Free Learning Day
Free Learning days are designed to encourage the spirit of independent, cross-curricular enquiry. Each day is designed on a theme, most recently for Year 10 to discover ‘Who killed Christopher Marlowe?’
Boys then took part in activities including working in the Library and Archives, looking in more detail at Marlowe the man and the key conspiracy theories around his death. Boys saw a surviving piece of original script from one of Marlowe’s plays, held in the Archives. A sword–fighting activity was very popular, during which boys were given the responsibility of re-enacting the details outlined in the coroner’s report and deciding where each member involved with the murder was at the time. The boys worked with visiting actors on the activity, who then acted out the final scenes of Marlowe’s death as a finale for the day. ‘The sword fighting was brilliant because it was full of fun excitement and action.’
The day began with a talk on ‘Defending the Guilty’ from Mark Gatley, a defence barrister who worked on the Stephen Lawrence case. The boys were fascinated by his reasons for pursuing a career in defence law, and enormously interested in the context he brought to the morning. ‘Mark Gatley was brilliant, I have never considered a career in Law before but now have a real interest in pursuing this as a potential option.’ This was followed by Alastair Trevill introducing the key players in the Marlowe story and outlining the scene in a Deptford Tavern where Marlowe was ultimately murdered. Boys also had the opportunity to hear the coroner’s report following Marlowe’s death.
46
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker