Last week, our Sixth Form students and staff were delighted to welcome Professor Mark Bailey, Managing Director of Dukes Education, Safeguarding Governor at Eaton Square Schools and Professor of Later Medieval History at the University of East Anglia to the School.
Professor Bailey delivered a fascinating presentation on the topic of Pandemics and the lessons that can be learned from history. The students’ knowledge was challenged on the global Pandemics and were encouraged to participate during the insightful session. Our Year 12 students were extremely engaged and shared their own thoughts and opinions in response to some of the theories that were discussed during the presentation.
A key highlight of the session was encouraging the students to compare the impacts of COVID 19 against the effects of other global diseases through history, to reframe their thoughts and opinions on the scale of this recent pandemic. This was certainly achieved and many of the students continued this discussion well after the lecture came to an end.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Professor Bailey for visiting our Sixth Form and providing the students with a sneak peak of an academic lecture they can expect at university, in a couple of years’ time when they start the next phase of their education journey.
Professor Mark Bailey studied at Durham University, where he obtained a first-class degree in Economic History, and then went on to the University of Cambridge, where he was awarded a PhD in History. His academic career has included Fellowships at two Cambridge colleges, lecturing in Medieval History, and spells as an Admissions Tutor and Domus Bursar. In 1999 he became Headmaster of Leeds Grammar School and in 2008 oversaw its merger with Leeds Girls’ High School. Professor Bailey has been a headteacher for 18 years and most recently, he was the High Master of St Paul’s School in London.