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The Royal National College for the Blind
Sports Academy Prospectus, a guide to our specialist physical education for students aged 16+
Welcome to the Royal National College for the Blind from Mark Fisher, principal:
“Welcome to the RNC, a college that is as unique as you are. We aim to empower you with the skills and confidence to independently live the life you have dreamed for yourself. RNC is a friendly campus, offering an environment of encouragement, safety and fun. Here you will be provided with resources, support and opportunities to enjoy new learning experiences, while receiving an individual and specialist learning experience tailored just for you.”
Our aim:
To establish RNC as a centre of sporting excellence in the UK
Our mission:
To provide sporting opportunities at every level for those who are blind or partially sighted, enabling them to achieve their full potential and be the best they can be
Our partners:
British Blind Sport, Shrewsbury Town Football Club, England Golf, Goalball UK, British Judo and the Football Association.
Quote from Danny Mills, former England footballer:
“It’s about being the best you can be”
Our ambassadors:
David Clarke
Academy Patron. Former GB Blind Football Captain and England’s greatest goal scorer
Tony Larkin
Honorary President. Former GB Blind Football Coach, former professional footballer
Des Kelly
Sports Broadcaster and Journalist
Danny Mills
BBC and BT Sport Commentator and Pundit, former England, Leeds United and Manchester City player
Laura Perry
GB Women’s Goalballer, former RNC student
Dan English
England and GB Blind Footballer, former RNC student
Academy Memberships to suit you
Full Sports Academy Member:
As a full member of the Sports Academy you can enjoy up to eight hours a week of training dedicated to all aspects of your sport. This is designed to help you achieve your ambitions at elite level and could lead to you competing in international tournaments.
In addition to skills based coaching, you will study a sports focused course at a level specifically chosen to meet your needs.
Enrichment programme:
If you love sport but are interested in studying other subjects, this programme is perfect for you. The RNC Academy enrichment programme will allow you to progress up to elite level in yourchosen sport, including timetabled sports sessions, whilst studying the subjects of your choice.
Aspire programme:
Created for our students on the ASPIRE Study Programme, this membership is designed to help you gain practical experience and learn key life skills such as communication, mobility and teamwork through sport. You will leave RNC with a full range of skills to help you achieve your goals. For more information on ASPIRE please read our main prospectus.
Sport alongside your studies:
As part of the RNC Sports Academy you can study either one or a combination of sports on an individual programme tailored to your needs. The main sports on offer are B1 and partially sighted football, goalball, golf and judo. A wide variety of other sports are also available, including Boccia, cricket, athletics, netball, and tennis.
Coaching Sport:
RNC offers NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness and NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training. Study alongside your sport and learn the key coaching skills you will need to succeed. Strong partnerships with The FA and Goalball UK provide opportunities to gain FA Level 1 Certificate in Coaching and Football and Level 1 Coaching Blind Footballers, both of which offer lots of opportunities for progression.
Talent identification days:
If you are keen to progress your sport and show clear potential in training, the RNC Sports Academy will support you in attending talent identification days where scouts from the national teams will assess your potential.
Our Coaches
We work with you to ensure you reach your full potential in your sport. There are no limits, just opportunities to train with expert coaches and players from the GB squads to improve your skills and unlock your individual talents.
We provide a variety of opportunities to experience new sports and are at the forefront of development for visually impaired sports in the UK, working with the national governing bodies in sport, including The FA, IBSA, Goalball UK, England Golf, British Judo Association and British Blind Sport.
Aaron Ford:
Performance Manager and Lead Performance Coach – GB Women’s Goalball Squad and RNC Sports Academy Teacher and Coach.
An enthusiastic sportsman and qualified teacher and coach, Aaron has been competing in both team and individual sports since the age of six. Having worked with young people who are blind or partially sighted for over eight years, Aaron chose to specialise in Goalball.
Aaron’s passion for talent development led to his selection as performance coach for the national GB women’s Goalball squad and he is developing pathwaysat the Academy for students to progress from grass roots through to a professional level in both the men’s and women’s national squads.
Adam Bendall:
B1 Senior Assistant Coach - The Football Association and RNC Sports Academy Coach - Lead Co-ordinator football and golf.
