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P4C

At Woodcot Primary School we pride ourselves on having achieved the Sapere Bronze Award in October 2022. 

Why do P4C? 

P4C sessions allow us time to focus on developing key thinking, communication & social skills and give children time and space to learn how to manage their emotions appropriately; it also allows them to become more understanding towards one another. 

P4C enables personal, social & emotional growth of individuals – boosting confidence & self- esteem. Thanks to P4C our children are able to critically reason and discuss their differing opinions, expressing themselves in a clear and sensible way. 

Research shows that P4C supports the development of children’s cognitive, speaking, listening and reasoning skills. This in turn results in improved reading, writing and maths outcomes. For more information please refer to www.sapere.org.uk

We embarked on our P4C journey with a clear objective – for our children to become critical thinkers who will be ready for the challenges that secondary school and adulthood can bring. Philosophy for Children is now an integral part of our school ethos and is embedded in everything we do. At Woodcot, we believe that children should be: 

  • curious and question the world around them 
  • good listeners and communicators 
  • empathetic and respectful of others opinions and differences 
  • able to explain their reasoning clearly and confidently 
  • critical thinkers 
  • well-rounded, open-minded citizens of the world 

Our values & P4C is at the heart of what makes our school a special place 

P4C links perfectly with the University of Portsmouth Academy Trust’s (UPAT) three core values: Being, Belonging, Becoming, as well as with our school values: Communication, Independence, Resilience and Consideration to create our aspirational, positive and inclusive ethos. 

We believe regular P4C sessions enable us to provide a safe space to explore the true meaning of our core values, as well as current topical issues that we find interesting to discuss and are passionate about. 

Our main aim is for all our children to be able to draw upon these core values to make positive choices, build positive relationships & become a responsible citizen – one who truly live our school motto: 

Together we Learn and Grow

P4C Sessions 

P4C sessions begin with a starter to get everyone thinking such as a story, picture or video clip. From this stimulus, children may then move on to create questions together in small groups. They then share these questions and vote on which one they wish to further explore and discuss as a class. 

Here are some examples of P4C questions, created by the children, which we have discussed in school: 

  • Should you forgive others? 
  • Is it better to do what you think is right or to follow the rules? 
  • Is it ever okay to steal? 
  • Should we be friends with everyone? 
  • Can you have too much power? 

The adult facilitates the discussion of the chosen question by helping children to develop their opinions and give supporting reasons; to analyse significant concepts and to search for meaning as a group. 

The main principles of a P4C discussion are: 

  • It’s OK to change your mind 
  • It’s OK to disagree, as long as you are respectful 
  • Everyone’s ideas are valued 

The adult also focusses on developing P4C 4C’s thinking: 

  • Caring – understanding others and being respectful of different opinions 
  • Collaborative – finding solutions together 
  • Creative – making connections and thinking of new ideas 
  • Critical – understanding what we think and why 

P4C at Home 

If you would like to explore P4C at home with your child, you can do so simply by having a short conversation with them that involves saying what you each think and why about a relevant topic – such as on the book they are reading, current news, or on their current school value class discussion. 

Playing games that develop thinking skills are also beneficial & fun, including: 

  • Odd one out: Choose 3 objects, pictures, family members, animals etc – which is the odd one out and why? Can you find reasons for each of them to be the odd one out? 
  • Connections: Choose 10 objects at random. Can you see connections between two different objects, or three (or more)?
  • Good because....bad because ....questions: Ask what could be good or bad about different situations, for example: 
    • If we could hear people’s thoughts
    • If writing was never invented
    • o If nobody was allowed to own anything o If dinosaurs still roamed the land
    • o If we could swap brains with our friends