What is P4C?

P4C is an approach to teaching and learning that explores the big ideas that arise in all areas of education and life experience. P4C uses philosophical dialogue and enquiry to help learners to think, to speak, to listen, to learn and to live together more effectively.

P4C at Phillimore

At Phillimore, we use Philosophy for Children (P4C), to help our children to develop into effective, critical and creative thinkers. P4C helps and encourages children to take responsibility for their own learning in a caring and collaborative environment. The subject, which is interwoven within our wider curriculum, also provides practical ways of developing good thinking, questioning and communication skills. During P4C, children and their teacher share a stimulus which could be a story, video, piece of music, image or an artefact and then the children take thinking time to devise their own questions to discuss.

Our aim is to help our pupils to develop skills that will enable them to contribute as responsible citizens of the future. Throughout school, we create caring classroom situations where children learn to listen to and respect each other. We make links between matters of personal concern such as love, growing up, friendship, bullying and fairness and more general philosophical concepts such as change, personal identity, free will, space, time and truth.

Our whole school approach is recognised nationally through SAPERE, the educational charity responsible for the development of P4C in the UK. As a school, we have achieved our Bronze and Silver award and our currently working towards the Gold award.

Links to further information on P4C

https://www.sapere.org.uk/why-sapere-p4c/

https://www.chrisquigley.co.uk/resources/books/essentials-full-spectrum-curriculum/