First Half Term Review from Community Sports College

As the first half term approaches, it is an important time to reflect on the last six weeks at the college.  We have yet again grown in numbers in not only our Further Education offering, but also in our Higher Education programme.  Our partnership with the University of South Wales has enabled us to have two cohorts of Foundation Degree students studying Sport Coaching & Development, not only do our students learn theoretically around coaching & development but have been given placements in teaching, coaching, analysis and early years sessions. The main positive for us as a college, is to see our potential new employees for the Community Trust and for the Football Club.  Not many universities will have such ‘hands on’ experiences like our students do, and it is great to see them taking full advantage of this.

The BTEC programme goes from strength to strength every year, most notably this year with the introduction of our Level 2 programme.  This has created a link for school leavers to provide them with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for the Level 3 course, after one year.  After the effect that COVID has had on education in general, this is a key programme that we are so happy to be able to offer to students for the local area. 

Over the last six weeks, students from all courses have been given opportunities to build friendships, develop teamwork and start to build on leadership skills.  This was most notably seen during the first 2 weeks when they completed the NCS programme through the Trust.  It was great to be able to get the students away from campus and into different situations where they had to work together and overcome barriers or fears.  We are starting to see friendships forming and a real family vibe around the college where students are really supporting each other inside and outside of the classroom.

Last week saw the students rally together for World Mental Health Day, something we strongly support at the college.  With support from staff, the students were able to raise over £800.  This made me incredibly proud, and to see how much effort went into the day, these students really do amaze me each and every day.

On the pitch, we have seen varied results however, the team spirit and togetherness that is starting to form is something that we are really proud of.  The dedication to training and ability to take on advice has been impressive.  I believe the proudest moment of the year so far was our first ever college girls football match.  This is an area that we are incredibly passionate about developing and continue to put steps in place to allow female students the same opportunities as any other student on our courses.  Thankfully, we have built on an existing partnership with Myerscough College to jointly enter the AoC league. This has now allowed our girls to compete in weekly league fixtures giving them more of a purpose, and to develop them as players.

I know that this cohort of students will continue to do amazing things, and with support from our incredible staff team, it really does excite me for what is yet to come. 

Laura Went, Sport & Education Manager