized Sports Hall, a fully-equipped fitness centre and a separate strength and conditioning facility. You will also learn through a range of relevant trips, visits and guest lectures.
Why BCA?
At BCA we have:
- 100% pass rate across all sports programmes
- 95% of our students go on to full-time employment or further higher education
- Excellent links with local sports clubs including our Football Academy partnership with Maidenhead FC.
Entry Requirements
Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English, maths and preferably PE and science. A Level 2 Diploma in Sport at Merit/Distinction grade (or equivalent) and GCSE English and maths at grade 4 or above will also be considered.
Applicants must demonstrate a genuine interest in pursuing a career in this industry.
More information
The full two-year programme is equivalent to three A levels, preparing the students to progress onto Higher Education studying a range of subjects at University such as Sports Therapy, Sports Management, Sports Science & Coaching, Sports Teaching, and many more.
Alternatively, this course is the perfect preparation for students wishing to go into employment or an apprenticeship in the sport and/or fitness industry.
Over the duration of the two-year course, you will study a wide variety of modules developing your skills and knowledge in a range of sports-related disciplines.
Students must study all of the following core modules:
- Health, Wellbeing and Sport
- Applied Coaching Skills
- Research Project
- Sport Development
- Sport Psychology
- Nutrition for Physical Performance
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Sporting Injuries
- Functional Sports massage
- Fitness Testing
- Fitness training
- Technical and Tactical Skills
- Influence of Technology in Sport
Plus a selection of further modules including:
- Sports Massage
- Sports Injuries
- Instructing Physical Activity
- Sport as a Business
- Physical Education and the Care of Children & Young People
- Talent ID
This is a fast-paced course that will help you develop subject-specific skills as well as interpersonal skills. You will need to have a relatively good level of fitness in order to meet the practical requirements of the course. The course makes full use of the excellent facilities:
- Modern classrooms, fully equipped with IT support
- 3 full-size football pitches & a full-sized rugby pitch
- A state of the art sports hall, incorporating 4 badminton courts, a full-sized basketball court and cricket nets
- Indoor and outdoor climbing facilities
- High & low rope courses
- Archery range
- A fully-equipped fitness centre and a separate strength and conditioning facility
Uniform and PPE: All Sports students will be required to purchase the compulsory BCA kit, which is appropriate for their programme. You are only expected to purchase 1 kit bundle, so if you are part of an Academy, please order the specific academy kit, as detailed below. We try to keep all compulsory kit bundles to a minimum cost and then give the option for you to purchase additional items. Clean, practical kit must be brought in every day.
Please click on the link below to place your online kit order.
Non-Academy Sports Students
www.clubwebshop.com/a-z/clubs/bca/club-bundles
You will have to register and create an account before ordering.
Football Academy
www.mufcdirect.co.uk/collections/mufc-academy-bca
Netball Academy
www.hawkinsport.co.uk/schools/berkshire-college-agriculture
Rugby Academy
www.hawkinsport.co.uk/schools/berkshire-college-agriculture
Returning students are very welcome to order another complete bundle, however, you will already have some kit from last year, so you may decide just to order a few additional items. Please email Nicky Cornelius, Curriculum Assistant nacornelius@bca.ac.uk for the specific link to order individual items.
Stationery: All students will be required to bring appropriate stationery and a notebook to all lessons. We advise students to purchase a ring binder folder to keep class notes and resources in, for future reference. BCA does not supply pens, pencils, rulers, or notepads.
All students will be required to bring their own set of headphones for blended learning sessions. The headphones do not need to be expensive but must be PC compatible.
Students will begin on a one-year Foundation Diploma, equivalent to 1.5 A-Levels. Successful completion of year one will lead to progression onto the second year where they will study an additional 90 credits to achieve an Extended Diploma, equivalent to three A-Levels. Students will also have the opportunity to gain further qualifications in leadership, coaching and fitness instructing.
The course will develop individuals’ knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines which develop an in-depth understanding of how optimum sporting performance can be achieved. This is designed for individuals who are keen to develop their own sporting performance or those who want to pursue a career developing elite athletes.
Sports Studies students may have the opportunity to complete additional qualifications as part of their study programme. The training for these qualifications will form part of the course syllabus, however, the actual exam will be optional and will incur an additional cost. We will notify you of any details relating to these courses as and when necessary.
This course is fully internally assessed which will be via a variety of methods including:
- Presentations
- Written reports
- Practical observations
- Discussions
- Debates
- Projects
- Tests
One week of external work placement in the sports industry is required in each year of study. We actively encourage students to find their own industry placement near to home, but BCA will support you if required. All employers accepting industry placement students will be visited beforehand to ensure that they comply with health and safety regulations and also have the correct insurance cover in place.
BTEC
