Alt Bridge School in Huyton has been awarded the Silver SAPERE Philosophy in Children Award.
SAPERE is the national charity for Philosophical Enquiry P4C (Philosophy for Children, Colleges and Communities).
It’s 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.
SAPERE’s 4Cs thinking model supports the development of:-
- caring thinking: listening carefully, appreciating, thanking, showing interest, showing sensitivity, waiting your turn
- collaborative thinking: responding, supporting, building on other’s ideas, inviting, sharing tasks, negotiating, joining in
- critical thinking: questioning, reasoning, evaluating, weighing evidence, making distinctions, testing ideas, applying criteria
- creative thinking: making connections, suggesting alternatives, giving examples, exploring possibilities, considering perspectives
P4C involves regular classroom enquiries where pupils choose the subject matter – such as equality, identity and truth – formulate questions, share their opinions and listen to others, helping them to deepen their understanding.
Natalie Menagh, Head Teacher at Alt Bridge School, said “We are so proud to have achieved the Silver level Philosophy for Children (P4C) award with SAPERE.
“We embarked on this journey around four years ago, introducing P4C across the curriculum over time.
“The results have been amazing in supporting our students to develop and apply their thinking skills. Our teachers are all trained in delivering P4C lessons which enables us to use the approach to deepen each child’s learning experience.”
You can find out more at SAPERE P4C here.