Adam showed a flair for sport from a young age and was scouted by a range of Premier League clubs at the age of 11, choosing Cardiff due to his Welsh heritage.
After representing his country six times, and winning the Victory Shield for Wales, serious injury forced Adam to reconsider his sporting career. He joined Hereford United FC as their Disability Officer, achieving his Level 2 football badge and the UEFA B qualification. Adam plays a key role in developing students for B1 and B2/B3 football leagues and national squads, such is his passion for the game.
Dixie Dean:
RNC Sports Academy Coach – football
With a passion for football, Dixie is a former FA Coach and youth worker. In 1997 he combined these two aspects of his life and began coaching B1 and B2/B3 football at RNC.
Between 1999 and 2007, he was a sighted goalkeeper for the England Blind Football team and also coached the squad. Dixie continues to work as part of the College’s residential team and joined the Sports Academy as a coach in 2014.
John Pugh:
Head Coach – England and Great Britain Blind Football – The Football Association
At 17, John was selected as sighted goalkeeper for the England and GB Blind Football team and won over 100 caps. He is motivated by helping young people at all levels of ability to reach their full potential.
John proudly continues to work with the RNC Sports Academy, developing pathways for both regional and national competitions. As Head Coach for England and GB Blind Football, he is in an ideal position to do so.
John Lynch:
RNC Sports Academy Assistant Coach
Mark Fisher:
RNC Bulldogs VI cricket
Football
Blind Football is based on traditional5-a-side Futsal, but the pitch is surrounded by boards and the ball contains ball bearings to allow players to locate it by sound.
The first international blind football competitions took place in the late 1980s. Under the leadership of Tony Larkin, the first head coach of the blind and partially sighted team, RNC has been building on the last 25 years of experience to master training and development for the next generation of blind and visually impaired players.
Footballers at all levels are welcome at the RNC Sports Academy, in B1 to B2/B3 categories. Coaches will work with you to develop an understanding of spatial awareness, orientation and communication skills before supporting you out on the pitch. All of the basic principles of football are covered, including control, passing, dribbling and shooting, as instructors help you to develop your unique, personalised training programme.
There are opportunities to play in national leagues and our partnership with Shrewsbury Town Football Club gives you the opportunity to work with coaches from a professional team.
Brandon Coleman’s Story:
“I played 11-a-side football in Plymouth until I lost my sight at the age of 17 due to a condition called Leber’s Optic Neuropathy. I am left with only seeing a pixelated blur and distinguishing light and shade. There was no local option to play blind football, but once I started at RNC I got something back in my life from when I could see.
“My previous manager had no real belief in me, but here Adam has shown that he does have belief in my skills and abilities and has put a lot of effort into training me. I repay that by putting my commitment into football and it provides me with something to focus on outside of my other lessons.
“The possibility of training with England was something I never would have had in sighted football and I thrive off the idea of playing for my country one day. I went to St George’s Park to train with them in September 2015 for the first time – the feeling was unreal! My aim is to get my first cap playing for England.”
“From the set up at RNC to being surrounded by the England Team, I can now look forward to a promising future and up my game further.”
Goalball:
Goalball is one of the only sports with no sighted version. It was originally developed as rehabilitation for visually impaired World War II veterans.
The game is played by two teams of three players, male and female. All players wear eyeshades and the ball contains bellsto help players locate it. The object of the game is to score by bowling the ball along the floor, crossing the goal line of the other team.
As one of the highest representing clubs in the UK, RNC Goalball players currently compete at all three levels in the national league: novice, intermediate and elite. Players train five days a week for at least an hour in each session.
RNC has strong links with Goalball UK, hosting talent camps and international tournaments to help drive the sport and increase participation. Members of the GB male and female squads mentor RNC Sports Academy students, using their own first-hand experience to build confidence and nurture the next generation of sporting talent.
David Scott’s story:
“I always knew that RNC would help me to develop and provide more opportunities, but I can honestly say that it is a once in a lifetime chance that I have been given. It is not just me; this is being proven each year with more success stories and learners from RNC progressing at elite level in a range of individual and team sports.
“I believe what is equally as important and impressive is how this Academy encourages learners to develop in other ways. I have seen huge improvements in learners developing their social skills and confidence, which are great skills to have, especially if you are visually impaired.
