Foundation degree advice

[tensmum1964]

My daughter is quite capable of doing a degree on an academic level and will have the required Ucas points however she wants to do a degree in Sport coaching and hasn't really done much sport since her GCSE year. She was very good at sport and is physically fit and a bit of a gym bunny. The course is more about teaching sport and sport education so there are no requirements to be an elite sportsperson. Given that this is a change in direction for her. Would anyone be able to advise me please if doing a foundation year would be beneficial. She thinks it would as it would give her the opportunity to build her confidence and also establish if this is really what she wants to do in the long term. At the moment she wants to eventually become a PE teacher. I want to support her with whatever she thinks will work for her but having an outside perspective would be really helpful.

I doubt it is a requirement . What other entry qualifications would she have? Would she still have to take a pgce to teach afterwards?

A foundation year and a foundation degree are two very different things.

Does she have and sports qualifications? Have you checked the entry requirements or spoken to the course leaders?

I would say not. If she wants to build her confidence and check this is what she wants to do, she should do that during Y13 and summer before uni through volunteering or a sports coaching qual.
If she’s academically capable she’s likely to find the foundation year dull and you risk it putting her off uni. Depending on the uni it also might not include much sport and focus more on academic skills. If she wants to be a PE teacher she’ll need a PGCE so you’re already looking at 3 year degree and one year post grad so four years.

To answer a few questions; I am new to the whole foundation system but from what I can tell it is a foundation year rather than a foundation degree. I wasn't aware that there was a difference to be honest so will look in to that further. We have been to an open day at one of the Uni's that she is interested in and the course leader was very encouraging and felt that the foundation year would give her the opportunity to test the waters so to speak and gain some sports coaching qualifications before doing the degree. She doesn't have any sports coaching qualifications yet. The degree is a sports in education course so focuses on training students to teach/coach sport as well as academic area's such as anatomy, physiology etc. Her long term goal is to do a PGCE and become a PE teacher. Pre lockdown she wasnt really sure what she wanted to do in the future and lockdown occurred just as she was about to take her GCSE's. Her A level subjects are English, Drama and history so not related to sport at all. The whole Covid situation has left her feeling really unsure as before this she was thinking about applying for a performing arts degree but has now lost interest in that. At one point she thought about not doing a degree at all but now has developed an interest in the idea of being a PE teacher so I am trying to keep her motivated. I think like a lit of 17 yr olds, the last 18 months has really messed with her head in terms of her knowing what she wants.

What are the entry requirements for the degree - not the foundation year entry, the normal route? Sports degree soften need a science A level which she doesn't have so the foundation year might bridge that gap. But I wouldn't bother otherwise.

Coaching qualifications could be done through volunteering and a short course at weekends. She needs to look at the relevant sport association.

If I am reading/understanding the entry requirements correctly they stipulate 3 A levels at BBB- BBC or a Btec DDM but doesn't specifically require a Science. A level. Getting a sports coaching qualification and or volunteering in the summer is a possibility and something we could look in to. I have to be honest, although I have been through the Uni process before with my older son several years ago, he was very focussed and knew what he wanted to do so he just got on with it. My daughter is a different kettle of fish altogether so I am much more involved.