# data[].attributes.headline
Targeted digital pathways for anxiety (primary age)

# data[].attributes.subject
Targeted digital pathways for anxiety (primary age)

# data[].attributes.body
At www.stormbreak.org, with the support of NHS Dorset and BBC CiN we have developed a series of online digital pathways for children with early emerging mental health needs. By far our most popular pathway is 'Be Calm' for anxiety. Please get in touch if we can help victoria@stormbreak.org.uk.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stormbreak Shine digital pathways are for trusted adults and children to do together; providing knowledge, skills and practical tools to support an emerging mental wellbeing need

Who's it for?

A trusted adult can use stormbreak Shine alongside a child who needs a little extra support with difficult emotions or behaviours. Targeted pathways can be assigned to children by professionals working in education, health or social care. Shine can also be used as a digital tool to deliver targeted interventions to small groups of children.

What are the benefits?

Shine provides a timely digital opportunity to use stormbreak as an early intervention that is responsive for both preventative and targeted contexts and will allow you to help support more children's mental health and wellbeing.

Online early intervention that is easy to access and use.

Provides tools that empower trusted adults to support children.

Helps you to understand what children need, what to say and how to support them.

Allows you to monitor and support children's progress.

Provides pathways the enable children to recognise their emotions, respond to their feelings and self-regulate.

How do we get involved?

Please contact victorias@stormbreak.org.uk if you are interested in accessing our stormbreak Shine pathways, or would like to find out more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stormbreak Shine digital pathways are for trusted adults and children to do together; providing knowledge, skills and practical tools to support an emerging mental wellbeing need A trusted adult can use stormbreak Shine alongside a child who needs a little extra support with difficult emotions or behaviours.

# data[].attributes.headline
ELSA support over 6 week period which is delivered in a safe and secure room that children can access.  In  some cases, 1:1 discussions when things/ situations arise.  This could also take part within a class PSHE or whole school assembly. 

# data[].attributes.subject
ELSA support over 6 week period which is delivered in a safe and secure room that children can access.  In  some cases, 1:1 discussions when things/ situations arise.  This could also take part within a class PSHE or whole school assembly. 

# data[].attributes.body
We reflect on findings from The Good Childhood Report 2022 and why we need a national measure of young people's wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Today's publication of the Good Childhood Report 2022 by The Children's Society marks the eleventh in a series of annual reports about how children in the UK feel about their lives.

We reflect on the report's key findings and explore why consistently capturing a holistic picture of how young people feel about their lives at a national level is important.

Key findings and trends

Family, health and home - on average, children aged 10-17 who took part in the annual Children's Society Household Survey (CSHS) in 2022 were most happy with their family, their health, and their home.

A continued decline in children's wellbeing - on average, children completing the Understanding Society survey (aged 10 to 15) were more unhappy in 2019-2020 than 2009-2010, with mean happiness scores for life as a whole, friends, appearance and school significantly lower. One in 16 UK 10-15 year olds were unhappy with their lives.

Impact of school - 14.2% of children aged 10-17 scored below the midline for happiness with school in the CSHS 2022.

Impact of appearance - in 10 of 11 Understanding Society surveys conducted between 2009-10 to 2019-20, children were more unhappy about appearance than the five other aspects of life they were asked about. 18% of 10-15 year old girls were significantly unhappy with their appearance in 2019-20, which is 8 percentage points higher than boys, and 3 percentage points more than a decade ago.

Children's experience of school

This year the report explores children's happiness with and experiences of school in more detail.

Children surveyed in 2022 via the CSHS were asked what school year they were in, enabling researchers to explore differences in wellbeing between these educational and transitional phases. On average, those in key stages 2 (primary) and 5 (further education) were happier than key stages 3 and 4 (secondary school).

Children who said their family was not well off were also less happy with school on average, suggesting a link between children's happiness with school and their perceptions of their family's wealth. This is echoed by the Understanding Society data from 2019-20, which shows happiness with school work declined significantly from 8.1/10 at age 10 to 6.6/10 at age 15, and was significantly lower among children in lower income households.

