Humanities
The humanities help us understand others through their languages, histories and cultures. They foster social justice and equality and they reveal how people have tried to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of the world. The humanities teach empathy. They teach us to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex and imperfect information. They teach us to weigh evidence sceptically and consider more than one side of every question. Humanities students build skills in writing and critical reading. The humanities encourage us to think creatively. They teach us to reason about being human and to ask questions about our world. The humanities develop informed and critical citizens. Without the humanities, democracy could not flourish.
"We believe the Humanities subjects have the power to improve every individual’s quality of life in a spiritual and intellectual sense, as well as helping develop many skills which are vital in the modern working world. We also believe the Humanities subjects are uniquely crucial to the well-being of our local community, our national society and the global population as a whole; only with an understanding of our environments, climate, religious beliefs and historical roots, can the human race advance in a sustainable, peaceful and successful manner. "
Humanities Trips to Kew and Chatham Dockyards
On Wednesday 15th September the Humanities department were thrilled to be able to offer the GCSE History and Geography students trips to Chatham Dockyard and Kew Gardens as part of their transition to GCSE studies. These trips were of course long-awaited after being postponed earlier in the year.
180 students set off on coaches with half going to each destination for a day packed with activities. Whilst at Chatham the students were treated to tours of several ships and submarines as well as having the opportunity to take part in a gun deck challenge and get involved with a rope making demonstration. For the students at Kew there was a practical fieldwork investigation into microclimates or biodiversity led by the Kew education team as well as the opportunity to visit and experience the different glass houses. The students were particularly taken aback by the heat and humidity of the palm house and now have an appreciation of tropical rainforest climates.
As staff we were really impressed with the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and explore shown by all students and are really proud of the way that they represented the school on the day. We hope that they enjoyed the experience and are sure that they will be able to use some of what they experienced during the coming 18 months of their GCSE courses.