Latin
Western culture's foundation can be found in the ideas of the Greeks and Romans. Questions that they asked about life and how to live it are questions we still ask today. Classics is about life: art, language, politics, myth, drama, architecture, law, science, religion, archaeology, philosophy and history.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 9)
We cover a range of discussion areas including politics, war and ethics. We study the history and archaeology which has preserved elements of the life of the past.
Classics is for everyone, and Latin, in particular, is of benefit to pupils no matter what their ability. We introduce the subject for study as a combination of Latin language and ancient civilisation studied in English.
Studying Latin helps with learning Romance languages, and also aids in the understanding of our own language. Did you know that the majority of words in English come from Latin roots?
GCSE (Years 10 & 11)
Exam Board: Eduqas
Latin is an optional subject for study at Key Stage 4. The GCSE course enables learners to gain knowledge and understanding of the Roman world through reading and responding to its language and literature.
It particularly equips them to read and understand straightforward Latin, develop their knowledge of Latin literature through the study of original texts and form insights into the relevance of the Latin language, its literature and Roman culture to the modern world.
The literature studied comprises an extended narrative component as well as a series of prose and verse passages based around a theme, which are accompanied by a selection of visual sources such as paintings and mosaics.
Useful Links
Classical Civilisation A level, studied entirely in English, is also available for Sixth Form students. Please see the Sixth Form section for further details.
Trips
The department aims to run trips to UK sites and to both Greece and Italy on a regular basis, so that the pupils are able to experience the material culture of the ancient world first hand. We also welcome visitors to school, including authors, curators and re-enactors.
Extra Curriculum
| Club | Day | Time |
| Ancient Greek Club - A fun introduction to Ancient Greek language and culture | Thursdays | 3:45pm - 4:30pm |
"An understanding of the classics, and of the civilisations of the distant past, equips the 21st-century young man and woman with something unique; a deep, rounded and enlightened understanding of the interplay of East and West, and the multi-ethnic roots of what we call modern civilisation. By allowing the next generation access to this wealth, let’s hope we are remembered as an age that chose to open rather than to close minds." - BETTANY HUGHES - AUTHOR AND BROADCASTER
