In this Mindful Learning podcast, Francis Gilbert talks with MA Creative Writing and Education graduate Conor Patchell about his remarkable dissertation film on Irish identity abroad. Conor reflects on the stories he inherited from his grandfather about discrimination in England, the resilience of earlier generations, and the dramatic shift from suspicion to celebration that Irish people have experienced over seventy years. He explains how today’s warmth towards Irish culture rests on the labour, humour, and decency of migrants like Ann, Patsy, John, and Vincent, whose voices shape his film. Conor describes his own experience as “a popular immigrant” and speaks with gratitude about those who “paved the way for us”. This extract gives readers a glimpse into a deeply mindful exploration of migration, memory, and belonging. If you are reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article.

In this new episode of the Mindful Learning Podcast, I speak with Dr Sarah Pearce and Dr Anna Traianou about their powerful new report for the National Education Union, Are You on Slide 8 Yet?. The title comes from one teacher’s chilling experience: senior leaders checking through classroom doors to ensure every class was on the same PowerPoint slide. This report reveals how standardised curricula—ready-made lessons and scripts—are reshaping education across England, limiting both teacher autonomy and pupil creativity. As Dr Pearce explains, “If the children didn’t understand it, it almost didn’t matter. We had to keep going.” Teachers described feeling like “a warm body in front of the class,” stripped of professional judgement. Professor Traianou adds, “Teachers who used standardised curricula reported a reduced sense of decision-making and agency… and contrary to assumptions, no difference in workload.” The findings show that both teachers and pupils are losing opportunities for autonomy, collaboration, and meaningful talk—core elements of learning that mindfulness in education seeks to protect. We discuss the political roots of this trend, the dangers of AI-driven curriculum tools, and what mindful, human-centred education might look like instead. 🎧 Listen now to the full podcast and read the article: 👉 If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article. #MindfulLearning #AreYouOnSlide8Yet #FrancisGilbert #Goldsmiths #Teaching #Education #NEU #CreativeEducation #TeacherVoice #MindfulTeaching #Podcast

Simon Stone’s new adaptation of Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea at the Bridge Theatre, starring Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln, is exquisite and psychologically nuanced — yet something vital has ebbed away. In translating Ibsen’s Fruen fra havet into modern English realism, the production trades myth for therapy, danger for empathy. This article explores five lessons the original still teaches us (about desire, freedom, landscape, symbolism, and voice) and what is lost when we tame the sea into a lake.

Two major reports have shaken up the education debate in 2025. The National Education Union’s Are You on Slide 8 Yet? (Traianou, Pearce, Stevenson & Brady, 2025) lays bare the lived realities of teachers trapped in the machinery of standardisation. The government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review: Interim Report (Francis, 2025) goes further than expected, acknowledging deep systemic flaws while hinting at long-overdue reform. These reports land in a time of crisis. Child poverty is rising, teacher pay has stagnated, burnout is escalating, and authoritarian regimes of behaviour management have taken hold in many academies. AI is reshaping classrooms faster than policy can keep up. Together, these forces are eroding teacher autonomy and narrowing the curriculum’s moral and intellectual horizons. This blog identifies five urgent wake-up calls for policymakers. First, the curriculum is failing the children who need it most; inequality is widening. Second, teachers are suffering “death by PowerPoint,” stripped of agency and creativity. Third, workload has not eased; it has intensified under centralised schemes. Fourth, curriculum reform must be guided by dialogue and research, not ideology. And finally, education must equip young people to navigate an uncertain, unequal, AI-driven world. Both reports demand courage and imagination from policymakers. Incremental fixes will not be enough. At Goldsmiths, we are developing models of curriculum design that restore teacher professionalism and creativity, grounded in research-rich, socially just principles. It is time for a new settlement in education, one that trusts teachers, resists authoritarianism, and empowers young people to shape a fairer future. If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article.

