The Philosophy Foundation

10 free sessions run by trained and accredited specialist philosophy teachers at The Philosophy Foundation, able to work with primary and secondary students. Funded by the Royal Institute of Philosophy, available for sessions in UK schools outside London where our philosophers are based.

With funding made available by the Royal Institute of Philosophy we are able to offer schools outside London 10 philosophy sessions at no cost to the school, plus resources for your school library.

Today’s young people are increasingly pressured to perform academically in narrow ways, yet the challenges of the modern world demand that they develop the means to critically analyse arguments, communicate nuance, and see beyond the content delivered to them. Ex-CBI President Paul Drechsler called upon policymakers to make education about more than results and rote learning, and prioritise teaching that encourages thoughts, questions, creativity and teamworking. In order for children to do well in the future they need to be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and develop skills that are needed in the workplace: problem solving and communication skills. These are the skills that philosophy with us develops.

We work in primary and secondary schools and will be focusing this offer on schools with high levels of disadvantage. In some cases we are able to offer sessions for more than 1 class. Schools involved will also receive up to £200 of philosophy books for your school library – we will work with you to find the most suitable books for you.

We have philosophers based in the following locations: Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Manchester, Lincoln and Leeds. If you are outside of these areas we may still be able to help, please get in touch.

This funding is limited and will be given on a first come basis – classes will start in the Spring Term, or thereabouts.

Independent research carried out by the Institute of Education in 2013 into the impact of our philosophy sessions showed that just one term of philosophy with us improved the reading ability of children on free school meals, as well as improving communication skills, higher-order reasoning and confidence. Alongside these benefits, young people consistently find philosophy engaging and of intrinsic value to their lives. Recent feedback from 200 students taking part in our sessions showed 85% of them saying they enjoyed the philosophy, and 100% saying that other children should learn critical thinking (CT) skills through philosophy, even if they said they didn’t enjoy learning the CT skills themselves!

“Yes, I think philosophy should be taught to others, because if everyone did philosophy everyone would think better, and would think more of life, and if you do it enough it can make you a better person.” Year 6 Pupil.

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Philosophy and Critical Thinking

The Philosophy Foundation

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

The Philosophy Foundation

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