Block 3 (Year 9), the students’ first year at Bedales, is unique in that there is no preparation for external exams. We have instead embraced an interdisciplinary, ‘real-world’ approach to our study of the humanities, which culminates in the Bedales Humanities Research Project.

Block 3 students will have one double lesson a week in each of the following Humanities subjects: Geography, Global Perspectives, History, and Philosophy, Religion & Ethics (PRE).

Term 1

Individual subject teaching with an introduction to subject-specific skills through curriculum content.

Term 2

The focus will be on Anthroposphere/Conflict/WWI/ Ethics within the Humanities departments, which will lead to the Battlefields trip in February 2024.

Term 3

Students will continue individual lessons in each of the subjects, but this will be rotated with individual study time to work on the Bedales Humanities Research Project. This is an opportunity for students to choose a theme and research question and produce a project based on their Bedales Assessed Courses (BAC) choices.

This could be focused on one subject from within Humanities or be cross-curricular. Students will be guided by subject specialists in the skills of project design and management, research and evaluation.

Bedales Humanities Enrichment Programme

The Bedales Humanities Research Project is accompanied by the Blocks Humanities Enrichment Programme, which will take the form of activities, lunchtime lectures and 3i events run by the humanities departments on a termly theme.