Staff Profile

My research interests include children and young people's wellbeing and engagement in learning, outdoor learning and co-produced, participatory and visual research methods.  Working collaboratively with schools and the wider education community has led to exploration of how research methods can be used as tools for enquiry to aid practitioner and student learning and in how alternative learning environments can increase wellbeing and address educational disadvantage. 

Having worked as a researcher within the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT) in ECLS since 2005 and as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator across numerous projects, I have developed a wealth of experience in bid-writing, research design, literature reviews, qualitative, quantitative, visual and participatory research methods, data analysis, project management, reporting research findings, engagement and impact.

I am co-convenor of the North East Outdoor Learning Research hub, member of the Newcastle University Social Justice Advisory Group and HaSS Play Research Network and manage the CfLaT Research Tea programme, securing a diverse range of presenters including staff, postgraduate students and invited speakers from academia and practice. 

Current research

• SCIREARLY HORIZON-CL2-2021-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-04: Addressing poor learning outcomes in basic skills and early school leaving at national, regional and local level in Europe, 2022-2025, Co-Investigator
• Breeze Forest School Network, 2024-2026, Principal Investigator

Previous research

• ESRC Covid-19 Rapid Response: VOICES project - Children and young people living in poverty: Covid-19 needs and policy implications, Co-Investigator
• Natural History Society of Northumbria: How to be a young North East Naturalist evaluation, Principal Investigator
• EC Erasmus: Collaborative Re-Design with Schools - CoReD
• Child Poverty Action Group: Evaluating the Cost of the School Day Project
• Catherine Cookson Foundation: Developing outdoor learning: how and why are schools developing provision? Principal Investigator
• Scotswood Garden: Researching the impact of the Breeze Forest School Project, Principal Investigator
• Newcastle Social Justice Fund: Forest School for wellbeing: addressing children and young people’s mental health, Principal Investigator
• Newcastle University Institute for Social Science: School-community partnership to improve children’s well-being: researching the impact of a school-community Forest School project, Principal Investigator
• ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Co-production fund: Impacting on young people's emotional wellbeing: a Forest School intervention, Principal Investigator
• Catherine Cookson Foundation: Impacting on the wellbeing of Post Looked After Children - Breeze (a Forest School intervention), Principal Investigator
• EC: ITELab (Initial Teachers Education Lab) knowledge alliance project, Co-Investigator
• EC FP7: Improving Progress for Lower Achievers through Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education (FaSMEd), Co-Investigator
• AHRC: Co-curate North East - creating sustainable routes for North East communities to
• digitally transform and co-produce open cultural resources
• Mentor UK: Just For A Laugh evaluation, Principal Investigator
• Bedlington Station First School and Creative Partnerships Case Study, Principal Investigator
• Creative Partnerships: Creating purpose, permission and passion for outdoor learning
• Exploring the fitting of practice to context at Oakfields Community College 
• Links into Languages - Enquiry Networks
• Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 Evaluation
• An evaluation of the DCSF Extended Schools Subsidy Pathfinder
• Helen Hamlyn Foundation Open Future Evaluation
• Developing formative assessment using ICTs in education
• Facilitating participation in the design process at Seaham College
• Seaview Primary - Creative Partnerships
• An evaluation of the DfES Full Service Extended Schools (FSES) Initiative
• An evaluation of the Scottish Executive Activating Children’s Thinking Skills (ACTS) Project in East Ayrshire. 

I currently teach Forest School practice, theory and research to postgraduate students as part of EDU8046 Innovative Pedagogies.

• Articles

  • Laing K, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Todd L. Partnerships to tackle the effects of socio-economic inequality on children's experiences of school. European Educational Research Journal 2025, (ePub ahead of Print).
  • Tiplady L, Todd L, Bramhall L, Butler S, Dalziel G, Gathercole C. Analysis of a university-NGO research partnership with and for children and young people in Covid-19. The European Educational Research Journal 2025, epub ahead of print.
  • Tiplady LSE, Menter H. Forest School for wellbeing: an environment in which young people can 'take what they need'. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 2021, 21(2), 99-114.
  • Woolner P, Thomas U, Tiplady L. Structural change from physical foundations: The role of the environment in enacting school change. Journal of Educational Change 2018, 19(2), 223-242.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Leat D, Lofthouse R, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Woolner P. Transformation in interdisciplinary research methodology: the importance of shared experiences in landscapes of practice. International Journal of Research and Method in Education 2017, 40(3), 243-256.
  • Cotterill S, Hudson M, Lloyd K, Outterside J, Peterson J, Coburn J, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Robinson P, Heslop P. Co-curate: Working with Schools and Communities to Add Value to Open Collections. Journal of Interactive Media in Education 2016, 14(1), 1–9.
  • Wright D, Clark J, Tiplady L. Raising achievement through formative assessment in science and mathematics education (FaSMEd). British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 2015, 35(2).
  • Wright D, Clark J, Tiplady L. Making learning visible in mathematics with technology. Mathematics Teaching 2015, 249, 30-36.
  • Woolner P, Clark J, Laing K, Thomas U, Tiplady L. A school tries to change: How leaders and teachers understand changes to space and practices in a UK secondary school. Improving Schools 2014, 17(2), 148-162.
  • Thomas U, Tiplady L, Wall K. Stories of practitioner enquiry: using narrative interviews to explore teachers’ perspectives of learning to learn. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 2013, n/a, n/a.
  • Wall K, Higgins S, Rafferty V, Remedios R, Tiplady L. Comparing Analysis Frames For Visual Data Sets: Using Pupil Views Templates to explore perspectives of learning. Journal of Mixed Methods Research 2012, 7(1), 22-42.
  • Woolner P, Clark J, Laing K, Thomas U, Tiplady L. Changing spaces: preparing students and teachers for a new learning environment. Children, Youth and Environments 2012, 22(1), 52-74.
  • Woolner P, Clark J, Hall E, Tiplady L, Thomas U, Wall K. Pictures are necessary but not sufficient: using a range of visual methods to engage users about school design. Learning Environments Research 2010, 13(1), 1-22.