Using data from the CSHS, the report identified seven factors that had strong positive correlations with children's overall happiness with school, based on:

These explain two thirds of young people's happiness with school experience, after controlling for age and gender:

Disparities between sexes persist

Across the Understanding Society surveys conducted between 2009-10 and 2019-20, boys were also consistently happier than girls with appearance, but less happy with schoolwork in eight out of eleven surveys:

Previous research has indicated that being male is associated with lower mental health difficulties and higher subjective wellbeing in adolescence . We also know that wellbeing declines as children get older , with this being steeper and starting earlier for girls. This needs further understanding. A question remains as to whether male distress is being picked up sufficiently in survey questions.

What are the implications and what's next?
1. National measurement of children's wellbeing
We know that a strong predictor of adult life satisfaction is their emotional health in childhood. Low wellbeing (0-4 out of 10) can be predictive of later poor wellbeing and mental health problems up to 8 years later. Combined with loneliness, low wellbeing can decrease chances of moving from education to employment .

To fulfil the Levelling Up mission of improving wellbeing for the UK population, we need to regularly capture how young people are doing at a national scale. This can be achieved through consistent and robust measurement of wellbeing and its drivers, as is already happening for adults. Data should be captured annually as part of the National Pupil Database in England and the Pupil Level Annual School Census in Wales so we can see the link between performance and wellbeing.

Not all children's experiences are fully captured by surveys and smaller sample sizes. This is why nationally captured data should be analysed at a local level, and we should look beyond the averages .

The learnings should also be made publicly available for organisations and communities to work together at a neighbourhood level, as it is being done in Greater Manchester through the #BeeWell project which engaged almost 40,000 children. A key starting point was to find out what wellbeing means to young people. In collaboration with young people and the questionnaire advisory group, they arrived at three key domains of wellbeing and identified six key drivers of wellbeing [Figure 22].

The project has enabled young people to be involved in local decisions, feeding back their thoughts on wellbeing to elected representatives. #BeeWell measures are being adopted by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), ensuring young people's wellbeing will be at the heart of future strategy.
2. Understanding what impacts children's happiness with how they look
Happiness with appearance has decreased over time from 2009-2010 to 2019-2020, and across all waves, more girls were unhappy with their appearance than with any other measure.

Our previous body image research looked at adult female Instagram users and suggests a positive correlation between how women feel about their bodies and how satisfied they feel with their lives as a whole . Exploratory recommendations from our research include formulating clear guidance on how images and messages about body image can be communicated positively online. We need to further explore the drivers of satisfaction with appearance for children.
3. Putting wellbeing at the core of education
After parents, the next major influence on children are their schools, both primary and secondary. It is clear from the report that education is a source of unhappiness for a proportion of children. To address this, attention needs to be placed on prevention and early intervention. Read our previous blog in response to the Times Education Commission Final Report to explore our suggestions on what we know already works.

Data sources

The Children's Society Household Survey - collects regular data on different measures of children's wellbeing including the Good Childhood Index. The most recent survey was undertaken between May and June 2022, and collected responses from a sample of over 2,000 children from across the UK, aged 10 to 17, and their parent or carer.

Understanding Society - a longitudinal survey covering a large representative sample of around 40,000 households in the UK. The youth questionnaire contains routine questions on subjective wellbeing and modules which vary between years on other aspects of children's lives. The most recent survey data available are for 2019-20, completed by 2,100 children (aged 10 to 15).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children's wellbeing in the UK 2022 - What Works Wellbeing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today's publication of the Good Childhood Report 2022 by The Children's Society marks the eleventh in a series of annual reports about how children in the UK feel about their lives. We reflect on the report's key findings and explore why consistently capturing a holistic picture of how young people feel about their lives at a national level is important.

# data[].attributes.body
Top Tips for outdoor play

# data[].attributes.body
Active Recovery (Part 2) – Reflections and Innovations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This episode builds on Episode #22 "Active Recovery (Part 1)" and continues the exploration and discussion of Active Recovery and its impact on well being and learning, as well as physical health.
Professor Barry Carpenter CBE OBE FCCT discusses the topic of Active Recovery and sports / sensory sanctuaries with a panel of guests including:

Vicci Wells (Youth Sport Trust)

Ali Erskine (Whitfield Aspen School)

Jon White (Clare Mount Specialist Sports College)

Nathan Nwenwu (Lawnswood Campus)

Shona McCann (Riverside School)

Alistair Crawford (St Martin's & St Andrew's Teaching Schools)

Billy Ellerington (a student at St Martin's School).

