On Friday 3 February, Professor Anthony Grayling gave a lecture on "Why Study the Humanities?" to Oundle School pupils. They were invited to think about the current issue of what value the humanities have in our society today. In the current economic and political climate, we are all being challenged to reconsider what is essential and what is disposable in our society and our culture, and the humanities have become a victim of the new culture of culling and short-termism, which threatens some of our greatest and most established institutions.
Pupils attending the lecture, many of whom are currently considering which degrees to apply for, or choosing subjects for Sixth Form study, were aware of the political background to this lecture, and that if government plans go ahead, the arts, humanities and social sciences will suffer a 100% loss in funding. This means that these courses will become entirely dependent on tuition fees.
Professor Grayling was thoroughly convincing in his espousal of the value of studying the humanities, and a measure of his passion for the disciplines is his involvement in setting up the country’s first independent university, The New College of the Humanities, based in London. Also, numerous dedicated campaigns with slogans such as ‘Defend the Arts and Humanities’ have sprung up around the country.
Recent research by The New College of the Humanities has revealed that 60% of the UK's leaders have humanities, arts or social science degrees. This might come as a bit of a surprise for some, but the proven fact is that the humanities provide a rich training in the skills underpinning leadership and innovation.
If Britain is to have a successful economic future, it is unlikely to be in low value manufacturing. We will stand or fall with our creative and information industries and where better to find the leaders of these industries than from graduates of Economics, Law, Philosophy, English and History.
Background Information on Oundle School
Oundle School is situated in the quintessentially English Market town from which it takes its name. The School's buildings, dating from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century, are dispersed throughout the town, which is, to a large extent, its campus.
The School's history goes back to 1556 when Sir William Laxton, Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Lord Mayor of London, endowed and re-founded the original Oundle Grammar School, of which he was a former pupil. In 1876, the Grocers' Company decided to divide the School into two parts: Laxton Grammar School, mainly for the inhabitants of the town, and Oundle School, mainly for pupils from further afield.
However, to mark the new millennium, the Governing Body decided to reunite the two schools under the common name of Oundle School, with Laxton as a House for day-pupils.
The School is now able to offer a range of educational possibilities to meet contemporary needs:
co-educational day or boarding education, with Laxton Junior as a 5-11 day school, and Oundle School as a boarding and day school, with entry at 11, 13 or into the Sixth Form.