The thought provoking and exciting curriculum the school has developed over the last two years is an outstanding component of the school’s success …(this includes) the development of ‘Philosophy for Children’, a powerful tool which both excites the pupils and gives them the confidence to explore stimulating and challenging ideas and concepts. It not only strengthens their academic learning, but also encourages their empathy for others and gives them insights into the adult world. (Ofsted Curriculum Grade 1 Ropsley Primary School Ofsted Report, Feb 2007)
What is the Impact of P4C?
Findings from Clackmannanshire Schools
Research by Dundee University (2006)
- A whole population of children gained on average 6 standard points on a measure of cognitive abilities after 16 months of weekly enquiry
- Pupils increased their level of participation in classroom discussion by half as much again following 6 months of weekly enquiry
- Pupils doubled their occurrence of supporting their views with reasons over a 6 month period
- Teachers doubled their use of open-ended questions over a six month period
- When pupils left primary school they did not have any further enquiry opportunities yet their improved cognitive abilities were still sustained two years into secondary school
- Pupils and teachers perceived significant gains in communication, confidence, concentration, participation and social behaviour following 6 months of enquiry
Findings from Northumberland Schools
Research by Sunderland and Newcastle Universities (2005)
- At Key Stage 1 long-term involvement with P4C has led to improved maths performance in national tests
- At Key Stage 1 there appears to be a positive link between the use of P4C and maths performance
- Overall the use of P4C is significantly greater in schools where English performance at Key Stage 2 SATS exceeds predicted levels
- At Key Stage 3 in the 5 high schools using P4C, 567 pupils achieved 5 or more A-C GCSEs in 2004 compared with 457 predicted (i.e. 24% more than predicted)
For international research, click here
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