Head of Department: Dr R Hackney

This is one of the few schools in which pupils still have the opportunity to study Latin at all levels, from beginners up to and including Oxbridge entry. We are pleased to be one of the lead Humanities subjects in the School's Specialist Status.

Latin is compulsory in Years 7 and 8, and then may be selected as an option in Year 9. In Key Stages 3 and 4 pupils follow the Cambridge Latin Course, enjoying the opportunity to gain the Cambridge Latin Certificates for Books I, II and III, awarded by the University of Cambridge.

As early as year 10 pupils meet original Latin literature and can read the Classics of European literature including the great poetry of Vergil and Horace. They also study various aspects of Roman civilization, including life in Roman Britain, which illustrate the society of the era.

Students can further their studies by continuing with Latin as a GCSE, AS or A Level option. Lower Sixth form students have the exciting opportunity of teaching the "Minimus" Primary Latin Course in local primary schools. At the end of the Lower Sixth Year students are able to participate in various Classical Summer Schools, and these are of particular interest to those intending to study any classical subject at University, especially at Oxford or Cambridge. The Eton Course, at the end of the summer term in the Lower Sixth, is a popular choice.

An Ancient Classical Greek club for all ages runs after school on Mondays, providing the opportunity for students to gain the four Greek certificates awarded by the East Midlands Association of Classical Teachers, the fourth of which is the equivalent of GCSE Level. Students over 16 can then participate in the Joint Association of Classical Teachers' Greek Summer School.

The Department follows the OCR Latin specification at GCSE and A Level. The AQA AS Classical Civilization is to be introduced from the autumn of 2008, as part of our Humanities Specialist Programme.

Thus we aim to provide not only interest in, and knowledge of, the Graeco-Roman world and its culture, as a basis of European civilisation, but also a facility in reading Latin literature in the original as well as in translation (including some Greek literature in translation). Knowledge of this structured language provides a firm foundation for the study both of the Romance languages and of English grammar. An understanding of the achievements of the Greeks and Romans in all spheres of human activity, seen in the context of their social and political systems, is of great value in putting modern Europe in perspective.