The guests discuss the presentation provided by Vicci Wells in the first part of this podcast series on the topic of Active Recovery - Episode #22.
PLEASE NOTE: It is highly recommended that you watch or listen to the first part (Episode #22) before listening to this episode. **This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part series looking at Active Recovery.**
On this and the other episode pages in the series, we've also listed links to various articles and resources that you might useful and interesting for further reading around Active Recovery and the Youth Sport Trust.

The episode builds on Episode #22 "Active Recovery (Part 1)" and continues the exploration and discussion of Active Recovery and its impact on well being and learning, as well as physical health.

You can watch Vicci's full presentation in the episode on YouTube (below):

Active Recovery Hub

A new Active Recovery Hub is launching to provide schools, local authorities, and families with easy access to free resources to get children moving before, during and after the school day , co-ordinated by the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England.

The hub has hundreds of free resources available on it to help all children of all ages and abilities achieve the Chief Medical Officer's recommendation of an average of 60 active minutes a day.

Supporting the launch, Professor Barry Carpenter CBE OBE FCCT, said: "The pandemic has had such a devastating impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of our children, causing high levels of mental distress. Active Recovery offers a positive and proactive route to recovery which builds physical fitness, stamina and social skills."

The Active Recovery Hub is available by visiting:

www.yourschoolgames.com/active-recovery

Vicci's Presentation and Guide to Sports Sanctuaries

Below is a copy of Vicci's presentation used in the episode, as well as a downloadable guide to Sports Sanctuaries:
Active Recovery - EfL LearningShared Podcast Ep 22 Vicci Wells Youth Sport Trust (Presentation) A Guide to Sports Sanctuaries (PDF)
About Vicci Wells and Youth Sport Trust

Vicci is the national lead at the Youth Sport Trust for targeted interventions, driving positive social action and addressing inequalities for young people. She recently authored the Think Piece ' Could 'sport sanctuaries' in schools help young people recover from the impact of a pandemic? and is working tirelessly to support schools on the importance of an 'Active Recovery' for pupils. On behalf of the organization she leads Inclusion 2020, which is the umbrella term for the Department for Education's SEND Inclusion in PE, school sport and physical activity grant, and a national network of lead inclusion schools across England. Recent work has also included internationally driving the global Special Olympics Play Unified programme; promoting acceptance and friendships for young people with and without SEND through the power of sport in schools across the Home Countries. Vicci is also Chair of governors for a primary school in Worcestershire, a Trustee of a Multi Academy Trust for pupils aged 4-18, inclusive of a Teaching School, and authors the ' Youngish school governor' blog.

The Youth Sport Trust is the UK's leading charity improving every young person's education and development through sport and play. In partnership with Physical Education, we build communities of educators equipped with the training and tools to lead engaging physical activity- giving young people a platform to strengthen their voice and self-belief. . We improve educational outcomes by ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to belong and achieve. work in partnership, empowering young people and equipping educators to become changemakers who lead the change they want to see in the world and know that together, we can reduce the impact of childhood inequalities and transform young lives.
www.youthsporttrust.org
About Ali Erskine and Whitfield Aspen School

Throughout my teaching career, I have taught in both mainstream schools and special schools. Thirty years ago, I started teaching in a school for children with learning and behaviour challenges, I was part of a team who valued the importance of personalised learning. I saw what a difference making learning relevant and meaningful for each child made to the children's motivation and ability to learn. These experiences were invaluable, both in my next role in a mainstream school, and then when I started teaching in a school for children with profound, severe and complex learning needs. During this time I taught in every key stage from Nursery to Post-16. Eight years ago, I joined Whitfield Aspen, a unique fully inclusive primary school, and I am now Head of School KS1, and part of our creative leadership team.

