All girls in the first two years have two periods a week of Latin. The Cambridge Latin Course is used, with the accompanying electronic learning materials which can be accessed from all Classics teaching rooms. The course is set in Pompeii, Roman Britain and Alexandria and study of the cultural background is an integral part of the course; discussion of issues such as slavery, gladiators and disasters is encouraged.
Emphasis is on the acquiring of vocabulary and an understanding of Latin grammar through reading passages of increasing difficulty. New grammatical points and constructions are then formally explained and recorded by the students, with practice through formal exercises, including translation from English to Latin as extension exercises. There is also emphasis on derivation work and the history of language as we believe that the study of Latin can enhance communication and reading in English. Vocabulary to be learnt is listed at the end of each stage and regular testing takes place. Some girls coming into the school have experienced Latin in their previous schools, through Minimus and other Latin courses. We try to build on and use their experience but Latin is taught as a beginners’ course. We aim to cover Book 1 of the Cambridge course by the end of the UIII and Book 2 by the end of the LIV. Further information on the Cambridge Latin Course is available on the website www.cambridgescp.com
After the summer examinations, the UIII has a fortnight devoted to widening the horizons of the classical world by studying Greek art and mythology. This includes a visit to Cambridge to see the Museum of Classical Archaeology and the college.
The LIV visits the British Museum in the Summer Term for a project on Roman Egypt.
For the UIV, there is a choice of classical subjects. Most girls continue with Latin but some choose Gratin (Greek with Latin) or Classical Civilisation. The Cambridge Latin Course Book 3 continues with its emphasis on acquiring grammar through reading increasingly complex Latin, translation, comprehension and formal exercises. The setting moves back to Roman Britain, raising issues of loyalty, imperialism and the exercise of power as we follow the evil Salvius’ machinations and meet the Roman army under the command of Agricola. There is a visit to Bath to support the course.
The Gratin course ensures that students reach the same level in Latin but also begin the study of ancient Greek, learning the alphabet and simple constructions. The course used is the new Greek to GCSE by John Taylor.
The Classical Civilisation course for the UIV has three units: in the autumn term, the theme is Beginnings and Endings and includes a mixture of mythology, such as the origin of the gods and the creation of the world, early Greek science and some aspects of everyday life, such as birth and childhood, old age, death and burial. Students receive an overall grade for their term’s work. In the spring term, the topic is everyday life in classical Athens, including the development of democracy, theatre, religion and the city itself. Students choose a topic for an individual research project and a book on a classical theme to review as the basis for this term’s assessment. The text book used is Athenian Society by Jennifer Gibbon (the previous Head of Department). In the summer term, Books 1 and 9 of Homer’s Iliad are studied: the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, gods and heroes in the Trojan War. This is assessed by examination. There are also examinations for students doing the language courses at the end of each year in the lower school.
Towards the end of the UIV, all students make their option choices: they may choose to study Latin, Greek and/or Classical Civilisation for GCSE in the middle school.
