Physical Education and Sports Coaching BSc (Hons)

Richard Pepperell

Richard has 15 years’ experience teaching Physical Education and sport in the secondary and further education sectors.  He has a real passion for education and sport education in particular focussing on providing people with the skills and desire to be active and healthy for their entire lives.

Richard enjoys participating and spectating almost every sport but in particular, rugby, triathlons and gymnastics.

Lerverne Barber

Lerverne is Associate Head and Principal Lecturer with responsibility for Learning, Teaching and Student Experience (including Recruitment, Retention and Achievement), within the School of Sport and Exercise Science (SSES).

She is a member of the Senior Management Team in SSES and has been part of the Physical Education (PE) teaching team for more than ten years, having been PE Course Leader from 2008 - 2011. Lerverne has a wealth of experience in her subject area, having been a Secondary PE teacher, PE adviser and Ofsted Inspector. She has also worked as an Independent PE Consultant leading projects and delivering training for organisations such as the Youth Sport Trust, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority and the Department for Education.

Lerverne has played a key role in developing the School's international profile in countries such as China and Japan, for work in inclusive sport and Physical Education. In 2011 she became a University of Worcester Teaching Fellow for excellence in learning and teaching and in 2015 she achieved the award of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for her leadership of learning and teaching (SFHEA), followed by the award of National Teaching Fellow (NTF) in 2017.

Charlotte Beaman-Evans

Charlotte is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and the Sports Scholarship Coordinator at the University of Worcester. Before joining the University, she was previously a teacher of Physical Education in a secondary school.

Charlotte is now embarking upon a career in Higher Education having completed her MSc in Sports Coaching Science and Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education.

A keen sports player Charlotte has played a range of sports including rugby, football and hockey, achieving international status in rugby.

Karen Broughton

Karen is a Senior Lecture and Course Leader of the Physical Education and Outdoor Education BSc at the University of Worcester. Karen previously worked for The Youth Sport Trust as a Programme Manager for PE, where she led on developing and delivering resources, professional learning and materials to support both primary and secondary teachers of PE.

Prior to that Karen taught PE for 9 years in a number of high schools across Worcestershire and was a member of the Worcestershire Local Delivery Agency for PE, which involved delivering and developing professional learning opportunities for primary and secondary teachers.

Rebecca Foster MBE

Rebecca Foster MBE has been teaching PE predominantly in the North of England for over 20 years. Rebecca was Head of PE of one of the first six Sports Colleges in the country. After 7 years of teaching she backpacked the World and did some temporary teaching in Australia and South Africa. After her year out Rebecca continued to teach in Yorkshire, managing one of the largest Sports Partnerships in the country. Rebecca then went on to become a Teacher Fellow at Leeds Beckett University, where she taught Initial Teacher Training programmes for Secondary and Primary trainees.

Rebecca competed for our country in the Heptathlon (when she was much younger!) and holds a Level 2 multi-event license. She volunteered for UK Deaf Athletics for 12 years, being Team Manager and travelling coach at three Deaflympics.  She currently is a trustee for Deaf Direct based in Worcester and is a support worker for a few hours a month to vulnerable young people.

As a further accolade, Rebecca has been awarded an MBE in recognition for her services to inclusive sport and supporting young people to achieve their potential.

Michelle Morgan

Michelle Morgan joined the University of Worcester School of Sport and Exercise Science full-time in 2011, after fulfilling a number of part-time roles within the School during both her undergraduate and MSc studies. Michelle has a range of experiences in sports coaching (both in the UK and USA) with a Netball specialism as a UKCC Level 3 coach. In her role as Course Leader and Senior Lecturer for the BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching Science degree, Michelle uses her industry and academic experiences to support and develop students’ understanding of the demands of the sporting industry, including the skills and qualities needed to be employable.  

Craig Williams

Craig successfully blends his passion for student learning and employability in his roles at the University of Worcester where he is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching Science, Course Leader for the BSc Cricket Coaching and Management degree and the Coach Education and Development Manager. As well as a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching Science, Craig is an affiliate tutor with the Football Association delivering courses from Level 1 to 3 (UEFA B) and a qualified and active Cricket Coach.  

Since 2001, Craig has created a vocational coach education programme that has provided over 16,600 opportunities for University students and community coaches to secure accredited coach education and relevant coaching and officiating CPD. These qualifications and opportunities provide University of Worcester students with the necessary skills and qualifications to secure coaching and officiating opportunities.

