February 2025 Esports update
Welcome to this February update!
Esports has very much been 'in the news' of late and this update has links to some of these news stories.
There are also some links to resources which might be of interest for Unit 1 (BTEC Nationals).
I hope that you will enjoy the half-term break when it comes.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 5 July | Claiming deadline: all internally assessed unit grades to be submitted and full award claims to be made by 5 July. |
Funding - England
Funding - Northern Ireland and Wales
A BBC story about Countesthorpe Academy and an interview with Kalum Neale.
The Spring Term issue of VITTA Magazine has an article on how esports in the classroom builds STEM skills like problem-solving and teamwork and can lead to digital careers.
The article is on pages 10-11 of the magazine.
The International Day of Education in January explored the theme: “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation”.
This article explores how education equips individuals—especially gamers—to harness technological advancements while preserving creativity and purpose.
TSB staff will deliver a schools module to educate students on managing their money in a gaming environment. This is part of a broader objective of improving financial literacy and helping young people understand money.
The results of a Brain and Body study seem to suggest that playing video games can bring cognitive benefits.
The National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) is a multi-site entertainment and education complex located in Sunderland.
NEPC is the home of British Esports and provides access to state-of-the-art equipment, training, and investment. The facility offers luxury accommodation for esports bootcamps, providing a comfortable and focused environment for players. The campus boasts cutting-edge technology, including a 100-seater esports arena, training rooms, and broadcast facilities.
For help with:
- delivery support
- the Esports learner and teacher
For help with:
- assessment support
- grade statistics
This Statista page provides a good introdcution to Unit 1 providing useful data for Learning Aim A.
There is also data on global tournaments.
This market research report forecasts developments in the esports industry up to 2034.
It covers specification content for Unit 1:
- A3 - organisation of esports in idfferent countries
- A4 - the key players in esports (global companies)
- B3 - market segmentation (genres of esports games)
- B3 - market drivers (demographics of esports players - age)
- B3 - regional analysis (demographics of esports players - country/region)
This article from the University of Chichester focuses on career opportunities which might follow study of one its programmes. Some of the material is relevant to Unit 1 Learning Aim C.
We have now published national results data on the BTEC Nationals covering key information on registrations, performance, and trends across the main qualifications.
| National Extended Certificate | Total | D* | D | M | P | U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 118 | 4.2% | 9.3% | 22.9% | 61% | 2.5% |
| 2022-2023 | 288 | 21.9% | 9.7% | 22.9% | 45.1% | 0.3% |
| 2023-2024 | 493 | 16.6% | 15% | 18.7% | 46.5% | 3.2% |
| National Foundation Diploma | Total | D* | D | M | P | U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 580 | 5% | 9.1% | 24% | 61% | 0.9% |
| 2022-2023 | 901 | 5.7% | 8.9% | 19.4% | 64.3% | 1.8% |
| 2022-2024 | 911 | 6.8% | 9.3% | 18.9% | 61.9% | 3.1% |
| National Extended Diploma | Total | D*D*D* | D*D*D | D*DD | DDD | DDM | DMM | MMM | MMP | MPP | P | U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 76 | 5.3% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 7.9% | 6.6% | 9.2% | 21.1% | 5.3% |
| 2022-2023 | 533 | 5.6% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.3% | 6.8% | 8.4% | 12.2% | 7.1% | 13.3% | 28.5% | 4.1% |
| 2023-2024 | 892 | 7% | 4.4% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 7.4% | 8.4% | 9.3% | 7.7% | 11.4% | 31.4% | 2.9% |
The 2024 centre standardisation materials ask you to consider learner work from Unit 1.
Nik Turner has written this guide to help you get started in delivering a BTEC qualification in Esports.
This article emphasizes the benefits of teamwork, collaboration and confidence building.
Catch up on the latest education news from British Esports
Why are education institutions investing in esports facilities?
The Esports Leadership Programme offers the first-ever esports qualifications tailored for individuals aged 11 and above.
Multi factor authentication was rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Subject advisors
Colin Leith
Esports