“The Academy provides me with a very professional and competitiveenvironment. The goal for me now is to work hard, setting an example and the bar high to inspire others who get the opportunity to join this Academy and be the best we can be.”
David has been selected to represent the GB Men’s Goalball squad in international competition. He has competed in, and won, an international youth tournament and was also picked to attend a tournament in Madrid in December 2014 with the senior squad.
He says “My chances for success in the future are far greater now that I am a member of this Academy, and training alongside the Great Britain squad has boosted my ability so much.”
Golf:
Golf is a sport for all and can be played by people with all levels of visual impairment. You can play individually or with a group of up to four players for a round.
Those with a more profound visual impairment may require a guide to help position them in order to take the shot. Guides advise on the distance to the hole but it is the player who chooses the club they wish to use and makes the swing. RNC is working together with the EnglandGolf Partnership to enable you to have the opportunity to play golf both at RNC and back in your home area. This link also helps us to compete in national competitions and we are working with England Golf to develop more national pathways for the sport. We have a golf simulator on campus andour links with Burghill Valley Golf Club in Hereford help us to give you the best golfing experience, both on and off the golf course and driving range.
Matt Spellar’s story:
Matt studied NVQ Level 2 Business Administration and braille while developing his golf skills. He continues to play in competitions with both sighted and visually impaired players. On leaving RNC he took up a position in a Golf Club Pro Shop.
“I’m enjoying using my knowledge of golf, together with the business skills I learnt at the RNC. Give it your all at the College and the support and advice you will receive is second to none.”
Judo:
Quote from Carol Leverton, registered Level 3 Coach for the British Judo Association:
“I have been teaching Judo for SEN and VI students for 35 years and am a referee too. There’s something very special and rewarding here and I have utter admiration for people who can’t see that are being thrown around. The encouragement of the class at RNC is unbelievable and I look forward to this fantastic hour of teaching every week.”
Connor Anders’ story:
“Everything I do now is based around training and Judo. I first started Judo at Worcester Judo Club but trained harder and more intensely at RNC. As part of the RNC Sports Academy it was amazing to be around people who remain focused. Their dedication to sport is brilliant and it was great to have my choice of training partners.
“From being in such a high achieving environment, I was approached by British Judo who offered me an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, and an opportunity to train with the British Judo VI team in Walsall. I aim to make the squad and compete in the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in 2020; my goal is to come back with a medal. The atmosphere at RNC is one of success and nowI have the opportunity to reach my personal goal.”
Courses
To help you achieve your ambitions of working in sport, as a full member of the RNC Sports Academy you can study NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness and NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.
NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing, Exercise and Fitness
A basic entry qualification for instructors, at the end of the course you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the body’s systems and the effect of exercise on them
- Screen participants medically and refer to appropriate authorities where necessary
- Demonstrate relevant health and safety considerations
- Prescribe exercise for participants without special considerations
- Have basic knowledge of exercise constraints for participants with special considerations
- Design safe and effective exercise schedules
- Perform safe and effective exercise instruction
- Set up and take down sport and recreation equipment
- Prepare and instruct gym based fitness sessions
NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.
This course is considered an advanced entry qualification for the industry. In addition to skills learnt at Level 2, at the end of the course students will be able to:
- Have enhanced knowledge of exercise constraints for participants with special considerations
- Apply the principles of nutrition to personal training programmes
- Plan and deliver safe and effective physical activity and exercise
Programmes
- Perform safe and effective physical activity and exercise instruction
- Review, evaluate and analyse instruction of physical activity and exercise programmes
On both courses you will enjoy excellent opportunities for the development of work based practical skills through evening fitness classes. You will assist under supervision in a state of the art leisure facility where all equipment is Inclusive Fitness Initiative accredited.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in, and ultimately instruct, a series of fitness classes that are open to local community users, other students and staff in thePoint4, a working fitness suite.
On successful completion of the course you will receive certification which entitles you to practice within the industry.
More information on entry requirements can be found at
Education, Health and Care plans
Information for students in England
Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) are replacing Statements of Special Educational Needs and Learning Difficulty Assessments. The EHCP is designed to last from the age of 0 to 25 but can be requested at any point during this time. It will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date.