Dr Andy Cale

Andy has a wide and vast experience in Higher Education, Sports Coaching and Sports Psychology. He has worked in Professional Football as a Sports Psychologist, has managed and coached in the Champions League, has worked for the Football Association as Head of Player Development and Research and worked as a Senior Football Manager in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. Andy uses all these different experiences to help students learn and develop as people and coaches.

Glyn Harding

Glyn came to the University of Worcester in 2004 having previously worked as a PE teacher, youth worker and the Assistant Academy Director at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

Since coming to the School of Sport and Exercise Science, he has undertaken the roles of HND co-ordinator and course leader for Sports Coaching Science and has developed the coaching of disabled athletes, culminating in a unique taught degree pathway in this evolving area of study. As part of his role, Glyn supports and provides guidance to elite athletes in their pursuit of sporting and academic excellence; these have included the GB paralympic blind footballers Ajmal Ahmed and Lee Greatbatch, the Port Vale footballer Robert Taylor and GB downhill mountain biker Jessica Stone.

Glyn has been a key pioneer in the development of the Brazil-UK Football Development Course undertaken in partnership by the University of Worcester and the University of São Paulo.

David Mycock

David consults and researches in the field of coaching science and coaches externally in elite level football. He has helped evolve the game of blind futsal and is a qualified FA Tutor. David is the Head Coach of Worcester Blind FC and has previously coached the England and Great Britain Blind Futsal teams at major tournaments, and is currently the Head Coach of the Czech Republic National Blind Football team.

David has a variety of NGB Awards and as an ex-professional football player is a member of the Professional Footballers Association. His role at the University has grown since 2006 and he is now the Link Tutor for the SSES Partnership programmes with Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.

Dr Christian Edwards

Dr Christian Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching Science and one of the School’s Academic Integrity Tutors. He is a member of the Gender, Identity and the Body research interest group and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. Christian teaches on sociological, psychological and research methods modules within the School’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Christian also supports postgraduate students on the MRes Socio-Cultural Studies of Sport and Exercise programme.

Christian’s principal research interest is on the psychology of resistance exercise, specifically psychological strategies' influence on strength performance and muscularity-orientated body-image. He has published his work in, and reviews for, a number of leading international academic journals in this area. In addition to his work in this field, he also collaborates on projects focused on workplace physical activity and well-being.

Alongside his academic role, Christian is a cycling coach.

Helen Hope

Helen Hope is a Principal Lecturer in Physical Education. Before joining the University in 2005 she had taught in secondary schools for ten years and was Head of a PE department for five years. She has previously led the PGCE PE teacher training programme for three years before moving into teaching on the Undergraduate Modular Scheme (UMS) course. She became a Head of Department in September 2015 and leads on Student Retention for the School. Helen prides herself in demonstrating excellence in teaching and learning and has won and been nominated for various Student Choice Awards. Helen has a keen interest in transformational learning, blended teaching approaches and the use of authentic assessments, ensuring that students are able to apply their learning in real-life situations. As Retention lead she has developed new processes and systems to ensure that students are supported in their personal learning journeys.

Vanessa Jones

Vanessa Jones is the Director of Academic Partnerships for the School of Sport and Exercise Science (SSES). She has a portfolio of roles which includes the remit for the strategic development and management of academic partnerships with a range of institutions for collaborative programmes. She also manages the Associate Lecturer (Hourly Paid Lecturers) provision and the Staff Spiral Induction Programme. Additionally, she is strategic lead for the Women in Sport and Exercise (WISE) and Off-Court Manager for Severn Stars Superleague Netball team, which is a franchised partnership between University of Worcester and the University of Gloucestershire. She is also part of the PE teaching team in SSES. She studied for her first degree, a BEd (Hons) Human Movement at St Mary's University College, Twickenham and her MSc in Sport and Exercise Science at University Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC).

Vanessa's first PE teaching post was in Telford, Shropshire which was followed by a two year break from teaching, working in the leisure industry. She returned to teaching taking up a post in Pembrokeshire where she became Head of PE in a large comprehensive school and the Associate Adviser for Secondary PE for the county. Alongside her teaching role Vanessa also worked for ESTYN/OFSTED as a subject inspector for Physical Education and continues this work within her current role. She was also the county and regional hockey coach for under 16 and under 18 schoolgirls and was a member of the Welsh Hockey Coaching Committee. She herself played hockey at regional and national league level.

Vanessa is currently Project Lead for an ERASMUS+ collaborative research project which involves 6 other European Partners in developing a Gender Equity Toolkit for Generation Z. This will be delivered as an online platform (MOOC).