Whitfield Aspen is a fully inclusive Primary School with links to KSENT (Kent special schools) and the Samphire Learning Hub (a hub of 8 local mainstream Primary Schools). There are 356 pupils on our Mainstream roll and 128 pupils, with profound and multiple learning difficulties ,on the roll of our Specialist Resource Provision. All the pupils access their learning in the environment that best suits their individual needs. This could be full time in a Mainstream class , full time in a Specialist Provision class , or time spent between Mainstream and Specialist Provision classes. At our school we encourage 'the same' but allow for 'different'. In other words, every child should have the same opportunity but every child will access this in different ways. Our pupils come in through the same door, eat in the same hall , play in the same play areas and come to school with their brothers and sisters. In this way, we live out our school's vision of 'Learning Together with Aspiration, Imagination and Determination'.
www.whitfieldaspenschool.co.uk
About Jon White and Clare Mount Specialist Sports College

Jon White is a PE teacher and leads the Merseyside Lead Inclusion School for the Youth Sport Trust. He is also an inclusion development coach working with five schools in the Youth Sport Trust Lead Inclusion School network.
Jon leads Peninsula Partnership, which is a 21 school secondary teacher training phase 6 partnership funded by the Sport England teacher training consortium with projects planned for 2021/22 around inclusion, physical and mental health and leadership development. Jon was the NASEN 2020 UK Teacher of the Year.

Clare Mount Specialist Sports College is a special secondary school in Moreton, Wirral for students with autism and additional needs aged 11-19. The school has 223 pupils on roll and classes are typically 8-12 in size. The last Ofsted inspection rated the school as outstanding and recognised the following aspects of our school. "The great strength of the college is the outstanding care guidance and support that is offered at every level. For example, great attention is paid to the transition arrangements that bring younger students into college and help the older students to move on to their next stages. The provision of personal, social and health education greatly enhances the healthy ethos of the school by providing for students' emotional well-being. High quality discussions and strategies are used by teachers to help reduce students' stress levels and provide safe opportunities for them to air any issues of concern."
www.claremountssc.co.uk
About Nathan Nwenwu and Lawnswood Campus

Nathan is the Lead Teacher of PE at Lawnswood Campus in Wolverhampton. Lawnswood Campus is home to three Pupil Referral Units: The Braybrook Centre, The Midpoint Centre and The Orchard Centre which includes The Nightingale Home and Hospital Service serving the schools in Wolverhampton as part of a city wide strategy to promote inclusion and positive behaviour in safe, secure, child-centered, positive and nurturing environments.

We pride ourselves in having an ethos which is committed to striving for the highest standards in Safeguarding, SEND, Leadership and Management, Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes and Personal Development all of which are underpinned by our Lawnswood Campus STAR Spirit: Support, Trust, Achieve, Respect and our Lawnswood Campus Values: Kindness, Empathy, Honesty, Positivity, Curiosity, Resilience, Commitment and Responsibility.
www.lawnswood.org.uk
About Shona McCann and Riverside School

Shona began her teaching career in 2010. While working in a special school in New Zealand she quickly found her passion for working with young people with special educational needs. She values pupils as individuals and builds positive relationships with them and their families. Equipping pupils with skills for life is a passion of hers, including supporting emotional and social development. Shona has recently been appointed as Vice Principal at Riverside School in Antrim. She is currently working on an inquiry-based research project with the Education Authority in Northern Ireland and Professor Barry Carpenter. The project focuses on the impact of Sports and Sensory Sanctuaries on engagement in learning.

Riverside School is based in Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is a special school for pupils from 3-19 with Severe and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties. Our pupils lie at the heart of our school. We aim to make a difference in each of their lives by listening to their individual voices and providing them with the best experiences we can throughout their time with us. We are advocates for our pupils as life-long learners and work with families and professionals to ensure that we prepare our pupils for their adult life with a holistic approach to their development. We are continually growing and learning to be the best we can be for our pupils; living through our school motto of 'Enjoy, learn and flourish'.
www.riversides.org.uk
About Alistair Crawford and St Martin's & St Andrew's Teaching Schools

Alistair currently leads St Martin's and St Andrew's Teaching Schools in Derby. Prior to this, he worked in a range of specialist schools across the East Midlands as a teacher and senior leader.

As an experienced Specialist Leader of Education and School / Multi-Academy Trust reviewer Alistair has supported many schools and colleagues to develop their SEND provision and improve outcomes for young people with additional needs.

A big passion for Alistair is raising aspiration for the amazing young people we work with and he is currently working with a range of national partners to support pathways to employment and participation in elite sports. More recently, Alistair has joined the regional team for Whole School SEND (North & EMSYH) and has taken on the role of Specialist lead for Oak National Academy.

