Shared knowledge across Cambridge Nationals Sport and Health and Social Care

Kate Thompson, Physical Education and Sport Subject Advisor

In this blog I’ll share some of the links I have found between the Cambridge Nationals in Health and Social Care and Sports Studies and Sports Science. 

If you are in the position of teaching both a Cambridge Nationals sport qualification (either Sports Studies or Sports Science) and the Cambridge Nationals Health and Social Care then you may well be aware that there are quite a few areas where the teaching content is very similar across the qualifications. 

This transferable knowledge means that students who are studying both subjects can really cement their knowledge and understanding, but also means that those teaching both subjects have more examples to share in both subjects.

Life events and injuries

Everyone will at some point suffer from some sort of injury. Unit R033 for Cambridge National Health and Social Care, Supporting individuals through life events, looks in detail at how these injuries affect people long term and result in a change in their needs, such as weight loss and gain and possible resulting mobility issues. 

Linking nicely into this is Sport Sciences unit R180, Reducing the risk of sports injuries. This unit looks into how injuries happen, what steps we can take to try and prevent them and the therapies that are available to help recovery.

Activity planning

Sport Science, Sports Studies and Health and Social Care all require the students to plan a session or activity. For Sports Science (unit R181) it’s a personal training program, for Sports Studies (unit R185) it’s an activity session and for Health and Social Care it’s a creative activity session (R034) or a health promotion campaign (R035).

The type of activity isn’t important as the steps students need to go through are the same. They have to look at the facilities available to them, who their target audience is, what equipment they have available to them. And for all the units students need to produce risk assessments, plans, reviews and evaluations. 

This is a great opportunity for your students to develop their confidence in their own ability. They should be able to draw on their experience in the other subject to help inform and implement the suggested changes to gain higher marks. 

If giving feedback and evaluations are a difficulty for your students, you might find our blog on supporting students with peer assessment and providing feedback useful.

Active lifestyle campaigns

The benefits of physical activity and the encouragement to adopt an active lifestyle are promoted by lots of organisations and sports governing bodies. Examples of these campaigns are This Girl Can, Mental Health Awareness week and Race for Life. Sport Studies (units R184 and R186) and Health and Social Care (unit R035) both look at campaigns that encourage individuals to be more active, with Health and Social Care looking in greater detail at the current challenges facing public health. 

Unit R184, Contemporary issues in sport, can also work with R033, R034 and R035 as they all look at barriers to participation in sport and activity. 

Unit R186, Sport and the media, can also link to R033, R034 and R035 when considering the needs of a healthy lifestyle and person-centred values, which can be promoted through sport and physical activity.

In conclusion

These are some of the major knowledge crossover points I have found when looking at these three qualifications. However, you will find many other areas where the knowledge lends itself nicely to each subject even if not directly linked. Do share your thoughts.

Stay connected

Share your thoughts and comments below. If you have any questions, you can email us at support@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_PhysEd or @OCR_Health. You can also sign up to subject updates to receive information about resources and support.

About the author

Kate Thompson joined OCR in November 2021 having taught for 18 years at primary and secondary school level. Within that time she held various positions including Head of Department and School Sports Coordinator. Kate took 3 years out of teaching to work in South Africa at a University in their sports department and to manage the set-up of a Non-Government sports development project, working in the local township schools.