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We have been doing philosophy with schools and in the Nottingham community for many years. If you're interested in looking at the possibilites of us being involved in your classroom contact the philosophy school liaison Andy Fisher - andrew.fisher@nottingham.ac.uk

Visits to Schools

Our world-leading academics in Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies regularly visit schools in the Nottinghamshire region and nationwide.

We can deliver sessions on any aspects of Philosophy and Religious Studies A-levels, as well as introductory topics suitable for all secondary school students. Our recent sessions have covered topics including Business Ethics, Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Meta-ethics, Philosophy of Perception, Philosophy of Video Games, Ancient Philosophy, Verificationalism, and Medical Ethics. We also have sessions on studying philosophy at University and careers destinations for philosophy graduates.

We are always delighted to work with school teachers and can tailor the content of the sessions to fit with your circumstances and curricula.

For schools that are further afield, we can also deliver any of these sessions online.

If you would like to arrange a school visit or online session, please contact the departmental outreach officer, Neil Sinclair (neil.sinclair@nottingham.ac.uk).

 “Thanks go to you and your team for coming in today to deliver the session on meta-ethics. I felt the students really benefited from the session and that there were some very positive discussions.” – Teacher, Bilborough College.

Taster Day Campus Visits

We regularly host schools for Taster Day visit to our University Park Campus. Visits included tailored sessions for your students delivered by our academics, tours of the campus facilities, the opportunity to sit in on a real undergraduate lecture, and the chance to meet current students.

A brochure for a recent Taster Day can be found here (pdf.4.58).

We tailor the content of Taster Day sessions to your needs and can cover any topics in Religious Studies and Philosophy A-levels. 

If you would like to talk to us about arranging a Taster Day for your school, please contact the departmental outreach officer, Neil Sinclair (neil.sinclair@nottingham.ac.uk).

 “Thank you so much for The Taster Day. It was a really great experience: the students gained a lot, especially from sitting in a real lecture.”  - Teacher, Lowestoft 6th Form College

A-level ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ Day

Every September we run a Religion, Philosophy and Ethics A-level ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ Day. Schools visit our beautiful University Park campus, and partake in sessions run by our world-leading academics.

The day is an opportunity for teachers and students to explore key ideas within their A level syllabus and deepen their understanding. Suitable for AQA, OCR, Edexel, and Eduqas A-levels.

Details of the most recent ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ Day are here

For more details, contact Kieran Evans (atyke1@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk). 

Ethics Cup

Every January we host a regional heat of the Ethics Cup – a collaborative tournament for students in years 10, 11, 12 and 13. Ethics cup matches involve structured collaborative discussions of contemporary ethical issues.

Any school, state or independent, experienced or inexperienced, is encouraged to participate, and we make special accommodation for schools that serve less privileged areas. Funding to help with transport costs is also available. The winner of our regional heat gets an expenses-paid trip to The University of St. Andrews for the finals.

Previous winning schools include Arnold Hill Spencer Academy, De Lisle College, and King Edward’s School Birmingham.

Registration opens in August, and places fill up fast. For more details please contact the Ethics Cup lead organiser, Neil Sinclair (neil.sinclair@nottingham.ac.uk).

Full details of the Cup, including registration pages, are

 “Thank you for having us! The students, as well as myself, really enjoyed ourselves and found it all very insightful and eventful. I'm sure the students would agree that the skills learnt in the Cup have been extremely helpful.” - Teacher, The Bemrose School

Philosophy in Schools volunteering project

Run by Professor Andrew Fisher and based on his research about the value of critical thinking and student-centred learning, the Philosophy in Schools volunteering project has seen more than 80 students teaching philosophy in primary schools across Nottinghamshire.

All philosophy students at Nottingham get the chance to be involved. After training on how to deliver philosophy, classroom management, and safeguarding, students work in teams to deliver five or 10 week sessions to Key Stage 2 children.

Ethics for A-Level

A concise and highly-engaging textbook that is free to download or read online. Tailored to the Ethics components of AQA Philosophy and OCR Religious Studies it is also of practical use for those studying Philosophy as part of the International Baccalaureate or an introductory Philosophy course at university. Will also appeal to anyone seeking a rigorous and lively introduction to the challenging subject of ethics. Co-authored by the Department of Philosophy's Professor Andrew Fisher.

Some useful research on teaching philosophy 

• Cam, P., 2014. Philosophy for children, values education and the inquiring society. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 46(11), pp.1203-1211.
• Colom, R., Moriyón, F.G., Magro, C. and Morilla, E., 2014. The long-term impact of Philosophy for Children: A longitudinal study (preliminary results). Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 35(1).
• Fisher, A, 2016. “Philosophy, Pedagogy and Professional Development” Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis. 37, (In Press.)
• Fisher, A and Tallant, J, 2015.   Cogent Education. 2,
• Topping, K.J. and Trickey, S., 2015. Philosophy for children. The Routledge International Handbook of Research on Teaching Thinking, p.103.
• Worley, P., 2016. Philosophy and children. The Philosophers' Magazine, (72), pp.119-120.