
Dr Poppy Gibson
Lecturer In Education
School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport
Biography
Professional biography
Dr Poppy Gibson is a Lecturer in Education whose key interests involve children’s psychological development and mental health, and wellbeing in education.
View Poppy's ORCID ID here: Dr Poppy Gibson (0000-0002-5971-8565) - ORCID
Poppy is a lecturer in Education with the WELS team, and holds Senior Fellowship with HEA. Her research centres around mental health and wellbeing in education for both learners and staff and she has published several books and papers in this area. Poppy moved into higher education after over a decade working in London primary schools, and has been lecturing since 2017, programme leading at both University of Greenwich and Anglia Ruskin University. Poppy holds a Doctorate in Education from Oxford Brookes University. Poppy's doctoral thesis was awarded the ‘Most Downloaded’ from EThOS databases in Autumn 2020. Her thesis explored young girls' experiences of using social media, online interaction, and communication with others online in a 'third space', and how these interactions build up a social reality and impact upon identity formation. Poppy's first degree was in Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status from Edgehill University, with a specialism in Child Behaviour and Psychology of Learning. In addition, she has a Masters degree in Education, specialising in Leadership and Management in Education, and a Masters in Mental Health Science- both from the OU!
Poppy has worked in the education sector at a wide range of schools throughout London, both at independent schools and state schools. Poppy has worked as a class teacher within both Key Stages, and with various coordinator and management roles, and has a wide range of interests in the National Curriculum. Key posts held include Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Head of Computing, Coordinator of PSHE and Citizenship, and Phase Leader of Year 3 and 4.
Poppy also enjoyed working as a Learning Support Adviser at Birkbeck University of London from 2012 to 2018, supporting students on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Poppy currently supervises students on both the MA and Doctoral programmes.
Research interests
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- Children’s learning and development
- Children’s mental health and wellbeing
- Teacher wellbeing
- Interventions for anxiety and depression
- Inclusion for neurodivergent learners and educators
Areas of expertise
- Child psychology
- Mental health
- Wellbeing for all
- Qualifications
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- PG Cert Higher Education Learning and Teaching (July 2022)
- Inside-Out Prison Exchange Practitioner (August 2021)
- Doctor of Education, Oxford Brookes University (2019)
- Master of Education (Leadership and Management), Open University London
- Master of Science (Mental Health Science), Open University London
- BA (Hons) in Primary Education (Child Psychology and Behaviour)
- Completed the AURORA Women in HE programme (2019)
Publications
Book
Nurturing Wellbeing in Academia: How to Prioritise Your Mental Health (2024)
Primary Teacher Solutions: Ready Pedagogy and Inspirational Ideas (2023)
Book Chapter
Digital Artefact
How to support neurodivergent mothers during pregnancy and birth (2025)
Journal Article
Purposeful, Inclusive Assessment: Maximising Potential in Distance Learning (2024)
Promoting potential through purposeful inclusive assessment for distance learners (2022)
Other
Understanding and supporting neurodivergence around the world: from England to Indonesia (2025)
Presentation / Conference
Early Years Essentials: Linking theory to provision in the Early Years (2024)