Author: Phil Banks
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What if you did something for no purpose?
What if you did something today not to achieve, improve, or produce — but simply because being present felt enough? This is at the heart of a Zen‑inspired practice that invites us to engage in actions without agenda or outcome, and the research suggests it could be more nourishing for our minds than we realise.…
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Why “The Village” Matters More Than Ever.
Education as a Collective Endeavour. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”This African proverb is a navigation star for the work we do — reminding us that learning, belonging and flourishing happen in relationship, not isolation. And when we say “it takes a village to raise…
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Throughout Life, We Belong Somewhere.
A Guest Blog from Bob Fox Bob is a friend and an elder in my village. Bob worked in education for many years, finishing his career as a secondary headteacher. He is active in village life, running clubs for drama, woodwork and art, as well as being an active supporter of the local school. Bob…
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Silent Exits.
Exclusion, Elective Home Education, Drift and Moral Duty. Every number tells a story, but some numbers should stop us in our tracks. Across the UK, tens of thousands of children are now excluded from school each year. Alongside this, we are seeing a sharp and sustained rise in the number of families choosing elective home…
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The Day George Surprised Me: How Connection Can Transform Learning.
A guest Blog by Dr. Lorena Franco Very excited to bring you a new guest Blog from educator Dr Lorena Franco, Arkansas. Lorena focuses on how individual empathy and connection can transform the learning experience of an individual, in this case, George. The bell rang, yet George stayed in his seat, pencil in hand, determined…
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The Time We Give to People Is the Time We Give to Human Flourishing
In a world that races on schedules, deadlines and the constant pull of screens, it’s easy to squeeze people into the margins of our weeks rather than the heart of them. Yet, research from psychology and human development tells us something profound: the quality of our relationships isn’t a luxury — it’s essential to who…
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Birthdays, Anniversaries….Significance and Love.
There’s something deeply human about remembering. Not just facts or tasks, but the dates that mark someone’s life. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the day someone got a new job, graduated, or became a parent, the day someone lost a loved one. Remembering these dates is more than calendar-management — it is an outward sign, a gentle…
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My Top Ten Facts on Belonging
An academically researched belonging fact check. In my previous posts — “My Best Bets for Belonging” and “Belonging is the Answer, What’s Your Question” — I explored what belonging means in educational and community contexts, and why it matters. In this blog I want to sharpen that exploration: these are ten research-based facts about belonging…
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Belonging and the New Ofsted Framework (Part Two)
When “Thrive, Belong, Achieve” Meets the Reality of School Life. When I wrote the original Belonging and the New Ofsted Framework, the updated EIF was still emerging through consultations, early drafts, and the usual cautious optimism. Now it’s here — the Adapted (or Renewed) Framework, released with bold language, warm intentions, and a brand-new mantra:…
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Sonder
In my previous blog, The Business of Belonging, I explored Rhodes Perry’s work—particularly as highlighted in his Forbes interview—where he describes the practice of building cultures of belonging with intentionality, humility, and courage. In that piece, Perry briefly references a word that has stayed with me since: Sonder. A word that quietly names something many…
The Belonging Collective 