I am now retired but was employed as a teacher or principal teacher of physical education and active schools manager for 38 years.

My Fellowship title was Team Sport and its Effect on Adolescent Behaviour. I undertook research for the project in New Zealand in 2004. I visited schools, centres for sports and community projects to see if sport, and team sport in particular, could have a positive effect on adolescents who were displaying disruptive behaviour in the school setting or tending towards rejection of formal schooling altogether.

As a teacher I was involved with pupils displaying negative and disruptive behaviour and established various programmes and strategies, both individually and in groups, to address this issue. In my role as Active Schools Manager for Midlothian, in partnership with organisations such as Heart of Midlothian FC, a programme covering football, education and life skills for selected adolescents from mainstream and additional support needs (ASN) settings was successfully organised. This did have positive results and assisted with the inclusive agenda promoted by the local authority.

I feel honoured to be a Churchill Fellow.