Patrick White remains Australia’s only Nobel Prize winner in Literature, yet today his novels are often more admired than read. Fifty years after his Nobel award, critics such as Reuben Mackey (2023) note the curious neglect of a writer who once defined the Australian canon. In this blog I revisit White’s fiction through my own journey with his novels, beginning as a university student wrestling with The Vivisector, and reflect on what they still have to teach us. I focus on four key lessons. First, White’s prose teaches mindfulness: the beauty of fleeting details and the poetry of the present moment. Second, his groundbreaking novel The Twyborn Affair questions rigid gender binaries, anticipating today’s conversations around fluid identity. Third, works like Voss and Riders in the Chariot challenge Eurocentric narratives, offering a decolonising vision of Australian literature. Finally, across his oeuvre White portrays authentic human relationships – complex, flawed, yet profound. This piece blends personal reflection with critical insights, showing how White’s novels remain relevant guides to living thoughtfully, compassionately, and truthfully. Read the full article here: #PatrickWhite #AustralianLiterature #Mindfulness #Decolonising #CreativeWriting #Books

I recorded this episode of the Mindful Learning Podcast with Anthony Cockerill, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE), because I believe English teachers have so much to teach us beyond the classroom. Our conversation was a chance to explore what reading, writing, and language mean for all of us as human beings, not just for students in schools. Anthony spoke passionately about the life-changing power of reading for pleasure, the way writing can help us respond to and reflect on life, and the importance of valuing every community’s language. He reminded me that stories shape who we are and that teaching thrives best in community, not in isolation. These are not just classroom lessons — they are life lessons. I wanted to share this podcast because, at a time when education is often framed in narrow, utilitarian terms, we need to remember the broader value of English. Reading, writing, and language are not luxuries; they are ways of being human, of building empathy, resilience, and imagination. Listen to the full conversation and read the blog here: 👉

If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article. In the latest Mindful Learning Podcast I spoke with therapist Bradley Riddell about what therapy is really like. We explored why therapy is never one-size-fits-all, why humour and trust matter, and how clients often already carry the resources they need. As Bradley told me: “Being in the room, you’re already leading the client to a collaborative venture… If you don’t respect the sanctity of the person sitting in the chair with you, you’ve no business being in the therapist’s chair.” Read the blog “7 Things You Should Know About Therapy” for the full write-up, including Bradley’s insights and references to leading thinkers like Janina Fisher, Carl Rogers, and Aaron Beck.

Reflections from my LBC Breakfast Show with Matthew Wright (31 August 2025) This morning I spoke with Matthew Wright on LBC Breakfast about the school attendance crisis. Matthew warned: “Poor school attendance is a red flag for all manner of problems down the road—lower happiness, worse job prospects, even higher chances of encountering the criminal justice system.” I argued that punishment and fines won’t fix the issue. As I said: “These groups feel really shut out of school—it’s too academic for them in many ways. We need to make sure all of our children get a rounded education.” Music, drama, sport, and enrichment are not extras, they’re essentials. They give young people a reason to turn up and thrive. 👉 If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article on francisgilbert.co.uk .

I watched Late Shift (Heldin) at the Alnwick Playhouse and left feeling that everyone in the audience had witnessed life and death together. The film follows Floria, a nurse on the night shift in a Swiss hospital, navigating impossible workloads, patients in pain, angry relatives, and small flashes of compassion. It is both realistic and mythic, a kind of modern Inferno. The film made me reflect on how much we ask of nurses, how dying can be managed well or badly, and how much society needs to decide what we truly want to fund in healthcare. Dignity at 3 a.m. should be a public right, not a private upgrade. Read the full blog on my site: www.francisgilbert.co.uk

Reflections from my appearance on LBC Breakfast Show, 21 August 2025 This morning I joined LBC’s breakfast show (with a stand-in presenter for Nick Ferrari) to talk about GCSE results day, inequality, and what parents can do to help their children succeed. It was a wide-ranging, challenging conversation that touched on poverty, parental support, and the pressures on teachers. In my blog I’ve shared five key things parents should know: from why home support matters more than class, to how daily routines and resilience make a real difference. I wanted to write this piece to distil what we discussed on air, connect it to the research, and offer something useful for parents navigating the anxieties of results day. You can read the full article here: www.francisgilbert.co.uk If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article. #LBC #GCSEResults #Education #ParentalSupport #Inequality #Teaching #FrancisGilbert #MindfulParenting #ParentingTips

Sitting with my 25-year-old son in the Duke of York’s cinema in Brighton, I was transported back to my student days in the 1980s. Watching Barry Lyndon together felt like a full-circle moment. We stayed near Devil’s Dyke, walking its chalk slopes in the evening light, and the film seemed to seep into the landscape around us. I wrote this piece because Kubrick’s film isn’t simply a costume drama, it is a meditation on history, art, and how human life is staged by ritual and chance. Seeing it again reminded me of my tutor at Sussex, John Barrell, whose teaching showed me that people of the 18th century were not “modern” subjects but beings shaped by poverty, class, and tradition. The film captures that difference with extraordinary precision. Revisiting it with my son was moving. He was as mesmerised as I was, proof that cinema can still speak across generations. Writing the blog was my way of reflecting on how light, landscape, and ritual still shape the way we see ourselves.