St Martins is an outstanding school catering for students aged 11 - 19 years with additional learning needs.
Our school is an Academy Special Converter. St Martins joined the Shaw Education Trust in May 2020. Within our main school the age range of our students is 11 - 16 years (Year 7 - Year 11). There is also provision for 16-19 year olds in our Horizons 6th Form, which is based at the Guildhall, and our Skills For Life Group which is based in school. We run a DFN Project SEARCH, a supported internship programme for post 19 students. This is currently based at Motorpoint in Derby. There are 205 students currently on roll and St Martins is co-located on a shared site with Noel Baker, a mainstream Secondary School, on the Derwent Campus. Within this exciting environment we have developed a creative and ambitious curriculum which is underpinned by the five key elements of the SHAPE-concept.

St Andrew's Academy is a secondary school, part of the Shaw Education Trust, for learners aged between 11 and 19 who have a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities. St Andrew's also has the only residential educational provision in Derby City and as such provides a unique learning platform for young people to be taught skills in context. The provision caters for up to 12 students from year 8 to year 13. Students may be offered access to the Residential provision on either a part time ( Monday - Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday) basis or full time ( Monday - Friday ) placement.
www.stmartinsschoolderby.co.uk www.standrewsacademy.co.uk
About Billy Ellerington

Billy is a student at St Martins School, Derby. He uses sport and in particular running to regulate throughout the school day and to help him focus. As an elite athlete he has won regional and national honours, most recently defending his 800m title in the Activity Alliance National Championships. Billy's ambition is to run for Great Britain and inspire others to be physically active and enjoy sport. Billy is currently aged 16.

About Barry Carpenter CBE OBE PhD FCCT

Barry Carpenter holds the UK's first Professorship in Mental Health in Education, at Oxford Brookes University. He is Honorary Professor at universities in the Ireland, Germany and Australia. He has been a Fellow of the University of Oxford.

He has been awarded an OBE and CBE by the Queen for services to children with Special Needs. In 2017 he was entered into "Who's Who" in acknowledgement of his national and international contribution to the field of Special Education.

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Barry has held the leadership positions of Headteacher, Principal, Academic Director, Chief Executive, Inspector of Schools and Director of the Centre for Special Education at Westminster College, Oxford. In 2009, he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education as Director of the Children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project. In that role Barry led an important and valuable piece of research on the use of Engagement as a pedagogy. This work become the foundation for Department for Education's new guidance for assessment (DfE, 2019). Since completing that research, Barry has overseen the development of a national project developing online 'Training materials for teachers of children with severe, profound and complex learning disabilities" (www.complexneeds.org.uk).

He is the author of over 150 articles and many texts on a range of learning disability/special needs topics. In the last 12 months, his work has been translated into German, French, Dutch and Russian. His most recent book publications (with Carolyn Blackburn and Jo Egerton) focus upon Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Most recently he co-authored "Engaging Learners with Complex Needs" (Routledge).

Barry lectures nationally and internationally. In recent years this has included China, Japan, Abu Dhabi, USA, and Germany. In 2018 he will be giving lectures in Australia and New Zealand. He is the co-founder of the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education. For the Mental Health Foundation, he Chaired the National Inquiry into the Mental Health of Young People with Learning Disabilities. He is currently Chairing a working group looking at the needs of Girls on the Autism Spectrum, which is the focus of his latest book.

Barry has 3 children - one a School Principal, one a Senior Occupational Therapist and a daughter with Down's Syndrome, who now has a home of her own, published her first book in 2017, and is on an Apprenticeship as a Teaching Assistant.

For more information:

Professor Barry Carpenter's website: https://barrycarpentereducation.com

Join the conversation:
Facebook: EfL SEND Community Group
Join us at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/eflSENDCommunity/
or search for "eflSENDCommunity" in Facebook.

The purpose of the group is to provide a safe, closed space to seek out and share ideas, experience and resources that can help with any and all aspects of SEND provision. It's also a community for practitioners and schools that use Evidence for Learning and Insights for Learning to share ideas, resources and support each other in using these apps. This is a peer-moderated and supported group.
Facebook Group: Recovery Curriculum
We've set up a private facebook group specifically for The Recovery Curriculum at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/recoverycurriculum
or search for "recoverycurriculum" in Facebook.
Linkedin Group: The Recovery Curriculum
The group is called "A Recovery Curriculum for children & schools post-pandemic" and you can find it at:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12399451/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Episode 23: Active Recovery (Part 2) - Panel Discussion - Reflections and Innovations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This episode builds on Episode #22 "Active Recovery (Part 1)" and continues the exploration and discussion of Active Recovery and its impact on well being and learning, as well as physical health.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sport and Sensory Sanctuaries as part of Active Recovery

