History 26 RE

History

Left: Henry Helm’s castle; right: Jacob Adedeji’s drawing of Harriet Tubman Caste; Inset: Rossi Noto’s Castle Bottom: Year 5 boys reenacting the Battle of Hastings

HISTORY REPORT

WORDS BY Mr Paul Dennis, Head of History

Despite the restrictions and lockdowns this year, the history curriculum was able to continue uninterrupted and the boys coped excellently with the adaptations made by staff to ensure that all areas were covered. It is very strange teaching in the midst of events that we as history teachers will almost be teaching about to future generations, but it is something that we will be able to look back at and say, “I lived through history.”

During the remote learning period in the Spring Term ‘Essential History’ was set up. This was introduced to allow the boys a chance to learn about and share work that we do not have time to cover in the school curriculum. It was fantastic to see so many boys contribute and there was a real range of topics, as well as ways in which work was presented. A few examples are a model of the Titanic, Minecraft creations of castles, Lego animations of the Aztecs and the Ice Age, a presentation about 2020, an essay about Harriet Tubman on the day of the US election and many more.

The annual Year 5 castle building competition was still able to take place, albeit without the competitive element. Again the boys did fantastically despite being at home and the variety on show was fantastic. Castles were created using papier maché, cardboard, Lego and even Minecraft!

History

Top: Year 5 boys reenacting the Battle of Hastings Centre: Gabriel Borelli’s Minecraft version of Bodiam Castle; Bottom left: Arthur ThorntonFirkin’s castle Bottom right: Dominic Fairhead’s Titanic model

Religious Studies

R.E. REPORT 2021

WORDS BY Miss Louise Williams (Head of Religious Education)

Year 7

RE REPORT BY EESA JAMIL, Y7

What a great a time I have had in RE this year! From learning about interesting religions, to stimulating class debates, to designing and making my own mosque - this year I have thoroughly enjoyed it all! In the Autumn Term we studied Early Christianity. We were taught about the adventures and trials Jesus and his disciples went through. I was very involved in the debates such as ‘If Jesus existed does this mean he was the Son of God?’. It was interesting to learn about the Trinity – God in three forms: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Once this topic came to an end, we moved on to the religion of Islam. Islam is the fastest growing and the second largest religion after Christianity. In this unit, we learnt about the 5 Pillars of faith and the two main branches, Sunni and Shia. This subject was very important to me as I am a Muslim and I was really happy to share my experience of this with my friends. During Ramadan this year, I fasted a few times on the weekend. I was more thirsty than I was hungry! It was reassuring to know that my friends understood something about why I was doing this and I was pleased that they were interested. Although we were partially online learning in the Spring Term, I felt the lessons were very interactive and it felt as if I were in the classroom.

To end the year, our topic was Philosophy and Ethics and the big questions in life. We learnt about a famous philosopher Socrates and his student Plato. Again, more engaging discussions and I even got to try out some Socratic debating skills! This subject was very interesting as it made me think deeply about big questions and helped me develop my logic and reasoning skills. Challenging –but enjoyable!

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR TALK BY ISAAC ADEYEMIABERE

As part of our Year 8 post-exam programme, we were extremely fortunate to hear one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors talking to us via live video link in the Great Hall. It was truly fascinating to be able to hear Mala’s story. The tragedy she went through was both eye-opening and emotional to hear, particularly when she talked about what happened to members of her immediate family who had tragically fallen victim to the brutality of the Nazis. Sadly, we will be the last generation to be able to hear from the Holocaust survivors fi rst-hand which is why it is important to treasure talks like this and remember them in the future.

Holocaust survivor, Mala Tribich MBE, shares testimony with Year 8 boys ISRSA ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION

In the Summer Term, two students in the Prep School chose to enter the Independent Schools Religious Studies Association essay writing competition. Around 200 students from independent schools around the country submitted essays exploring questions of theology, philosophy and religion.

The ISRSA’s response is testament to the hard work that these two Prep School boys put into their entries. They said that it had been the ‘greatest response in the history of the competition, and were absolutely delighted to read such passionate and carefully considered essays.’ Well done to David Shirley, Year 8, and Aryan Sohanpal, Year 7 for their impressive endeavours.

