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