Dr Helen Bilton – Professor of Outdoor Learning and Play

Children are our future, embrace their curiosity

Helen is an award winning lecturer with an international reputation for her work on the outdoor teaching and learning environment.

She is a passionate and inspirational teacher and a sought after keynote speaker. Helen’s publication in 1998 was a ground – breaking book on the early years outdoor environment, and has set a solid foundation and paved the way for this environment to be legitimised as a teaching space.

Her interest in the teaching and learning environment has always been at the forefront of her teaching and research, and this expertise has been transferred from working with young children as a teacher, to working with adults as a lecturer.

In 2012 Helen was awarded a National Teaching Fellow in recognition of the quality of her teaching.

Helen has been researching the outdoor environment for the last 35 years.

She

• is the leading educational specialist in this area,
• has written extensively on the issue, including seven books (the earliest being the first complete text on the subject since 1936); her first publication, a classic, now in its third edition, Outdoor Learning in the Early Years, Management and Innovation is a complete compendium for all who work with young children,
• contributes to many other publications and journal articles on a wide range of topics.

Helen’s publications are:

• grounded in good practice
• thought provoking
• full of ideas and resources
• backed up with research
• essential reading
• inspiring
• straightforward

Helen has extensive experience in teaching all aspects of Early Years but she is most closely associated with the outdoor teaching and learning environment for young children.

She is:

• an invited speaker to conferences across the UK and internationally and
• acts as an adviser for schools and local authorities.

Helen ensures her work reflects the good practice that is going on in schools and settings across the globe.

Recently she has been researching into:

• the place of playtime/recess/breaktime/lunchtime in schools.

Helen is known for her passion and commitment to the learner, whether they be 3 or 53. Ultimately Helen wants learners to think and think objectively.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Helen has spent over 44 years helping schools and settings see the full potential of the outdoor classroom. A patch of grass, a quiet courtyard or a woodland can offer just as much as any indoor space. These aren’t just places to run around, they’re places to think, explore and question.

She’s worked with schools and settings all over the country to reframe how they use their outdoor spaces. With planning, creativity and support, these areas become full educational areas, where learning happens with energy and purpose. It’s all part of making sure children can access a wider, more engaging education.

Outdoor Learning All Year Round

For Helen, outdoor learning is most effective when it’s part of everyday practice, not just reserved for summer. She helps schools plan for teaching and learning year round, building confidence in staff and structure for activities and learning experiences that work in any season. This gives children a sense of rhythm and familiarity with the natural environment, helping them settle into the outdoors as easily as they would a classroom chair.

Her work supports staff in creating routines outside, from simple storytelling under a tree to science experiments on frosty mornings. With the right approach, the outdoor classroom becomes an extension of the indoor one.

Adventure, Experience and Real Learning

Helen is a long-time advocate for outdoor education, where students learn through real experience. This includes everything from forest exploration to group challenges and hands-on tasks. She helps integrate outdoor adventure into lesson planning so that schools can provide depth and variety beyond textbooks.

Through her work in adventure education, Helen has supported teachers in building sessions that stretch young minds. She’s seen how students gain confidence through action, design, building, listening, and leading. These activities make a clear positive impact, especially when repeated throughout the year.

She leads and contributes to long-term research projects showing how adventure-based approaches improve resilience, memory retention and engagement. The outcomes speak for themselves, children who feel connected to their environment and more in tune with their learning.

Support That Makes a Difference

Helen’s role isn’t just about big ideas. She provides clear, useful guidance to help teachers make practical change. Her support is personal, honest and always based in real-world experience. She offers training in person, mentors current students at her university, and works directly with teachers and leaders to support schools.

She’s often called on to advise when schools are planning how to better use the outdoors or improve access for different year groups. Whether it’s repurposing unused corners or expanding current use, she helps them rethink how space supports learning.

Helen knows that children benefit most when the whole school is on board. That’s why she takes a long-term view, helping shape strategies that bring staff, parents and pupils together.

Children at the Centre

At the heart of Helen’s work are the children themselves. She’s seen how outdoor experiences can transform the way they learn. Not all students thrive in conventional settings, but give them space to move, think aloud, or simply look up at the sky, and something clicks.

Outdoor play is one of the earliest ways we begin to understand the world. Helen brings this insight into her work with young people, showing how early exploration leads to deeper confidence and stronger communication. Her commitment to helping children develop skills that go beyond the academic is what continues to drive her work today.

A Lasting Impact

Helen continues to write, speak and advise on all aspects of outdoor education. She’s helped countless schools across the country create learning environments that include everyone, inside and out. Her work has made a lasting positive impact on behaviour, engagement, and wellbeing.

She reminds us that the classroom doesn’t end at the door. With the right support, the outdoors becomes part of every child’s learning journey. With strong planning, outdoor learning can happen every day, in every season.

For Helen, there’s no single way to teach, but there are many ways to reach a learner. And often, the best place to begin is under open sky.