• Book Chapters

  • Tiplady L. The Breeze Forest School Project: child-centred support for development and wellbeing. In: Moula Z; Walshe N, ed. Arts in Nature with Children and Young People : A Guide Towards Health Equality, Wellbeing, and Sustainability. London: Routledge, 2024, pp.24-35.
  • Tiplady L, Menter H. The Breeze Project: supporting children and young people through Forest School. In: Michelle Jayman, Maddie Ohl and Leah Jewett, ed. Supporting New Digital Natives: Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing in a Hi-Tech Age. Bristol: Policy Press, 2021, pp.78-96.
  • Woolner P, Tiplady L. Enhancing Wellbeing Through Broadening the Primary Curriculum in the UK with Open Futures. In: Hilary Hughes, Jill Franz, Jill Willis, ed. School Spaces for Student Wellbeing and Learning: Insights from Research and Practice. Singapore: Springer, 2019, pp.157-175.
  • Wright D, Clark J, Tiplady L. Designing for Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Teachers. In: Thompson D., Burton M., Cusi A., Wright D, ed. Classroom Assessment in Mathematics. Cham: Springer, 2018, pp.207-228.
  • Woolner P, Tiplady L. Adapting School Premises as Part of a Complex Pedagogical Change Programme. In: Stadler-Altmann,U, ed. (English) Learning Environment. Educational and Architectual Views on Schoolbuildings and Classrooms. (German) Lernumgebungen. Erziehungswissenschaftliche und architekturkritische Perspektiven auf Schulgebäude und Klassenzimmer. Opladen/Berlin/Toronto: Barbara Budrich, 2016, pp.69-81.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Cotterill SJ, Hudson M, Lloyd K, Outterside J, Peterson J, Coburn J, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Robinson P, Heslop P. Co-Curate: working with schools and communities to add value to Open collections. In: Open Educational Resources - OER15. 2015, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Tiplady L, Woolner P. Making Connections: Theory and Practice of Using Visual Methods to Aid Participation in Research. In: Visual In-Sights: Theory, Method, Practice International Conference. 2014, Newcastle, UK.
  • Woolner P, Clark J, Thomas U, Laing K, Tiplady L. Teachers Preparing For Changes to Learning Environment and Practices in a UK Secondary School. In: ECER 2013, Creativity and Innovation in Educational Research. 2013, Istanbul, Turkey: European Educational Research Association.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Woolner P. Making Connections: Theory and Practice of Using Visual Methods to Aid Children’s Participation in Educational Research. In: ECER 2013, Creativity and Innovation in Educational Research. 2013, Istanbul, Turkey: European Educational Research Association.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Tiplady L, Woolner P. Making Connections. In: AHRC Connected Communities Showcase. 2013, London, UK: Research Councils UK.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Tiplady L, Woolner P. Pushing the Boundaries: Theory and Practice of Using Visual Methods to Aid Children’s Participation in Educational Research. In: The European Conference on Educational Research. 2012, Cadiz, Spain.

• Reports

  • Laing K, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Todd L. UK Cost of the School Day Final Evaluation: Short Report. London: Child Poverty Action Group, 2023.
  • Bramhall L, Butler S, Dalziel G, Gathercole C, Tiplady L, Todd L, Wysocki L. Voices: Young peoples’ lives in and through covid-19. Short Report. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2022.
  • Bramhall L, Butler S, Dalziel G, Gathercole C, Tiplady L, Todd L, Wysocki L. VOICES. Young peoples’ lives in and through Covid-19. What children said, drew and wrote and what actions we took.Full report on findings. October 2022. Newcastle: Newcastle University. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2022.
  • Laing K, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Todd L. Cost of the School Day Interim Evaluation Report. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2021.
  • Mazzoli Smith L, Tiplady L, Todd L, Wysocki L. Fighting against poverty: case studies of school action. Poverty Proofing the School Day evaluation update 2019/20. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2020.
  • Clark J, Fletcher E, Loynes C, Prince H, Tiplady L. 2020 Outdoor Learning Research Hub Survey. Summative Report. 2020.
  • Clark J, Laing K, Tiplady L, Woolner P. Making Connections: Theory and Practice of Using Visual Methods to Aid Participation in Research. Newcastle University: Research Centre for Learning and Teaching, 2013.
  • Tiplady L, Laing K. Just For a Laugh? Evaluation Report. London: Mentor UK, 2012.
  • Wall K, Hall E, Baumfield V, Higgins S, Rafferty V, Remedios R, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Towler C, Woolner P. Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 and Learning to Learn in Further Education Projects. London: Campaign for Learning, 2010. Annual Report.
  • Wall K, Hall E, Higgins S, Leat D, Thomas U, Tiplady L, Towler C, Woolner P. Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 Project. London: Campaign for Learning, 2009. Annual Report.
  • Cummings C, Dyson A, Muijs D, Papps I, Pearson P, Raffo C, Tiplady L, Todd L. Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative: Final Report. London: DfES, 2007. RR852/RB852.
  • Cummings C, Todd ES, Dyson A, Muijs D, Papps I, Pearson D, Raffo C, Tiplady L, Crowther D. Evaluation of the full service extended schools initiative: final report. Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills, 2007. DfES Research Brief and Report 852.
  • Cummings C, Dyson A, Papps I, Pearson D, Raffo C, Tiplady L, Todd L. Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative, Second Year: Thematic Papers. London, UK: DfES, 2006. RR795.