By Miss Longmore, Da Vinci Programme Co-Ordinator

Despite lockdown, a group of Year 10s have still been gathering this term for the Da Vinci programme in which they have received an exciting selection of talks from their teachers. Last week one group engaged in a debate about whether the Parthenon Marbles should be returned, whilst the others were provided with an insightful discussion from Miss McHenry about the secrets of the teenage brain.

Debate surrounding the return of the Parthenon Marbles was led by Dr Snook and Mr Swallow, along with some Year 12 History of Art students. They each pitched their various arguments in which Dr Snook argued that returning the art would be the best outcome and raised the possibility of replacing them with replicas. This however prompted discussion about whether this would undermine the value of art. The Year 10s then voted to decide what should happen to the Parthenon Marbles and, with a resounding majority, they decided it would be best to return them.

Meanwhile, the other half of the group were excited to learn about the psychology of adolescence. They considered what it meant to ‘be a teenager’ and how this linked to teenage stereotypes. They learned about the biological differences in the brain and how it develops in order to begin to understand how it influences changes in behaviour.

It’s been encouraging to see so many participate in Da Vinci during lockdown and look forward to see what’s in store for the rest of the term.