# data[].attributes.subject
Sport and Sensory Sanctuaries as part of Active Recovery

# data[].attributes.body
Podcast - Sport and Sensory Sanctuaries as part of Active Recovery

# data[].attributes.body
We conduct all our lessons online where we do not see our students and interact mainly by a chat box. This might seem remote but actually works really well for our SEMH students, including those with anxiety, because they can do things at their pace in an environment where they are more in control. We give them encouragement and positive feedback at every turn and what we see is the students gradually become more confident to the point where they start to engage fully and we see them turnaround from students who, for example, could not cope with exams but have now just completed all their GCSEs which was considerably beyond the expectations that there were for them.

# data[].attributes.headline
1:1 discussions when things arise and then when needed - class PSHE or class assembly

# data[].attributes.subject
1:1 discussions when things arise and then when needed - class PSHE or class assembly

# data[].attributes.headline
In our alternative provision, we use TPP and heavily rely on teaching self and co- regulation. In order to build relationships we focus on a cores strengths curriculum to begin with focusing on building relationships and trust. I currently teach from the pupils home to build trust and relationships before lowering anxiety enough to then access our smaller alternative provision. 

# data[].attributes.subject
In our alternative provision, we use TPP and heavily rely on teaching self and co- regulation. In order to build relationships we focus on a cores strengths curriculum to begin with focusing on building relationships and trust. I currently teach from the pupils home to build trust and relationships before lowering anxiety enough to then access our smaller alternative provision. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Our setting is for children who have a trauma profile who are unable to cope within mainstream education.  Often there are anxieties around school and so our setting is within a house.  Our inside areas are therefore 'familiar' to children and non threatening.  We also have a large outside area which we used with children.  We know that being outside is hugely valuable for these children.

# data[].attributes.subject
Our setting is for children who have a trauma profile who are unable to cope within mainstream education.  Often there are anxieties around school and so our setting is within a house.  Our inside areas are therefore 'familiar' to children and non threatening.  We also have a large outside area which we used with children.  We know that being outside is hugely valuable for these children.

# data[].attributes.headline
The P4C pedagogy transforms the relationship between teacher and learner. It can increase equity, trust and respect and promotes a collaborative learning approach. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The P4C pedagogy transforms the relationship between teacher and learner. It can increase equity, trust and respect and promotes a collaborative learning approach. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
P4C has given our pupils the opportunity to discuss issues and ideas that directly affect them and the world around them. It has developed their skills in communication and broadened their horizons. They leave Victoria Park as interested and engaged learners and active participants in the world.
Ian Irwin, Year 3 teacher at Victoria Park Primary School in Bristol, SAPERE Gold Award 2019

What is P4C?

P4C is 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.

Who is P4C for?

P4C is an inclusive and adaptable pedagogy that meets the needs of learners and enhances the practice of educators in a wide range of settings.

P4C is practised in nurseries with children as young as 3 and 4, throughout primary and secondary school, and in post-16 education. It can also be found in higher education, including initial teacher education, and in adult education where learners often meet in informal community spaces. P4C is practised in alternative education provision such as pupil referral units, special schools and summer programmes as well as by home educators. It can also be found in the other places people learn including hospitals, prisons, museums and online.

What does P4C involve?

P4C involves regular classroom enquiries in which children, young people or adult learners share a stimulus, identify concepts — such as equality, identity, truth and beauty — and formulate questions that capture what they find curious.

With the support of a teacher as facilitator, P4C participants explore these questions drawing on the perspectives of others to deepen their own understanding. P4C concludes with reflection on the process of enquiry and on the skills and dispositions that P4C develops: critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinking. During these reflections, learners also influence the direction of their next enquiry.

Is P4C philosophy?

P4C is a way of doing philosophy that anyone can try, with support. Students and teachers don’t need to be familiar with the ideas of famous philosophers to get started, as P4C begins with the ideas that are already in the room.

P4C identifies concepts and questions that unlock aspects of the curriculum and help students to make connections between their learning and life experiences. It is not another subject to squeeze in, but an approach to thinking more deeply about the ideas that are all around us.