Religious Studies

Year 7

ARYAN SOHANPAL

‘The moral rule “you must always save human life” is a bad rule.’ Do you agree? Show that you have considered both sides of the argument.

What’s the value of human life? Some say it’s $10M; some say it’s priceless, so should a life be saved no matter, and under what circumstances? In this essay, I will be exploring whether or not there are morals to determining whether a life should be saved, and if it matters whether that person has been good or bad in this decision.

In my fi rst example, we have a British soldier named Henry Tandey, who it’s claimed spared the life of a German soldier during WW1. That soldier was Adolf Hitler, who went on to kill millions of Jews in the Holocaust. In this case, the value of the lives of 6 million Jews undeniably outweighs the life of Hitler, and with this in mind, it could be argued that saving a human life is not always compulsory.

In my second scenario, let’s consider that there are currently over 2,5001 inmates on Death Row in the U.S. Some states follow the rule that if you take life, your life will be taken. But can murderers change, and is it right for any human to decide to sentence another to death? Surely it can be argued that other punishments are more humane and may be more effective in the long run. Execution is fi nal and cannot be reversed if wrongly imposed. It rules out the possibility of rehabilitation which could conceivably see an offender atone for their crime and make a positive contribution to society. In this respect, a human life should, perhaps, always be saved as a moral rule.

Finally, there is the case of a terminally ill patient, who is in pain and has no quality of life. Should that patient be saved? Undoubtedly, many would make the case that to extend a life that continues with pain and suffering is wrong. It could also be suggested that the organs (from the ill patient) could be used to extend the lives of others. However, doctors are not allowed to decide and are bound by the Hippocratic Oath, and in this respect, a human life should always be saved is an ethical rule.

To conclude, whilst I have explored both sides of the argument, I believe that we all have the ability to change and improve. We should not attempt to “play God”, and for this reason alone, I fully agree with the statement you should always save human life. Year 8 DAVID SHIRLEY

‘The Calming of the Storm (Mark 4:35-41) is best interpreted as a parable.’ Discuss.

Aparable is an often-fi ctional story, created for the purpose of teaching a moral or spiritual lesson told by Jesus. The Calming of The Storm is a story in the Bible, where Jesus calms the sea and the wind to stop the boat he is in, with his disciples, from capsizing. I believe that it does not matter how you interpret the story. Others, however, may not agree with this but say that it was or wasn’t a parable.

Some believe that the Calming of The Storm is a parable because the story contains a prominent spiritual lesson. In the story, Jesus says. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” after the disciples wake him because they are panicking about the boat sinking. This shows that Jesus is trying to tell us in the story to always have faith in him, however bad the conditions are. Having faith in Jesus is a strong theme throughout the Bible, and it is at the heart of Christianity. The story teaches us a spiritual lesson about having faith. Therefore, some believe that the Calming Of The Storm is best interpreted as a parable because it is a perfect example of a story containing a strong and clear spiritual lesson.

Some may say, the Calming of The Storm could not be interpreted as a parable because it really happened. Jesus spread his word and message through parables, which were made-up stories that contained some sort of a lesson. These were only stories though. In and around the Calming of The Storm story, it is made clear to us that this actually happened and was not in any way fi ctitious, according to the disciples who wrote it. One of the key aspects that defi ne a parable is that it is a fi ctitious story, however this story, according to the bible, actually happened. Therefore, some people may argue that this cannot be a parable because it is not fi ctitious. I believe that it doesn’t matter how you interpret the Calming Of The Storm story because whether it is or whether it’s not a parable is irrelevant. Classifying the story either way doesn’t change or make a difference to the actual story, or what you can get from it. The main aim of the story is to teach people to have faith in Jesus no mater how bad everything else is.

Year 5

STAINED-GLASS DESIGNS

In the Spring Term, Year 5 were learning about Jesus’ teachings and, in particular, the Sermon on the Mount. After discussing each of the Beatitudes (the eight blessings recounted by Jesus), the boys were invited to create their own stained-glass window to represent one of the Beatitudes. The fi nished results are stunning! Year 4

SIKH WORKSHOP WITH MR SINGH