Humanities Faculty

History

‘Richard I was a hairy King with a Lion’s Heart; he went roaring about the Desert making ferocious attacks on the Saladins and the Paladins, and was thus a very romantic King.’ (1066 And All That)

W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman brilliantly exposed the limitations of focusing entirely on factual content when teaching history. The legacy for many children becomes a distorted or confused set of details. Yet, factual details are essential to understanding the subject and we believe that there is a body of knowledge that the pupils must gather to understand any period or age. We want all Hall Grovians to leave the school with a good chronological understanding. For example, we expect them to know the order of all the English/British Kings and Queens by Upper School. However, we also know that the subject should be about more than just the regurgitation of facts. Hence, pupils are encouraged to imagine and (where appropriate) empathise with characters and peoples of the past and to discuss, argue and write thoughtfully about the personalities and events that they are studying. By Upper School, our maturing historians are increasingly challenged to evaluate historical sources and to write analytical essays on personalities and events from the nation’s past. Every year group visits a number of historical sites to give them the thrill of dispensing with the textbook and delving into first hand with historical evidence.   

Geography

‘Geography is one of humanity's big ideas. It is concerned with producing and communicating knowledge about ourselves in the world. Now that we have entered a period in which human beings can shape the Earth on a large scale – even destroy all life on it – engaging young people with knowledge about the planet they occupy has never been more vital.’ (David Lambert – Chief Executive of the Geographical Association.) 

This encapsulates our philosophy towards the teaching of Geography. Pupils at Hall Grove are encouraged to see that ‘knowledge’ is at the heart of the subject. Thus emphasis is put upon knowing factual information about the globe – including continents, countries and capitals, the location of Timbuktu, oceans, major rivers and mountain ranges. Using this as their bedrock, pupils are given many opportunities to think about and explore the physical and human geography of the world and to learn about the threats and challenges facing mankind in the twenty-first century. We aim to ensure that our pupils have the key skills of ‘yesteryear’ – such as the ability to map read (and to view inventions such as ‘Sat Navs’ as devices for cheats). We seek to ensure that Hall Grovians are thoroughly ‘engaged’ in the subject by organising a variety of field trips and pupils regularly explore topics by performing investigations in the school grounds and during a week away each year at Battisborough (link needed).

Religious Studies

‘We are moving towards a completely religionless time; people as they are now simply cannot be religious anymore. Even those who honestly describe themselves as 'religious' do not in the least act up to it, and so they presumably mean something quite different by 'religious'...’ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) 

As a Christian school particular emphasis in the curriculum is put upon developing a basic knowledge of the Old Testament and an understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus. However, pupils are also encouraged to learn and understand about all the major religions. Particular emphasis is placed upon the commonalities of the oldest faiths as well as exploring their differences. We relate these values back to our own school community and discuss how the learning is relevant to our own lives and individual spiritual journeys. As pupils reach the top end of the school, they are encouraged to grapple with difficult moral questions or statements – perhaps generated by a quote from Bonhoeffer, Gandhi or Pope Francis II. Fierce debate typically ensues followed by the challenge of writing a well-reasoned and balanced essay.