Salvete, omnes!

Those joining us in Year 7 with a real interest in languages, their origins and links, or with a thirst to find out more about the Romans and how they lived, are invited to come along to our lunchtime club ‘Minimus’ - which is led by members of the Sixth-form and follows the adventures of ‘Minimus the Roman Mouse’ in Roman Britain.

In Years 8 and 9 all girls study Latin for one period per week. Material covered is varied to include Latin-English translation of short stories based on a family living in Rome in 9-10AD. Themes are then developed in background studies to cover topics such as Roman education, entertainment, family life and celebrations, the Roman army, focusing on the Roman campaigns in Germany and the lost legions of Varus, career structure in the ancient world and Roman marriage. These topics give plenty of opportunity for drama, creative writing, artwork and heated debates – comparing ancient and modern lifestyles!

For those who opt to study Latin at GCSE we follow the Cambridge Latin Course, which combines the study of language, literature and background, leading to the OCR qualification. This is 100% examination based. The language builds well onto the foundations laid in KS3 and rapidly moves on in complexity. We focus on three background topics – e.g. Life in Pompeii, Women in Roman society, the Roman army etc. There are two literary texts, verse – usually taken from Virgil’s Aeneid - and prose – Tacitus, Pliny, etc. which give plenty of scope for discussion and literary appreciation.

AS Latin, where groups are naturally smaller, involves more independent translation work, whilst literary texts, again verse and prose, provide both challenging and rewarding translation and discussion.

All three units are assessed by a written examination.

An AS Latin qualification is particularly relevant to those wishing to apply to university for Classics, English, History, Law, and Modern Languages and is viewed favourably by Medical and Veterinary Schools.