Philosophy Masterclasses for Local Primary School Pupils

Established in February 2017, our Philosophy  Masterclasses comprise four 90-minute sessions held on Saturday mornings over the course of a half-term. Children from local primary schools explore fundamental ideas about knowledge, truth, and the nature and meaning of life.

Aims

Based on the Philosophy for Children (P4C) approach to this subject, the project aims to bring together like-minded children from local primary schools to explore ideas in an exciting and innovative way.

By working with pupils from many other schools, each child's self-confidence is improved. This serves as ideal preparation for their moves onto secondary education settings.

Background

When our sister Mathematics Masterclasses started in September 2005, demand outstripped supply almost immediately. The introduction of further subjects such as Philosophy allowed us to expand the breadth of our offering as well as the number of children involved. Gradually, the Masterclasses programme has expanded from an initial dozen partner schools to the current 76.

Resources

The classes take place at Kimbolton School and are taught by Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) and English specialists. A course comprises four 90-minute sessions; two Philosophy courses are held each year.

The excellent teaching, commitment and enthusiasm of our staff in our PRE and English Departments is key to the success of these classes.

There is no charge for our Masterclasses.

Impact

We ask for, and receive, feedback from parents at the end of each course. A typical response is:

"The Philosophy Masterclass engaged and challenged S from day one. He was bursting with enthusiasm after each session and his confidence soared."

Pupil Involvement

The pupils are drawn from Year 5 or 6 depending on which term the classes fall in.

Almost 100 local state primary pupils have attended our Philosophy Masterclasses.

Frequency

Two Philosophy courses are held each year.