Tom Bigglestone

Tom is an expert in oracy, metacognition and Philosophy for Children. An experienced teacher and leader in several schools, Tom has been Head of Humanities, Religious Studies and Philosophy, as well as sat on Senior Academic Management Teams. He has worked as Online Learning Manager at The Economist Educational Foundation.

A Durham philosophy graduate, Tom is co-author of four books for teachers – and his most recent, Thinking Moves A-Z: Metacognition Made Simple, has been translated into four languages and is about to be launched as a bilingual text in China. He regularly writes materials received by over 17,000 educators in 91 countries. He has written for several Headteachers’ publications and his article was chosen by the UK government as its principal guide on how to help children discuss the war in Ukraine.

In 2014 he was awarded The Walter Hines Page Scholarship by the English-Speaking Union to research the role of assessment in philosophy.  He co-presented the TedX Talk “Hmmm Questions” in 2017 and is one half of “Spot and Stripe”, the popular children’s miniseries used in schools worldwide. Tom continues to work with schools to help them embed philosophical discussions into their curriculum. His ideas are rooted in his vast experience working with all age groups and are known for their immediate impact on learning.