Physical Education, Sport and Activity BA (Hons) top-up
Why choose this course?
This exciting and innovative Physical Education, Sport and Activity (PESA) BA (Hons) top-up provides practitioners in the field of sports, physical education and active health with the opportunity to achieve a degree award whilst remaining in employment. It involves higher level learning within both Kingston University and the workplace and enables learning in one environment to be applied in the other.
Kingston University's School of Education has successfully delivered BA (Hons) top-up courses in a range of subjects since 2003, working in partnership with employers and organisations.
The BA (Hons) top-up year, focusses primarily on the wider, socio-political context on which PESA operates. You will explore inclusive practices that meets the diverse needs of all young people, learning from demographic groups who have historically not reaped these benefits.
| Attendance | UCAS code | Year of entry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year full time | X115 | 2020 |
| Location | Penrhyn Road |
Reasons to choose Kingston University
- You'll be able to continue in employment while studying and effectively apply theory to practice.
- Work-based learning will allow you to gain full-time student status with part-time attendance at university (one evening per week).
- This course will equip you with the skills needed to be a leader in a range of fields related to physical education and youth sport. You'll graduate ready to take on enhanced roles in the workplace, such as positions in management.
What you will study
All modules relate to inclusive, developmental practice. Students must be in paid or unpaid work for a minimum of 16 hours per week to enrol on and complete the course.
Modules
You will learn how to mentor and coach other practitioners, how to operate effectively in the commercial world, and how sport and physical activity is approached in different countries. You will also gain an understanding of the structures, strategies and compliance within youth sport.
Core modules
Leading and Managing Change (Capstone Project)
30 credits
In this module students will develop the skills needed to lead PESA in their setting. Students will have the opportunity to focus on an area of practice, which could include supporting the professional development of a colleague or developing an aspect of the curriculum. As the Capstone Project for the course it offers students an opportunity for in depth study in their field of work. The module is intended to offer a synopsis of each students' learning journey to date by offering an opportunity to draw upon and apply their learning to impact on either staff or curriculum development.
Students will have the opportunity to explore theory and research on change management and leadership. This will support their career progression by engaging with issues in and around managing change. Students will draw from a range of sectors and fields including business and psychology. This will be accompanied with an in depth look at a range of work skills such as project management and action planning.
The module will explore theories and research around professional development and mentoring. Likewise, different approaches to developing a curriculum will be critically examined in relation to relevant and recent literature.
As a Capstone Project, the module is completed over the course of the year. The module is introduced at the start of the year and then revisited at intervals throughout the year.
PESA Enterprise and Business
30 credits
The PESA Enterprise and Business module offers students an opportunity to explore PESA from a commercial perspective. This is done for two reasons; education can learn lessons from commerce about customer care and the customer experience. This can support the universal goal of PESA; ensuring that more children and young people develop a physical activity habit. Secondly, the course acknowledges that the PESA landscape is highly commercialised and we want our students to be able to operate effectively in such a landscape. We are also aware that many students are either currently or may aspire to be, involved in commercial operations such as holiday camps providers or soccer schools.
In this module students will consider commercial opportunities in the field, look in depth at small, medium and large operators and examine possible tensions that may exist between the goals of commercial organisations and personal values and philosophies. During the module students will analyse fundamental aspects of managing a business to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to run their own commercial entity if they so wish.
School, Youth and Community Sport
30 credits
During this module students will look in depth at the policy landscape impacting on youth sport in all its forms in the UK. Students will examine the role of key publicly funded and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who operate in and shape the sector. Students will examine the infrastructure to support competitive youth sport. They will further consider the pathways for children and young people to progress into high level, ‘elite' sport, as well as ‘sport for good'. Pathways in and through elite sport will be critically reviewed. For example students will be questioned as to the impact this type of sports experience might have on young people's physical, social and psychological development as well as the impact it might have on the young athlete's family. To ensure understanding of sport for good, students will look in detail at a range of organisations that use sport to support positive social outcomes. Finally, students will reflect on their own experiences and examine literature which explores the impact of performance sport on the family unit. To arrive at a deeper understanding of how PESA is used, students will critically review the common assumptions made about sport and its relationship with everyday life and attempt to trace these assumptions to their ideological roots.
International Perspectives
30 credits
The International Perspectives module is designed to allow students to develop a global outlook. It is an important area of study for a number of reasons; employability - sport and education, like all sectors is becoming increasingly borderless. Many UK teachers and coaches work in different countries around the world. This module gives students a head start by having the opportunity to examine the key issues with working in different countries, and will look at a range of approaches and philosophies that are prevalent. Students will develop greater understanding and empathy with different traditions found within PESA. PESA will therefore be used as a tool for understanding varying cultural manifestations of world philosophies. Similarity will be explored as much as cultural variance.
This module allows for students to build on the academic skills in particular developing criticality. To support this, the formative assignment will consist of a critical reflection of a text. Students will be introduced to the process of reading beyond the words. They will be supported by way of question prompts to help them ask different questions of the written word.
The information above reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. Updates may be made on an annual basis and revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year. The regulations governing this course are available on our website. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this may not be offered.
Foundation year
Entry requirements
Teaching and assessment
Who teaches this course?
Teaching on the course is undertaken by lecturers and tutors who are actively engaged in national and international research projects. This ensures that you are fully involved with ‘cutting edge' theories and emerging issues that impact upon practice, making this an exciting and dynamic programme of study.
Facilities
University sessions comprise of classroom-based workshops and practical sessions. The course is based at Kingston's modern and well equipped Penhryn Road Campus and the practical sessions take place over the road at Surbiton High School.
Course fees and funding
After you graduate
Upon graduation, students will be able to access and progress in a range of employment routes that are degree dependent, such as teaching. It should be noted that the Physical Education, Sport and Activity (PESA) BA (Hons) top-up does not incorporate recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). However, it does allow graduates to progress to attain QTS via one of the four options that are currently available at Kingston University:
- PGCE
- Assessment Only
- School Direct
- Teaching Apprenticeship
In addition to teaching options graduates will enhance their career prospects in other settings and organisations that focus on children and young people's involvement in PESA. These include, leisure services providers; grassroots and elite sports clubs; national and local government bodies such as UK Sport or London Sport; local, national and international charities who use the medium of sport for various social outcomes, such as Coaches Across Continents and Street Games to name but two.
Students will also explore opportunities with organisations in which physical activity is used to enhance public health such as the leading obesity treatment organisation, MoreLife. The inclusive nature of the degree will equip students to work successfully and pursue careers working with a broad range of demographic groups and populations.
