Julie McCann

Julie is an experienced P4C trainer and Curriculum & Assessment Partner at SIL. She became a Thoughtful trainer in 2008 alongside her role as an Advanced Skills Teacher, and since then has supported primary, secondary and special schools, as well as universities and museums, locally, nationally and internationally to embed high‑quality philosophical enquiry to raise aspiration, mitigate disadvantage and ensure all pupils are heard, have agency and are able to think critically. 

As a Curriculum and Assessment Partner for SIL, she leads on PSHE, P4C and personal development and wellbeing, drawing on extensive experience in educational development, teacher training and school improvement.

She has supported schools to achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards and has contributed to and led on a range of P4C projects. 

You can also see Julie facilitating enquiries in: Philosophy for Children on Vimeo and https://youtu.be/FEtbh3NPYJ4 

Julie has contributed to research exploring P4C’s impact on wellbeing and identity, including the Liverpool PCT whole‑school wellbeing pilot (2012) (Philosophy for Children Theories and Praxis in Teacher Education) and the study “Nurturing young children’s self‑identity and respect for difference through artwork as a provocation using philosophical enquiry.” (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09575146.2020.1817870) 

She also appears in Teach Primary (page 58) in an article reflecting on how P4C informed and transformed one school’s pedagogy (theteachco.com/uploads/special-issues/TP-15.8.pdf).

Her specialist areas include developing P4C across the curriculum, with a particular emphasis on PSHE, equality and developing a whole-school approach.

As well as P4C and PSHE-specific expertise, Julie holds an MSc, NPQH and is a Teacher Education Fellow.