The Da Vinci programme, our TES award-winning lecture programme, kicked off at the start of term with the first lecture called Mean Girls by Ms Copin, Deputy Head Academic. The first part of the lecture explored the etymology of the word ‘mean’, which comes into English independently via Latin and Saxon, representations of women in film and the overused narrative of the male hero, and ways in which the film Mean Girls transcended established norms. The second part explored why different means are needed in different contexts, the AM-GM-HM inequality, and how this can be used to solve both road rage and maths olympiad problems.

The second lecture titled ‘The colour of money’ was given by Miss Watkins, Head of Economics. Colour is so much more than meets the eye. The links between colour psychology and the economy were explored – how do colours affect our perceptions, emotions and ultimately our purchasing decisions?

The Da Vinci Programme at NHEHS encourages Year 10 pupils to take a cross-curricular approach to learning. Focusing on current events and learning new skills through debate and collaboration, the sessions require no prior knowledge of a particular subject, but an open and inquiring mind is a must-have!  Pupils are given a choice of two topics to participate in.

Future talks for this term include ‘The mathematics of card tricks’ by Mrs Drummond, Head of Maths, ‘What did the Romans ever do for us?’ by Mr Phillips, Head of History and Politics, and ‘The historical impact of diseases’ by Dr Pearce, Head of Sixth Form.