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A New Leaf for the Looking Glass 2026/27

Dear all, Upon inheriting the Looking Glass from our predecessors, we identified a number of key issues. Firstly, there were simply not enough articles being published, due both to a lack of submissions from the school community and limited responsiveness from the previous Academic Team. Secondly, the Looking Glass had not been advertised or explained effectively enough to the wider school community. As a result, we plan to implement a more consistent and engaging stream of articles on the Looking Glass. As part of this initiative, we are looking to recruit a select group of keen writers from across the lower school who would be willing to produce one high-quality piece of writing, discussion, or media each month for publication on the Looking Glass. We believe this will be hugely beneficial both to the school community, which will gain access to a wider range of opinions and viewpoints, and to prospective writers, who will be able to reference their experience contributing to the Look...
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The Looking Glass - Style Guide

  • Articles should maintain a formal tone and avoid colloquialisms.
  • Spelling should be checked with a spell checker prior to submission. When writing a long article please check it extra thoroughly.
  • The author's name should only appear directly below the leading image in block capitals.
  • Body text should be paragraphed.
  • Bibliographies are encouraged, where possible. They should appear at the end of the article - you can use https://www.citethisforme.com/ to generate reasonable citations for books, journals etc. Harvard citation format is preferred.
  • All images should be either your own or copyright free. You can find suitable images at https://pixabay.com/. Your images will be included in the article but we cannot guarantee they will be placed in exactly they same formatting as in the article you send us. If you have a preferred "leading image", please place this at the top of your article.

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A New Leaf for the Looking Glass 2026/27

Dear all, Upon inheriting the Looking Glass from our predecessors, we identified a number of key issues. Firstly, there were simply not enough articles being published, due both to a lack of submissions from the school community and limited responsiveness from the previous Academic Team. Secondly, the Looking Glass had not been advertised or explained effectively enough to the wider school community. As a result, we plan to implement a more consistent and engaging stream of articles on the Looking Glass. As part of this initiative, we are looking to recruit a select group of keen writers from across the lower school who would be willing to produce one high-quality piece of writing, discussion, or media each month for publication on the Looking Glass. We believe this will be hugely beneficial both to the school community, which will gain access to a wider range of opinions and viewpoints, and to prospective writers, who will be able to reference their experience contributing to the Look...
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Classics: What is the role of nature in ancient art and architecture?

Note: The following essay is by Eevan Pennant-Shah L6B (20pennant-shahe@students.watfordboys.org)  In the contemporary era, art is enjoyed inside grand art galleries, often divorced from its original context and detached from its true meaning. However, in the ancient world the location was often seen as a canvas itself, a fundamental element which ancient artists incorporated, aspiring to evoke awe. The topography of the landscape was paramount as without modern tools these civilizations were forced to work with the existing geology. This had the effect of integrating the natural world into the art itself, whether it was through its location, method of production or its experience. Ultimately, the role of the natural landscape was not merely a passive setting, but an active part that dictated the material limits of art while amplifying its effects on the people who are appreciating it. Additionally, the image of natural landscapes itself could be used to try and push a political mo...
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The History of ʿIlm al-Kalām

  OMAR MURSALIN (Y11) This article placed 1st in the WBGS Fuller Research Prize Competition 2022. In the early generations of Islam after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s death, Muslims relied on the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ, and their faith was not fortified. The Prophet ﷺ had warned his followers not to delve too deeply into questions about fate and destiny, and his advice gave the earlier scholars of Islam hesitance to tread the waters of theology. ʿIlm al-Kalām or Kalām, is the science of rational theology in Islam. It developed in the first 300 years of Islam due to the translation of Greek books on philosophy and logic by Khālid ibn Yazīd, then later commissioned by Caliph Al-Ma'mun. The purpose of Ilm al-Kalām is to break down the arguments of philosophical doubters of Islam and silence them through a rational basis. The Arabic term “Kalām (كلام)” means speech: There are many explanations for why this discipline was originally called so; one is that one of the biggest controversie...
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