The development of thinking skills is crucial to give students the ability to become independent learners. Thinking skills underpin a range of important issues including:

• learning to learn
• personalising learning
• gifted & talented learners

Within the Swindon Ten Learning Network, two initiatives support the development of thinking skills:

Thinking Skills Group Study Visit to Beijing (October 2007)

A group of Swindon teachers spent a week visiting model schools in Beijing to learn about the Chinese approach to the development of thinking skills and independent learning.

Philosophy for Children

Philosophy for Children encourages children to ask and debate philosophical questions, while building a critical, caring, constructive, and creative community of enquiry.