Round Table

Jo Barnett

CEO

Hi, I am Jo Barnett, the CEO of the Institute for Outdoor Learning.

I am committed to outdoor learning. In my career I have progressed through delivery to management, then to leadership and advocacy – deliberately within the context and breadth of outdoor learning, 

I love being outdoors, and I know I am a beneficiary of outdoor learning. My interest in adventurous activities began at college with hillwalking and at University in Sheffield I became a bit of an obsessive rock climber, before enjoying open canoeing +/- the family, cycling and horse riding and now I am returning to climbing – and then there’s gardening!  To be honest I just enjoy being out of doors, and for me it balances the stresses of everyday life.

I have an academic background in earth sciences and political ecology. My career began with teaching Geography and Integrated Humanities in a Community High School in Derbyshire, then progressing to the role of Advisory Teacher for Nottinghamshire County Council at Hagg Farm Environmental Education Centre on the Snake Pass. From there I was appointed as Centre Director for the Field Studies Council at Grange over Sands in Cumbria, before returning to a Local Authority provision as Head of Centre of High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre, near Windermere. 

In 2016, I took the role of Manager for Outdoor Education for Telford & Wrekin Council, with the brief to create a coordinated service model from schools, parks, the Shropshire hills to Arthog Outdoor Education Centre on the coast in mid-Wales. In 2022, I reduced my hours to allow me to accept the post of CEO of the IOL and from the 1^st of October 2023 I will be focusing entirely on the IOL role.

I have a many years of peer association voluntary work, which began with the Northern Region of the IOL, right back in the early 2000s,  I went on to be the Chair of the Region.  I have held several roles with Association of Heads of Outdoor Educations Centres, including national Chair 2007-09.  I am a founding Trustee of the Friends of High Borrans, and currently the Membership Secretary for the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel.

A key area of interest and focus for me at the moment is promoting sustainable practice in/through outdoor education and also applicable to other educational settings. I have an MA in Management Learning and Leadership which led to an interest in the ethical management of personal motivation at work.

Over my time, I have learnt that high quality outdoor learning requires teamwork, optimism and persistence.  I am thankful to those around me, through my time, who delivered on those qualities. I will do my best in the IOL CEO role by way of return.

Phone:

+44 (0)1228 5464580

Richard Retallick

Business & Operations Manager

“I started as Business and Operations Manager for the Institute for Outdoor Learning in 2022. I have been involved in the outdoor learning industry for a long time, starting out as an instructor and then moving into outdoor centre management. I am keenly aware of the constraints that we all work under and how our voice is small and indistinct. If I do my job well, I can help create a fertile bed for all that amazing outdoor learning that happens to really grow and flourish.”

Email:

[email protected]

Phone:

+44 (0)1228 564580

Andy Robinson

Trustee

I was privileged to serve the IOL as Chief Executive for 12 years and was co-opted as a Trustee following my retirement from the role in 2021.  I still support IOL’s work at Westminster and as the chair of the IOL Employers Group.

I am currently part-time Chief Executive at Lindley Educational Trust, an Outdoor Learning based charity that delivers urban youth & community services as well as outdoor based personal development experiences for young people.

My back ground is in accountancy, learning and development and professional services management and leadership.  I am passionate about enabling all to benefit from engaging with the natural environment and especially those children and young people who have less opportunities than most.

As a trustee for the Peak District National Park Foundation I recognise the challenges associated with our beautiful national parks and am committed to making them both accessible and sustainable.

Anna Thompson

CBOL-FS Co-Chair

Anna is the Education and Learning Manager for Nene Park Trust in Cambridgeshire.  She is a qualified teacher and has over 20 years experience working in Field Studies and Curriculum Based Outdoor Learning.  Anna is passionate in her belief that (almost) all of the curriculum can be taught outdoors, and has developed teaching programmes delivering subjects such as maths, art and literacy in an outdoor environment.  Today Anna leads a team who deliver outdoor learning experiences for EYFS to A level, as well as delivering training courses for teachers who are keen to take their teaching outdoors. 

Dr Dave Harvey

Business Owner - Dave Harvey Outdoor Learning

Dr Dave Harvey has worked in the outdoor learning sector for over 30 years and now runs his own business, Dave Harvey Outdoor Learning, a consultancy focused on research, training, and sector development. Dave is a Leading Practitioner of the IOL and is the chair of the North West Region. He recently led the High Quality Outdoor Learning 2025 project, is a regular webinar and workshop provider for IOL, and a frequent contributor to Horizons. 

Dawn Thomas

Founder and CEO of Nature Days

Dawn Thomas is the founder and CEO of Nature Days, an outdoor learning, consultancy and training provider. She has a degree in Environmental Biology, MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment and is a qualified secondary science teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience. For nearly 20 years she has worked with over 200 different schools supporting the embedding of outdoor learning into the curriculum through staff training, creation of teaching resources, talks and presentations.
Dawn is also the chair of the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) Curriculum Based Outdoor Learning (CBOL) and Field Studies Professional Practice Group and IOL Cymru South.

Mike King

CEO & Executive Head Teacher at Releasing Potential

I was appointed as an IOL Trustee in Feb 2010 and had the privilege of supporting IOL as the Chair of the Trustee Board. I started working in the outdoors when I was a 16yrs old apprentice and now 30 years later I have the privilege of continuing to enable people to engage with the outdoor environment. Through this journey in the outdoors I have overseen the development of Releasing Potential which is an education charity that comprises of an Independent Special School, Academic Institute and Forest Schools amongst its interests. I look forward to helping to develop relationships that support a positive interaction with the outdoors for the whole of society.

Roger Hiley

Team Leader - Riverside Outdoor Therapeutic Team

I have been involved in leading and coaching for very nearly 30 years; of which a lot of this has been through an involvement at the Riverside Centre in Oxford. Since 2010 I have been lucky enough to manage the team, which is now called the Riverside Outdoor Therapeutic Team. The team operate as social pedagogues, using the outdoors as a medium for change with children, young people and families who have an involvement with Children’s Social Care in Oxfordshire.
I completed my Master’s in Outdoor Education at University of Worcester in 2021 and I am now back as a part-student again, this time at Oxford Brookes University. I am studying for a PhD, where I am examining how the outdoors in England is being used in a therapeutic way with children, young people and families who have an involvement with Children’s Social Care.
I am a Leading Practitioner, joint rep for this community and an Accredited Practitioner coach/ assessor.

Dr Sara Collins

Nature Premium Co-Founder and Lead

Nature Premium Campaign Co-Founder and Lead

I’m a self-employed biologist, Accredited Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning and Forest School Practitioner.  While working in schools I have realised that children today do not explore the natural world as I did when I was their age.  They don’t have simple experiences that would open up a world of beauty and awe or would inspire green career choices.  During Lockdown 1 it became apparent that there is an inequity of access to nature for some children in addition to the lack of experiences that the majority of children miss out on.  The Nature Premium is a simple idea that could transform a generation and help children grow up greener.