• The Senior School Curriculum & the Liberal Arts

    In the Senior School our teaching of disciplines is guided by the Liberal Arts tradition which outlines grammar, logic and rhetoric (the trivium) as three stages of foundational training upon which other disciplines should rest. This means that in our curriculum we give particular attention to the teaching of grammar and rhetoric in Language and to the study of critical thinking and reasoning in Logic.

    Across the curriculum this also means that when studying any discipline, pupils are guided to:

    • build a ‘grammar’ of subjects under study. This means equipping students with a strong knowledge-base of texts or ideas of importance to the subject. This may also include committing some selections to memory where appropriate and learning chronologies, names and dates and being well-versed in key terminology.
    • adopt critical reasoning in the subjects under study. This means fostering an inquiry-driven approach to learning training students to approach subjects with an eye to bring out key ideas, analyse and critically evaluate the presentation of these ideas through discussion and dialogue with their peers and teachers.
    • develop skills in rhetoric. This means giving students ample opportunity to articulate their knowledge and reasoning as it develops informally. It also means cultivating students’ abilities in conveying their responses and their thinking around themes in a formal way through writing and speech. It includes familiarising students’ in the art of narration, reading texts aloud for effect and in recitation and delivery of extracts from memory.

  • Learn More From Our Blog Articles

    Read these articles form our blog to learn more about the Liberal Arts

    Worlds of Knowledge
    June 1, 2025
    The Senior School visited Oxford at the start of this month, touring a number of colleges of the University, speaking to a university student as well as the History of Science Museum. Ustadha Sadia describes the visit. This month's visit to Oxford was a wonderful opportunity for our students...
    Read more...
    "It’s tragic, because we’re human":
    October 20, 2022
    Teacher of Languages, Sadia Shafquat, reflects on the possibilities of pupils' classroom dialogue around Shakespeare's play Macbeth in facilitating meaningful learning experiences at  school.  The article features some quotations from the play, a video snippet of the play enacted at Shakespeare's...
    Read more...
    The Liberal Arts and Islam
    January 7, 2022
    In this short extract from a longer article, Munawar Karim, Headmaster and founder of Deenway discusses the nature of the Liberal Arts and their connection with the Islamic tradition. by Munawar Karim, Headmaster Look at the artistic and architectural legacy of Islamic Civilisation. The...
    Read more...

  • Explore the Liberal Arts Further

    Watch these videos to learn more about the Liberal Arts

    note: some of these links may be from external sources. Where this is the case the views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the school's stance. The links are provided to give you a broad idea of the Liberal Arts-particularly Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric and their connection with the Islamic tradition and the West. The school does not endorse external sites and is not affiliated to these organisations or individuals unless expressly stated.

    The Power of the Trivium

    The founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley California discusses the power of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric

    Grammar

    What is Grammar in the context of the trivium and the liberal arts. Hamza Yusuf lecture at Zaytuna College, UC Berkeley.

    Rhetoric

    Zaytuna College founder, Hamza Yusuf, defines Rhetoric and its importance in civil society.

    Logic

    What is logic and why is it important to democracy and the rule of law.

    Why Study Grammar?

    Excerpts from a lecture at Zaytuna College on the benefits of the study of Grammar.

    The Power of Rhetoric

    Excerpts from a lecture at Zaytuna College on the benefits of the study of Rhetoric.

Cookie Use
We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
Learn More