Avril Rowley

Dr Avril Rowley is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University. With 20 years of primary school teaching experience, she joined LJMU in 2014 to advance Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through outdoor learning and Forest Schools integration.

• PhD (1997-2003) in Educational Leadership
• Erasmus+ funded certifications in Forest School Leadership (2018) and Philosophy for Children (2018-2022)

Her research interests focus on:

• Forest School pedagogies and nature engagement
• Outdoor learning for curriculum enhancement
• Green spaces and holistic wellbeing
• Gender dynamics in primary teaching

Recent publications emphasize wellbeing determinants, digital technology in nature education, and teacher perceptions of outdoor pedagogy. She developed the Natural Curriculum Hub and a Forest School area on campus, collaborating with The Mersey Forest and The Conservation Volunteers (2016).
Notable awards include:

• BERA/WERA Best Presentation Prize (2024)
• LJMU Rising Star Award (2018)
• LJMU Students Union Partners in Learning Award (2018)

She has secured grants for:

• Neurodiversity and outdoor access (2025)
• Post-COVID CPD strategies (2022)
• Student wellbeing interventions (2017-2022)
• Environmental education (2016)