Shelley College: Leisure Studies

Head of Department: Miss J Roberts

The Applied GCE in Leisure Studies will give you an understanding of the scope of the leisure industry, which includes sport and play to home-based leisure and shopping, cultural activities and even extreme sports. This course allows progression onto a university degree, or preparation for further training in the leisure industry and related occupations (such as travel and hospitality) workplace (and some within!).

"The Leisure Studies GCE is ideal for those who enjoy creating project-style work and investigating real situations, and who have an interest in exploring the breadth of the extremely varied and growing leisure sector.

The course will help develop students’ understanding of the structure of the leisure industry and the connections between its different parts, and give them an appreciation of the knowledge, understanding and skills required of those working in the industry. “ Edexcel Leisure Studies specification"

Course Content
AS Leisure Studies
Unit 1 The Leisure Industry: This unit offers an introduction to the scope of the leisure industry; to regional variations in participation, employment and spending in leisure; to funding and marketing of leisure activities

Unit 2 Working Practices in Leisure: Whilst investigating key health and safety legislation you will see the importance they play in ensuring the safety of both staff and customers, as well as equipping you with the knowledge to implement basic safety controls and procedures. You will get the opportunity to explore a range of quality awards available to the industry that will aid your understanding of the type of working practices that need to be implemented and maintained by organisations.

Unit 3 The Leisure Customer: Without customers the leisure industry would cease to exist. All customers are individuals and have different needs. These needs change and evolve so organisations are always looking to change and improve services to meet these changes. This unit gives you the opportunity to consider how the leisure industry has identified the customer, or consumer, as vital to the success of its provision and its future, and how the industry attracts customers and attempts to meet their needs.

A2 Leisure Studies
Unit 4 Leisure in Action
This unit gives you the opportunity to work as part of a team to plan, carry out and evaluate a leisure event. There are many events you can choose, for example a sporting event or an exhibition, however it must be a leisure-related event. This unit helps prepare you for employment in the leisure industry, for example in events management, offering you the opportunity to develop essential skills used in the workplace.

Unit 5 Employment in Leisure
It is often stated that people are the most important part of any organisation. This can be even more significant if people are working in a service industry such as leisure, as there is often no tangible product. A great customer experience is often down to the staff that serve the customer. Their attitude, commitment, product knowledge and enthusiasm can make an average experience a memorable one. This unit investigates the people who work in leisure.

Unit 6 Current Issues in Leisure
This unit will allow you to develop your own interest in leisure through the identification of an issue that will be the focus of a research project.

You will be able to reflect on the knowledge that you have already gained in the other units of this qualification and to appreciate how diverse the leisure industry is. Your chosen issue will be leisure orientated but may allow you to extend your research into further, appropriate related areas, such as the sport or recreation industries.

How will I be assessed?
Units 1,3,4,6 are coursework and units 2 and 5 are exams.