Winchester academics helping Swiss teachers bring philosophy into the classroom.

University of Winchester staff hosted a delegation from Zurich to share Philosophy for Children (P4C) methods and observed P4C lessons at a local primary school; the teams plan further collaboration, including a Winchester visit to Zurich in November.

Academics from the University of Winchester hosted a delegation of teachers and staff from Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich to share approaches to Philosophy for Children (P4C). P4C encourages primary pupils to discuss questions, develop critical thinking, creativity and empathy, and can be used alongside any subject. Winchester has included P4C in its Initial Teacher Education programme for 13 years, and student teachers can gain an Introduction to P4C certificate from the charity Thoughtful. Zurich has added P4C to its curriculum but many local teachers have not yet received training or access to resources. Key points: - A visiting party from Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich and teachers from the Zurich canton came to Winchester to learn about P4C methods. - The Swiss visitors met University of Winchester staff including Dr Rhiannon Love, Emma Goto, and Sian Hosmer from Crofton Hammond Infant School. - The delegation observed P4C sessions at Crofton Hammond in Stubbington across different year groups. - The University of Winchester has run P4C in its Initial Teacher Education for 13 years; Primary Education students can earn an Introduction to P4C certificate via Thoughtful. - The teams discussed developing an easy-to-use P4C toolkit and agreed further collaboration, with Winchester academics planning a visit to Zurich in November; Dr Beatrice Kümin Rüegg described the exchange as providing momentum for the next two years. Summary: The exchange brought practical classroom examples and teacher training experience from Winchester to Swiss educators and highlighted gaps in training and resources in Zurich despite P4C being on the curriculum. The collaboration is intended to continue over the coming months, with toolkit development and a planned Winchester visit to Zurich in November to review progress.