I have been leading Level 1 training courses, both for SAPERE and independently, since 2007. As a part time secondary school teacher of English, I have led P4C session regularly with both Primary and Secondary students, and am currently working with a school on a three year SAPERE project. Based in Brentwood, Essex I am available to offer training in London, Essex and Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Alison provides school INSET, SAPERE Foundation (Level 1) & Advanced training (Level 2), and longer term whole school training and support programmes for developing and sustaining the practice of P4C.

Her background is as a Primary Teacher and School Manager for over 20 years. Alison’s experience of the philosophical enquiry approach comes from a number of years of facilitating P4C enquiries with children in the classroom and leading P4C at Alverstoke C of E Junior School in Gosport to achieve the SAPERE Gold Award. She continues to work with a number of other Primary schools in the Gosport area and across the South to implement a whole school approach to P4C through supporting and mentoring P4C leaders and leading enquiry with children.

In 2017, she was lucky enough to visit Mendham, New Jersey, USA, to attend the yearly IAPC* P4C summer workshop, where she had the chance to meet and have experience of P4C enquiry with P4C colleagues who have worked alongside Matthew Lipman, the original pioneer of P4C as well as learn more about other philosophical enquiry approaches from educators and practitioners from around the world.

Over the past two years, she has had the opportunity to work alongside other SAPERE trainers, to train and work in International schools in Qatar and Shanghai.

Additionally, Alison is the National Training Manager for SAPERE, which complements her independent trainer role through which she coordinates and advises on whole school training programmes, mentors trainers and leads SAPERE trainer CPD.

*IAPC – International Association of Philosophy for Children

Having taught in a range of both primary and secondary schools for over 20 years, Gillian took on the role of Behaviour support teacher working for the Local Authority. Here she led the implementation of primary SEAL across the authority and achieved national recognition for this work with colleagues from other authorities learning from their good practice.

Gillian discovered P4C through her work with Primary SEAL and went on to become a SAPERE Trainer. She piloted a project training Sixth Formers to Level 1 in order to support transition work with Year 6 pupils. This was the focus of an article published in Optimus Education - Social and Emotional Learning.

Gillian has also worked with schools to develop P4C with parents as well as delivering Level 1 training and refresher courses around the country. Gillian also visited Norway with a group of Southend colleagues to develop links with schools there who were practicing P4C.

Following her retirement from her role as Assistant Principal in a large primary academy in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, Gillian has continued to work as the Executive Development Manager for a successful CPD company, providing services across the Essex and Thurrock area. Specialist areas: Developing P4C with parents, Thinking skills, Implementing P4C across the Keystages in a primary setting. Using P4C with 6th formers to support transition from feeder primaries. Going for Gold trainer

Clive Belgeonne is an Education Adviser at the Development Education Centre, South Yorkshire (DECSY) where he has worked on projects, including social and emotional learning, sustainability, gender and dialogic learning. He is also Course Leader for PGCE Citizenship at Sheffield Hallam University.

He is a qualified ‘Global Trainer’ who has facilitated training with a wide range of educators in the UK and Europe. He has a Founding Fellowship at the Chartered College of Teaching. He was one of the National Leaders of the Global Learning Programme (England) 2013-2018.

A former secondary school teacher, he has taught in the UK, Latin America and West Africa. He worked at the Development Education Project in Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. He has an international reputation for his work and publications in global learning, citizenship education and education for sustainable development (ESD). He has been a primary school governor for over 20 years and was a secondary school governor for five years.

Clive is a SAPERE- approved trainer in Philosophy for Children for Level 1 courses. He has run courses in the UK, Czech Republic, Turkey and China. He works mainly in the South Yorkshire area, but is prepared to consider training further afield.

A brief, non-time specific paragraph outlining; your background, P4C Trainer level(s) and geographical area(s) covered. Max 200 words.

Rebecca Blackwood, MA Cantab. PGCE (Scitt), provides INSET, SAPERE Foundation Level Training, Open P4C courses, and practical classroom support to schools across the UK.

A qualified primary teacher and experienced P4C Leader, Rebecca led Manorfield Primary School to become the first school to achieve the Gold Award in Tower Hamlets. She works closely with teachers at all stages of their P4C practice and is experienced in supporting schools through the SAPERE Award Programme.

Rebecca has particular interests in P4C in the Early Years, Outdoor Learning, and P4C and the Arts and has worked closely with a number of museums and galleries integrating P4C into their education programmes.

Steve is a full-time SAPERE Level 3 trainer, speaker, assessor and project manager providing P4C Level 1, 2A, 2B, Tools for Thinking Together and Level 3 training. Steve regularly delivers INSET, support and resources to schools, local authorities, charities and universities. Steve also works in Community Philosophy for which he managed the SAPERE Community Philosophy Project and chaired the SAPERE Community Philosophy Advisory Group. He is also a pioneer of Philosophy for Teachers - a collaborative initiative with PESGB. Steve is also regular P4C practitioner, working locally in St Albans and nationally with young people in schools and with adults, and with a range of organizations and settings spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Steve is a trained and published philosopher and teacher educator with a University of London PhD in Philosophy of Education. His published books and articles include: 'Metathinking for Teachers', ‘Will the New National Curriculum Live Up to Its Aims?’ 'The Educational Significance of the Interface', 'It's Good to Talk’, ‘Why Learn Maths?’, 'Opening Up Open-Mindedness', ‘Why don’t we do it in the Street?’ and 'Letting the Passengers Drive the Bus.' Previously Steve lectured Philosophy of Education at the University of London Institute of Education and as a teaching professor in Macau, China. He is currently working on SAPERE course design and new publications.

Nick is a qualified teacher and has led numerous P4C courses, from Level 1 to Level 2B and from Early Years to FE colleges. Well-known for ‘squeezing the juice’, he has edited the SAPERE Level 1 handbook, has written the SAPERE monthly bulletin resources for many years and co-edited, with Lizzy Lewis, P4C through the Secondary Curriculum (Continuum, 2012).

A firm advocate of a whole-school approach, Nick has trained two current SAPERE Gold Award schools and has presented at conferences on topics as diverse as raising standards in English through P4C and P4C with parents. His training reflects his vast experience of supporting teachers in the classroom and he prides himself in answering delegates’ questions with examples from experience and usually before they’ve had a need to ask them.

Nick’s creativity has led to a great variety of jobs related to P4C. He helped develop the hugely successful What’s the Big Idea? TV series, now sold to over 100 countries worldwide, and was education consultant to the major documentary series The World According to Kids (BBC2) and most recently to Feeling Better (CBeebies), a show that helps young children manage their emotions.

Oh, and he is particularly fond of llamas!

Melanie has been a secondary school teacher for the past 18 years. She was awarded a scholarship to study Philosophy and Theology in, Rome and has recently completed the Certificate in Philosophy from Birkbeck University where she is currently completing a B.A. degree in Philosophy. Melanie was introduced to P4C while researching philosophy programmes for teenagers commissioned by an Educational Charity ten years ago. Since then she has trained as a SAPERE Level 1 provider for both Primary and Secondary schools. Former Deputy Head, Academics, she is currently Head of R.E. and Philosophy in a London school where she has introduced P4C lessons into the curriculum at key stages 3 and 4. Melanie has been delivering regular P4C lessons with year groups 7 to 11 in her school for the last five years and her experience in P4C comes from her own practice.

Location: London