What does freedom of expression really mean in 2025? On August 5th, I attended a deeply thought-provoking event hosted by Index on Censorship at St John's Church, Waterloo, where my wife Erica Wagner was one of the speakers. The panel launched the new Index issue titled Land of the Free? and gathered journalists, editors, and activists to reflect on Donald Trump’s legacy and the erosion of civil liberties across the US and UK. From SLAPP lawsuits to the criminalisation of protest, the conversation reminded us that freedom is not a given: it must be defended, questioned, and collectively sustained. This blog distils seven key lessons I took away from the night, ranging from the legacy of the War on Terror to the global assault on so-called “woke” values. #FreedomOfExpression #IndexOnCensorship #LandOfTheFree #ProtestRights #SLAPPs #CultureWars #Democracy #WritersLife #PoliticalWriting #CreativeNonfiction #EricaWagner #FrancisGilbert #HumanRights #SpeakUp #UKPolitics #USPolitics

As a teacher, parent, and author of The Mindful English Teacher, I have seen first-hand how much pressure modern education places on families, and how little space there often is for listening, creativity, and emotional understanding. I created this podcast and companion blog to open up a more compassionate conversation between parents and teachers. Speaking with Yundie Fei, a brilliant former student of mine and now an educator working closely with Chinese families, helped me reflect on how deeply similar our experiences are across cultures. We both see the anxiety, the over-scheduling, and the miscommunication; and we both believe things can change. This is for any parent who has ever worried their child is “falling behind,” questioned a teacher’s methods, or wondered how best to support learning at home. I hope it brings reassurance, insight, and perhaps even a sense of relief: you are not alone, and there is a gentler, more mindful way forward.

This summer I descended into the Postojna caves in Slovenia and came back with more than just photos. I wrote a poem and a reflection on what caves can teach us about the surface of our lives: about time, silence, the unconscious, and the power of slowness. From Plato’s shadows to Blake’s infernos, from Freud’s depths to Fingal’s Cave, this blog explores how caves have always shaped our stories and our inner worlds. A piece for anyone drawn to the poetic, the meditative, and the quietly transformative. If you’re reading this on Instagram, the link won’t work here; please paste it into your browser or visit www.francisgilbert.co.uk

I wrote this blog in response to The Ballad of Wallis Island, a quietly beautiful film that spoke to something deep in me, as a writer, teacher, and person drawn to stories of retreat and reckoning. Watching it reminded me that we all carry a kind of island within us: a place where our creative selves, our ghosts, our pasts and possibilities gather. The film’s setting, tone, and themes of faded fame, broken love, and slow healing made me reflect on what happens when we stop performing and start listening; to others, and to ourselves. That inner island became a metaphor I couldn’t shake. The blog explores this in depth, ending with a poem and a creative visualisation for those wanting to travel inward themselves. Writing it helped me rediscover a part of my own creative practice. I hope it does something similar for you. If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full piece at www.francisgilbert.co.uk

“We are all migrants.” That powerful statement opened a transformative Community Day at Goldsmiths on 12 July 2025, part of the Migration Stories project, led by Professor Bulent Gokay, Susan Moffat, and Professor Farzana Shain, and co-hosted by the Migrant Futures Institute and the New Vic’s Borderlines team. I wrote this blog because the workshop moved me deeply, both as an educator and as a human being. It reminded me of the power of creativity, collaboration, and storytelling to make sense of migration as a lived, emotional reality, not just a political issue. I wanted to capture and share the spirit of the day. Through drama, collage, poetry, and play, participants of all ages explored migration as both a personal journey and a shared global condition. We reflected on our names, built imaginary shelters, embodied exclusion, and created powerful responses to the question of what “home” means. The collective reading of The Day the War Came by Nicola Davies brought everything together in a moving final act of shared expression. 📩 Read the blog and register for future events: #MigrationStories #Goldsmiths #Borderlines #MigrantFutures #CreativeResistance #WeAreAllMigrants