While there is an emphasis on accessibility, P4C remains philosophical because it focuses on fundamental questions and concepts that are contestable – that is, their truth, meaning, value and connections to other ideas are ambiguous or undecided. While these concepts and questions emerge in everyday life and learning, they are rarely explored adequately. P4C provides a structured philosophical method for investigating these issues in a satisfying way.

Why practise P4C?

P4C develops thinking skills and dispositions

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 supports better learning and teaching

Learners learn better because:

they choose the subject matter, their voices are heard and valued

in justifying their positions and listening to others, their vocabulary expands

they learn how to disagree respectfully, which increases their tolerance and resilience

they think and reflect more deeply, so their understanding improves

Teachers teach better because:

they learn how to facilitate meaningful discussion

they develop new teaching strategies that can be used throughout their practice

they see students’ potential as independent thinkers

by listening more, educators’ relationships with their students flourish

P4C connects to the curriculum

A knowledge-rich curriculum is full of concepts that require unpacking. When we explore the contested meanings of these ideas though P4C, the curriculum comes alive and new connections between stages and subjects emerge. There are opportunities for philosophy in every area of the curriculum:

Science: Is there anything science can’t tell us?

English: Can bad people write good stories?

Maths: Are numbers invented or discovered?

RE: Is faith a virtue?

History: Can we re-write the past?

IT: What is intelligent about AI?

Languages: Could there be a perfect translation?

Read more about P4C and the curriculum here.

P4C addresses big social issues

There has never been a greater need for the kind of mutual understanding that P4C brings. Today’s learners are growing up in a period of significant instability where economic inequality, global health crises, racism and discrimination, armed conflict, political polarisation, and the climate crisis loom large, even for very young children.

These developments raise vital philosophical questions about safety, fairness and freedom. The exploration of these concepts forms a vital part of helping learners process their complex thoughts and feelings about these issues in a supportive space.

P4C promotes playfulness and fun

P4C is also a place for play. Young children ask questions about ideas that are alive for them, such as magic, friendship and play. When they do, they reveal to adults, and to themselves, their interests and inner lives. Children enjoy philosophy as a special space to experiment with ideas, express themselves and be challenged. Many adults enjoy the experience so much that they do it for fun in cafes and pubs. P4C enquiries can be an opportunity for imaginative and joyful exchanges and even when the subject matter is serious, philosophers of all ages focus not only on what is the case, but on what could be. P4C is valuable way in which learners can envisage and create, a better future.

P4C transforms teacher-student relationships

P4C has value for teachers as well as students, shifting the dynamic in which teachers ask all of the questions and know all of the answers.

In classrooms that regularly practise P4C, learners have more freedom to ask questions, set the agenda and arrive at their own conclusions but this also comes with responsibility. In a P4C enquiry, participants must to listen attentively and try their best to understand and respond to what others have to say. In this sense it is an example of dialogue for change. For teachers, this often represents a shift in their expectations of students, revealing them to be independent thinkers with unique life experiences. For many educators this it is also a chance to be the kind of teacher they want to be, someone who can follow their students’ interests, help them explore new ideas and take ownership of their education.

P4C enhances oracy

Oracy is our ability to communicate effectively using spoken language. This means having the ability to:

express yourself effectively and with confidence

speak eloquently, articulate ideas and thoughts

influence through talking and to listen/respond to others

have the vocabulary to say what you want to say

structure your thoughts so that they make sense to others

These are all skills that we explicitly teach and practise in P4C.

P4C promotes dialogue for change

Dialogue and discussion is a well-established pedagogy for exploring opinions, prejudices, values and perspectives. But often, ordinary dialogue and discussion doesn’t lead to change. Ordinary dialogue can leave people in their own bubbles of comfort, failing to recognise their own and other perspectives. Ordinary dialogue can result in people accommodating competing voices and paying only lip service to alternative points of view. Dialogue for change needs to engage young people more deeply and more meaningfully so that beliefs are really challenged and can really change. P4C is a pedagogy of dialogue for change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
P4C is an approach to teaching and learning that explores the big ideas that arise in all areas of education and life experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Trying to improve my classroom space! In English lessons, I have been trying to promote "cosy reading" sessions, and we now have beanbags ordered, so hoping this will help students feel calmer and safer.

