Philosophy for Children

Philosophy for Children, or P4C for short, is a pupil-centred teaching method based on:

•  Group enquiry (working together in a community of enquiry to understand difficult issues/concepts);

•  Reflection (thinking about discussions and possibly changing attitudes/actions as a result);

•  Developing skills (critical and creative thinking, communication skills and working with others).

P4C is a well respected classroom method which helps to improve pupils’ critical thinking skills and their ability to work co-operatively. It fosters an atmosphere of open, creative discussion among pupils of all ages, and its success has been noted in many school inspection reports and academic studies.

The P4C method was originally devised as a programme for 6-16 year olds by Professor Matthew Lipman in the United States. A useful summary of its history and effectiveness can be found at www.sapere.org.uk.

Now well established, P4C is used in a variety of forms throughout the world. In the UK, SAPERE is perhaps the organisation best known for promoting the method. It co-ordinates a three-level professional training programme to maintain high standards.

Our trainers are accredited by SAPERE to deliver Level 1 courses. Their approach is to combine P4C with requirements of the curriculum in Wales such as Thinking Skills, PSE and ESDGC.