🎙️ I wrote this blog and recorded this Mindful Learning Podcast episode because I believe the arts are a powerful, often overlooked force for real social change. In conversation with Dr Miranda Matthews, we explore how creative practice can help us respond to the climate crisis, amplify marginalised voices, and transform education from the ground up. We talk about art as participation, not performance; about murals in schools and selkie suits in seal sanctuaries; and about how storytelling and small actions ripple outwards. 🖼️ This one’s for teachers, artists, students—and anyone wondering how creativity can make a difference. 👉 Read the blog and listen to the podcast: If you're reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article and audio. #MindfulLearningPodcast #ArtsForChange #CreativeEducation #FrancisGilbert #MirandaMatthews #EcologiesInPractice #Goldsmiths #ArtsAndLearning #ClimateJustice #CriticalPedagogy #StoryOfChange

🦒🦊🐆 What kind of parent are you when it comes to your child’s education? I’ve spent decades working in education, as a teacher, author, and now as Dr Francis Gilbert, Head of Education at Goldsmiths, University of London. I’ve written two books for parents about navigating schools, Parent Power and Working the System, and while they’re over a decade old, revisiting them recently reminded me how little has changed. The system is still confusing. The stakes are still high. And parents are still left feeling overwhelmed by league tables, playground gossip, and hidden admissions rules. That’s why I’ve created this quiz. It’s short, fun—and surprisingly revealing. You’ll discover your instinctive parenting style when it comes to education. Are you a Giraffe? A Fox? A Wildebeest? Each result comes with advice you can actually use. 🎯 It’s more timely than ever—because your approach as a parent really does shape your child’s experience at school. 📥 Take the quiz and download the free printable version from my website. 👉 If you’re reading this on Instagram, you’ll need to paste the link into your browser to access the full article and quiz. #Parenting #SchoolAdmissions #EducationMatters #ParentPower #FrancisGilbert #Goldsmiths

🖋️ "It didn’t have to be clever. It just had to be true." At a recent MA Creative Writing and Education sharing day, alumna Maryam Ahmadi led a powerful storytelling session exploring how fables can carry emotional and moral truths that essays and arguments often can’t. The bold linocut-style image here captures the spirit of the session: a teacher and group of students surrounded by symbols of learning and connection—a heart, a lightbulb, a book, and leaves. A chalkboard shows the simplest of equations: 1 + 1, reminding us that real learning is reciprocal. When we share stories, we’re not just transmitting knowledge—we’re transforming one another. Maryam began by reading Patrick and Flippa, a deceptively gentle children’s book about a lonely polar bear and a persistent penguin. The group then wrote their own fables, revealing themes of exile, regeneration, defiance, and hope. One participant wrote about a deer who could only speak in questions. Another told of a fish who forgot how to swim in clean water. These were not writing exercises. They were acts of quiet truth-telling. 💡 As one attendee put it: “It’s easier to say something difficult through the story of a fox. You get closer without flinching.” 📚 This workshop was part of the MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths, University of London—a unique programme where writers become educators, and educators deepen their creative practice. 🔗 Find out about the MA: www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creative-writing-education/ #MACreativeWritingAndEducation #GoldsmithsUniversity #StorytellingAsPedagogy #MindfulTeaching #Fables #CreativeWritingWorkshop #WritingToHeal #WritingToLearn #RadicalPedagogy #TeacherWriter #ReciprocalLearning

I wrote this blog after reflecting on The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and its powerful impact, not just as a personal story, but as a case study in how publishing shapes truth, healing, and cultural desire. Drawing on over a decade of teaching creative writing and publishing, I explore what the book teaches us about agents, editors, marketing, and the ethics of memoir. 👣 Who decides what gets published—and how truth is framed? 📚 Why do memoirs like this resonate so deeply? 🧭 What role does publishing play in offering hope or illusion? 🔗 Read the full post here: #TheSaltPath #RaynorWinn #PublishingEthics #CreativeWriting #Memoir #Pedagogy #WritingLife #FrancisGilbert #Goldsmiths

