2008: Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan, Bath Spa University

Rachael originally trained in secondary physical education, dance and special educational needs at Chelsea School of Human Movement (Brighton Polytechnic), where she gained a Bachelor of Education (Honours). She taught Physical Education and GCSE Dance in an Essex secondary school for two years and subsequently moved to Switzerland, where she lived and worked for more than thirteen years, teaching PE and Dance in the International School of Geneva (La Chataigneraie, Founex campus). During her sabbatical year in 1997, she attained an MA in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey. Currently, Rachael is undertaking her PhD at the University of Birmingham, comprising an interrogation of the aims of primary physical education through a critical analysis of movement programmes and initiatives; one of these is Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).

In January 2004, Rachael secured her present post as senior lecturer in physical education, dance, education studies and primary professional practice at Bath Spa University (BSU). She teaches all the primary physical education modules on the primary PGCE, and has created various modules on health and movement in young children within the undergraduate Education Studies programme, embedding the FMS programme in the general course content. Last year, Rachael was also co-director of the HEARTS team at BSU, helping to coordinate a performing arts project funded by the Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation and then writing a collaborative research paper for BERA that was linked to this. In 2007, Rachael's 'high-quality teaching' was recognised by the university when she was awarded a Rising Star Teaching Fellowship. Within the same academic year, she also won the UCET travel scholarship to pursue her FMS research in Australia; the country where the programme originated. She intends to interview the writers of the FMS resource as well as teachers of FMS. Her observations of children's FMS proficiency and progress in Western Australian primary schools will be compared with FMS developments in the UK. The data that is gathered in Australia will serve to enrich Rachael's PhD research in primary physical education.

Rachael's initial interest in FMS developed while she was teaching primary trainees on the PGCE. Due to the marginalisation of foundation subjects in the National Curriculum, trainees throughout the UK are given minimal physical education training in relation to core subjects. In response to this disparity, trainees asked Rachael whether she might provide additional professional development to enhance their competence and confidence in physical education. Rachael decided to train as a FMS facilitator in 2005, enabling her to offer FMS teacher courses to Bath Spa University postgraduates. Since the FMS programme complemented Rachael's own area of research, she sought to deepen her engagement with it by training to become the UK FMS consultant in 2007. Within this role, she has been able to promote FMS more widely and lead facilitator courses in the UK and Ireland.

Rachael regularly publishes articles for national and international journals and websites and she has been an executive committee member of the National Dance Teachers' Association (NDTA) for five years. She has an established reputation as a writer for the NDTA publication 'Dance Matters' and has been their assistant editor for several years. Rachael has also contributed articles to the Association for PE's journal 'Physical Education Matters', focusing her writing on primary physical education and dance. Her first book, 'Fundamental Movement Skills. A Teacher Activity Book' is due to be launched in July 2009 at the afPE conference.