We were greatly saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Juliet Robertson on the morning of Saturday 27 December ‘with peaceful dignity and at home with her family, in keeping with her wishes’, as shared by her sister.
Juliet’s name has been synonymous with learning and play outdoors for many years. From a degree in environmental science, she went on to become a teacher and head teacher, before carving out her role as an education consultant – a role for which she became world renowned, with her playful approach and deep understanding. She travelled the world with a mission to learn more about how outdoor learning can happen in innovative ways and to bring back what she had learned to help and support the work of teachers in Scotland, and to embed the use of the outdoors into everyday teaching. Ultimately, her goal was, as she frequently said, to do herself out of a job – her dream would be to see Scotland get to a point where schools see the outdoor space as equal to the indoor classrooms as a rich space for play and for learning.
Juliet was like the pebble that dropped into a pond – you never know how far those ripples will spread. Thanks to her generosity with her time, her listening ear, her gentle guidance, her legacy continues to ripple out across the world. Social media has been alight with people from around the globe sharing their memories of time spent with Juliet, of conversations shared. Several such memories speak of only having met her once, yet the impact of that meeting or conversation was profound. She had the most amazing joie de vivre and an infectious giggle! She was effervescent.
Play was at the heart of everything Juliet did. She was playful by nature, and you just couldn’t help but be inspired by her. Work with Juliet never felt like work, other than trying to keep up with the way her mind worked, connecting thoughts and ideas with ease and at pace, weaving in a lifetime of knowledge and humour and pouring it from her in fountains. At the Play Scotland AGM 2022 Juliet was honoured with a special award for Outstanding Contribution to the practice and understanding of the Benefits of Play in the Curriculum. She is pictured with Marguerite Hunter Blair, former CEO of Play Scotland, accepting her award. At the International Play Association conference in Glasgow in 2023, Juliet was able to attend outdoors where she ‘held court’ as play colleagues from around the world visited and chatted with her. She was momentarily (uncharacteristically) lost for words when most of the conference gathered around her in the garden to honour her life’s work with applause. That ovation was just a small demonstration of the regard in which she is held and the legacy she leaves.
A diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) had forced Juliet into early retirement from her consultancy work in 2021. In her head however, her passion was as keen as ever. She was a prolific blogger and would continue to write with curiosity – “I wonder…” was one of her best-used openers. That and “tell me more’, as she encouraged you to take your own thinking further. Juliet was still contributing to online forums on outdoor play and learning and loved nothing more than to talk about her favourite subject even in recent months. Her love for writing took her to poetry, where she found strength and an outlet for not only her playful creativity but also to help navigate her journey with AML. Her writing not only helped her to process her own thoughts, but she also wanted her poems to be something that could help others navigating this illness and even the health care professionals by giving them a patient’s perspective. Her wish is for this book to continue to be shared, to help others through both the reading and the proceeds, all of which go to cancer charities chosen by Juliet. Her book can be found here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Lines-Living…/dp/1781354324
One of Juliet’s most beautiful poems is one of the last she wrote – “Let me be a Goose”. You may have heard it read by Juliet herself on the BBC Radio Scotland programme Out of Doors (24 September 2025). This reading was also shared on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Pick of the Year’ on Christmas Day and will be repeated on New Year’s Day in tribute to her.
“This winter morning I’ll listen for the flock calling – come fly…
…knowing I am heading onwards, heading home, for this will be one more flight on my final day.”
Fly high, Juliet. Thank you.
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