Some pupils will have the opportunity to begin studying the Latin language in Year 7.
They will be using the Cambridge Latin Course Book 1. On the first year of the course, they will learn the regular verb endings for the present, imperfect and perfect tenses, and noun endings for the nominative, accusative and dative cases. The course is story based, set in Pompeii in 79 C.E., and pupils enjoy engaging with the characters they meet from all walks of Roman life. As well as learning the language, there is an emphasis on making students aware of Roman culture in Italy during the first century C.E. We believe that Latin is worth studying per se, and universities and employers are often keen on the logical-thinking skills that can be acquired through a study of this complex and heavily inflected language.
In future, Year 8 pupils will be continuing with Book 2 of this course which builds on the knowledge and skills gained in the first year with sentences becoming increasingly complex as the year goes on. Current pupils are continuing with the school’s in-house ‘Salve’ course which hones their knowledge and understanding of grammar through the translation of sentences from Latin into English and, more challengingly, from English into Latin. If you require any further information about these courses, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. J. Brettell via [email protected].