What happens when the story you loved starts to shift? In this piece, I explore Raynor Winn’s recent public defence of The Salt Path—a statement both moving and evasive. While condemning the abuse Winn has received, the article interrogates what her response reveals (and conceals) about the ethics of memoir. Did the omissions distort the truth? What kind of trust do memoirists owe their readers? And when real-life complexities surface, do they deepen a story—or destabilise it? This isn’t about cancellation—it’s about accountability, narrative framing, and the quiet power of what’s left unsaid. #MemoirEthics #RaynorWinn #TheSaltPath #NarrativeTruth #LifeWriting #CreativeNonfiction #MindfulWriting #EthicalStorytelling #WritingCommunity

In my last post, I explored Thirteen Ways of Looking at The Salt Path. This follow-up dives deeper. Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path moved many. But recent reporting has raised ethical questions about omission, accountability, and the seduction of “emotional truth.” What are the responsibilities of the memoirist—especially when their story brings them sympathy, sales, or status? In this new article, I reflect on my own memoir—and what I got wrong. I explore what I’ve learned as a writer, teacher, and mentor of emerging voices on the MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths. 🧭 Memoir is a journey, not a monument. 🕊️ Truth needs ethics, not just emotion. 🌊 The Salt Path leads us to difficult but necessary questions. 🔗 Link in bio/comments #MemoirMatters #EmotionalTruth #CreativeWriting #TheSaltPath #EthicalWriting #FrancisGilbert #WritersOfInstagram #NonFictionNarratives #GoldsmithsWriters

What happens when we stop judging our writing—and simply listen? In this new blog post, I reflect on a recent workshop where writers used mindfulness to unlock voice, memory, and emotion. Together we explored how freewriting, object meditation, and mindful noticing can transform both what we write and how we feel about writing. Participants wrote about lipstick, tissue packets, Kindles—and discovered surprising characters, deep emotional truths, and stories of presence, loss, and joy. These moments reminded us that mindfulness is not about calming down—it’s about showing up. Drawing on my book The Mindful Creative Writing Teacher (Gilbert, 2025) and C. T. McCaw’s concept of “thick mindfulness,” I share five practical and poetic takeaways from the session. If you teach, write, or are simply curious about the link between awareness and creativity, this one’s for you. 💡 Read now and see how mindful writing can be radically freeing. #MindfulWriting #CreativeWritingTeacher #Freewriting #MindfulnessInEducation #WritersOfInstagram #AmWriting #WritingWorkshop #GoldsmithsUniversity #FrancisGilbert #WritingPrompt #MindfulLiving

I wrote this blog because, like so many readers, I had been profoundly moved by The Salt Path and felt shocked and saddened by the revelations in The Observer's investigation. My piece, Thirteen Ways of Looking at The Salt Path, reflects the emotional complexity of this moment. It explores how we process betrayal, how beauty can be real even when built on broken foundations, and how storytelling must be held to ethical account. This is not a takedown. It is not an attempt to erase what people found meaningful in Sally and Tim Walker’s journey. Instead, it is an invitation to hold the story up to the light and examine its layers. I use the structure of Wallace Stevens’ poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird to acknowledge the many truths that can coexist, and the importance of distinguishing between them. This is a moment for honesty in publishing, compassion for those misled, and responsibility for those harmed. It is also a call for readers, writers, and teachers to think more deeply about what it means to tell the truth. I hope this blog opens a space for reflection and dialogue, about literature, justice, and the real salt of life.

I wrote this blog because so many parents still aren’t getting the support they need. As the author of Parent Power and Working the System, and a long-time advocate for families, I’ve seen just how powerful parenting support can be — when it’s done well. Too often, the help that really works is hidden behind jargon, red tape, or lack of publicity. And too many families are being offered programmes that aren’t backed by evidence. Inspired by Nesta’s 2025 report Parenting Support at Scale, I’ve written a practical, no-nonsense blog to help parents navigate what’s out there — and how to find what actually works. In the blog, I break down five key findings every parent should know, from the benefits of structured programmes like Triple P and Incredible Years to free online tools like Tiny Happy People. I’ve included links to trusted websites, tips on what to ask for, and suggestions for getting tailored support. Please share this with any parents or carers who might need a bit of guidance, or who don’t know where to start. #ParentingSupport #ParentPower #MindfulParenting #TripleP #IncredibleYears #Nesta #FamilyHelp #EarlyYears