The Story of England trip takes us from ancient Stonehenge on Salisbury plain, through mediaeval cathedrals and thundering mountains, invasions and revolutions, to the nation that we know today. Alongside this journey through history, we will explore accompanying literature to experience the rich culture of the English people, including Arthurian legend, Shakespearean tragedy and Gothic drama.

Before the trip, through online learning, students will be prepared with a general history of England starting at the formation of the British Isles and ending with the present day and will write about major events and themes from this timeline. Students will read articles about different topics, participate in live webinars with their teachers and fellow students and submit essays. Detailed, written feedback will be given on two essays per month: 14 essays from December to June.

After having completed the course of online study, students will be ready to fully benefit from on-site learning opportunities in a range of locations across England. They will be accompanied and mentored by specialist teachers and local experts in their fields.

By the close of the trip, students will have performed their own pieces of English theatre and given presentations on various topics from English history, demonstrating a profound engagement with the full spectrum of the country's heritage and language.

Beyond seven months of online learning, the tour itself is three weeks of integrated, deep, creative learning and intellectual development through expansive and exploratory education.

A wide range of activities including debating, acting, playwriting, on-site historical analysis, note-taking, essay writing, and presenting.

The tour features situational, integrated learning across history, drama, literature and illustration, bringing together the hard facts and the deep knowledge of the chronology of England with the higher thinking skills and human attributes of analysis, synthesis, imagination and creativity.

History provides the chronological framework for The Story of England but it’s so much more than that. It’s the subject that turns well-educated young people into well-informed adults; not to mention nurturing analytical, logical minds and flair with argument.

The drama of history – the politics, the people, the scientific, technological and industrial miracles of invention and destruction – all come to life in their rendering on stage, and perhaps nowhere more so than in England.

Literature in England. The heir to the classical tradition, the melting pot of southern and northern European languages, and the wellspring of the modern world’s stories and songs.

The art of communicating and the communication of art: the skill and the science of saying what you want to say as clearly and as effectively as possible. Illustration and scribing – the art of making complex and important ideas accessible and easily understood – are ancient-arts-become-cutting edge-practice, demanding urgent attention in a world that is increasingly visual and increasingly translingual. 

David Symington is our Director of Liberal Arts and course leader for Classical Studies, Great Books, World History and History of Thought. He is a broadcast journalist, newsreader, Masters graduate and PhD candidate in Chinese Philosophy at Fudan University. He read Classics at Brasenose College, Oxford. 

Isaac Leaver holds an MA in Latin and History from the University of St Andrews in the UK, where he focused specifically on late Mediaeval society and religion in England for his thesis. He joined Studio Education on The Story of England 2017 trip. At Studio in Shanghai, he teaches Classical Studies and Essay Writing classes on a variety of historical topics.

The Story of England 2018 is hosted and delivered by Studio Education’s school partner, Carfax College.