We use Philosophy4Children here at George Tomlinson. P4C improves children’s critical, creative and rigorous thinking.
At George Tomlinson, children participate in weekly P4C (Philosophy for Children) lessons. During the lessons, the teacher facilitates a student-led discussion on a philosophical question. Often this is initiated through a stimulus, such as a book or a piece of footage, which allows the children to think deeply, and ask philosophical questions. One question is usually chosen to discuss at length, and pupils listen to one- another’s answers, adding to their thoughts and challenging views courteously.
Philosophy for Children has been shown to build higher order thinking, questioning, speaking and listening skills, and the pupils at George Tomlinson look forward to and enjoy these sessions. All these skills have huge benefits for the National Curriculum. Moreover, the EEF (The Education Endowment Foundation) has validated P4C in its pupil premium toolkit.
