Physical Education 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.

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.

Lerverne Barber

Lerverne is Deputy 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.

Polly Lasota

Polly's background was as a School Sports Development Officer, with teaching responsibilities, under the previous School Sports Partnership framework. Polly facilitated the development of Physical Education and School Sport across 24 schools (primary and secondary education). The role included coordinating sports leadership and volunteering schemes; managing a wide range of external coaching provision for extra-curricular programmes and supporting gifted and talented performers.

Polly was also Chair of a tennis club for three years and part of the Gloucestershire Hockey Association coaching team for the JDC and JAC player development system. Polly is now studying for her PhD with a focus on professional learning and development pedagogies for coaches with disabilities.

Karen Williams

Karen Williams taught in Secondary Schools in the South West of England for 8 years which included a range of roles across the whole school such as Assistant Head of Physical Education, Pupil Premium Manager, NQT Induction tutor and Initial Teacher Training Co-ordinator. Karen held roles city-wide such as a Specialist Leader in Education working within a range of schools and colleges to deliver Teaching and Learning enhancement courses. Additionally, Karen worked in partnership with local Universities and the Local Authority to lead on School Direct Teacher Training courses.

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).