# data[].attributes.headline
I have just been introduced to the following resource from the Anna Freud website regarding well being. See the link below for the resource. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I have just been introduced to the following resource from the Anna Freud website regarding well being. See the link below for the resource. 

# data[].attributes.headline
we have a nurture room and currently working towards the National Nurturing Schools Programme (NNSP). We also have a sensory room and have a team of inclusion specialists who work with children as required.

# data[].attributes.subject
we have a nurture room and currently working towards the National Nurturing Schools Programme (NNSP). We also have a sensory room and have a team of inclusion specialists who work with children as required.

# data[].attributes.headline
One of my previous schools used a sensory room with things like lava lamps and fidget toys. I usually have a box of fidget toys and the option to go and walk around our track to calm down

# data[].attributes.subject
One of my previous schools used a sensory room with things like lava lamps and fidget toys. I usually have a box of fidget toys and the option to go and walk around our track to calm down

# data[].attributes.headline
We have friendship, wildlife and reading gardens. We are also lucky enough to have a well-being room also. This is alongside a literacy shed and animal shelter.

# data[].attributes.subject
We have friendship, wildlife and reading gardens. We are also lucky enough to have a well-being room also. This is alongside a literacy shed and animal shelter.

# data[].attributes.headline
Currently, we make referrals to our learning mentors for 1:1 or small group work/discussions if areas are the same. We also have a nature room, which is timetabled. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Currently, we make referrals to our learning mentors for 1:1 or small group work/discussions if areas are the same. We also have a nature room, which is timetabled. 

# data[].attributes.body
We are using strategies from the Recovery Curriculum and from Barry Carpenter regarding wellbeing. For example, happiness boxes, sensory diets... ensuring that if a pupil becomes anxious, we use their Engagement profile to ensure they can re-engage and begin to learn again.

# data[].attributes.body
We have developed our own approach to develop literacy around emotions and emotional regulation as part of a wider piece on character development

# data[].attributes.headline
I work with secondary school students, I have set up a welcoming room for them to come a talk to me in, we also try to use outdoor space and gardening. I have lots of different resources for all ages. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I work with secondary school students, I have set up a welcoming room for them to come a talk to me in, we also try to use outdoor space and gardening. I have lots of different resources for all ages. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Suggest that the schools who i work with do PB's or similar and ensure each child has a network of safe and trusted adults to go too if they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Allowing them to leave the classroom if un regulated 

# data[].attributes.subject
Suggest that the schools who i work with do PB's or similar and ensure each child has a network of safe and trusted adults to go too if they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Allowing them to leave the classroom if un regulated 

# data[].attributes.headline
I have just created a reflective mat for students to complete when they are removed from the classroom and put into isolation. I was aware that students didn't know what to do with their thoughts / feelings and it increased anxiety. I intend to keep hd reflective mats over the year so that I can track the impact on wellbeing for each student in isolation.

# data[].attributes.subject
I have just created a reflective mat for students to complete when they are removed from the classroom and put into isolation. I was aware that students didn't know what to do with their thoughts / feelings and it increased anxiety. I intend to keep hd reflective mats over the year so that I can track the impact on wellbeing for each student in isolation.

# data[].attributes.body
Children come in and put their names up on the zones, they can move them through the day to be able to communicate their feelings. fidget toys, movement breaks, reduced or different timetables, safe spaces, reward time.

# data[].attributes.headline
sensory room with music, lights and sensory toys

# data[].attributes.subject
sensory room with music, lights and sensory toys

# data[].attributes.headline
We have a Nurture class which fulfils the role of the nurture portal. We also have trained all staff in TPP. We are thinking about our environments and how they affect pupils with SEMH issues.

# data[].attributes.subject
We have a Nurture class which fulfils the role of the nurture portal. We also have trained all staff in TPP. We are thinking about our environments and how they affect pupils with SEMH issues.

# data[].attributes.headline
Chillroom seperate to classroom - homely, dimmed lighting, fidget toys, sensory lights, calming music

# data[].attributes.subject
Chillroom seperate to classroom - homely, dimmed lighting, fidget toys, sensory lights, calming music

# data[].attributes.body
We have a 'nurture' room and a pastoral lead who has groups of children to talk about the science of anxiety to gain more of an understanding of their own feelings