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Scholars' Society

The Scholars’ Society exists to promote scholarship within the School, contributing to a culture that values intellectual curiosity beyond the confines of the classroom. All Scholars are members of the Society, though most all its activities are open to all members of the School community. 

For younger pupils, the weekly Junior Scholars’ Thinking Games Club provides a chance for boys in the Lower Fourth to Lower Fifth (years 7-9) to develop their thinking skills through a variety of fun, challenging activities. 

For those in the public examination years, Scholars in the Upper Sixth present aspects of their own A-level independent work to younger Scholars and other interested pupils in a series of Senior Scholars’ Seminars, some of which are incorporated into the wider PSHCE programme. This year’s series of seminars  features such topics as: What did the Barbarians do for us?; The Rise of Prussia; The Return of Depression Economics and the Global Financial Crisis; False Liberalism and Libertarianism, What stem cells could cure by 2030.

In addition, the Society sponsors an annual, competitive Independent Research Prize for work beyond the confines of GCSE- and AS-level syllabi, which is open to entries from both Warwick School and King’s High School for Girls.

Further periodic Scholars’ Society Seminars are delivered by distinguished visiting speakers from a variety of academic fields who should appeal to GCSE and A level pupils who wish to push their knowledge beyond the confines of their formal studies.  Recent seminars have included Hon. Nicholas Jarrold (Director, British Association for Central and Eastern Europe) on Central Europe since the Fall of the Berlin Wall; and Oliver Everett CVO (Royal Librarian Emeritus) on Windsor Castle and its Occupants, 1080-2002. 

Trips are organised throughout the academic year for pupils from a range of age groups. In addition to Sixth Form Scholars’ visits to Oxford and Cambridge colleges, recent trips have included such destinations as Think Tank Science Museum (Birmingham); Blenheim Palace; the British Museum and British Library; the Houses of Parliament; the Science Museum (London); and the National Space Centre. Scholars in the Middle Fifth also enjoy an annual reading Weekend at a residential conference centre in the Lent term.

Head of Scholars
Mr M.G.L Cooley

mglc@warwickschool.org

Middle Fifth Scholars' Weekend

The annual scholars’ society weekend away for M5 scholars is taking place over the weekend of 11-13 March. We shall be visiting the historic and beautiful library bequeathed to the nation by the great Victorian prime minister, William Gladstone. The building at St. Deiniol’s in Hawarthen was built as a memorial to Gladstone, to house his library, and to be a unique residential library for scholars to visit and use. Our scholars will be encouraged to use the weekend as a chance to get a taste of the sort of independent, library-based research that they may well do in the L6th for the increasingly popular AS-level Extended Project, and certainly will do at university. While in the area we shall also take the chance to explore the historic city of Chester.

Scholars weekend to Cambridge

The M5 scholars weekend took place in Cambridge on the weekend of the September heatwave. They visited the Fitzwilliam Museum, followed by tours of three different colleges, St. John’s, Magdalene and Jesus where they were taken round by Josh Bluteau, OW. Overall they met 4 recent OWs, including 2 on their first day at the university.

Their accommodation was in the very impressive, 16th Century Madingley Hall, now owned by Cambridge University. After a leisurely Sunday morning in the grounds of the Hall, they visited Ely Cathedral and climbed to the top of the Tower for magnificent views of the island of Ely.