I chose PE because it was a subject I really enjoyed at GCSE. I felt I was good at it, and I’ve always taken part in sport since I was very young. I was familiar with the PE staff at Blue Coat and the way they teach, as well as their expectations. Teachers have high standards and expectations which motivates you to keep on top of your work. I particularly liked the science behind PE such as physiology and psychology. PE is a mixture of practical work and theory. The practical work gets assessed on your ability to work in a team and individually at your chosen sport. You must officiate and coach a sport as well as taking part in an outdoor adventurous activity such as ghyll scrambling. The rest of the course is theory which includes, the structure and organisation of sport, coaching and leadership, psychology and physiology. We did ghyll scrambling at the end of year 12; an activity which you have to do as a team and everyone must support each another and follow instructions. For my work shadowing in year 12 I was with a local physiotherapist. I saw a variety of different treatments including Pilates, to help rehabilitation after injury. This hands-on experience confirmed my decision to continue with my long-term career goal to work as a physio.
I am studying Sport and Exercise Science at university. The course covers psychology, physiology and biomechanics – these are the topics I enjoyed most in PE. I want to work in physiotherapy eventually and I could have done a course in that, but I also wanted to keep my options open in sports psychology and or sport nutrition.
The final exams are early in January of year 13 so you need to work hard right from the start, make notes and start revising early in year 12. Don’t leave coursework to the last minute, coursework is a massive part of course so get it done at the first opportunity and read around the subject. Universities don’t want a list of your sports and sporting achievements, they want to know you are interested in studying the science behind sport. I would recommend starting with a book called ‘Endure’ by Alex Hutchinson.
The Blue Coat Sixth Form is proud to be part of the Cranmer Education Trust
Cranmer Education Trust is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity registered in England. Company registration number: 07687709. Registered Office: Cranmer Education Trust, c/o The Blue Coat School, Egerton Street, Oldham OL1 3SQ. The website address is www.cranmereducationtrust.com and the phone number 0161 785 5082.