Exploration through innovation is central to Colfe’s approach to the Classical subjects: Classics should retain its educational imperative yet be enjoyable and informative for every student. We go beyond dusty textbooks to provide a vivid and tangible learning experience. Latin is taught to a high level through a mixture of approaches: utilising kinaesthetic, auditory and visual methods to appeal to a diverse range of learning profiles.
The study of Classics allows students to approach the Classical World through a variety of sources, including literature, art, history, philosophy, linguistics and archaeology. Each route gives a different snapshot of life about two to three millennia ago. Linguistically, to learn Latin is to learn about language. We offer a structured approach to Latin accidence and syntax, providing a comparative approach with English and Modern Foreign Languages. We highlight the links between Latin and both English and modern Romance languages by emphasising the extensive vocabulary derived from Latin roots.
In Years 7 to 9 pupils have four Latin sessions per cycle, this increases to 6 sessions per cycle throughout the GCSE syllabus and culminating to 8 sessions at AS/A2 level. Latin is compulsory for all students in Years 7 and 8, becoming optional in Year 9.
Classical Civilisation is offered at both AS/A2, offering an exploration of the literature and art of the Greeks and Romans.
Ancient Greek is informally taught within the Latin allocation of Year 9, catering to the needs and aspirations of the individual student. GCSE Classical Greek is taught formally within the Year 10 syllabus with an extra support session every week. We encourage students to attend JACT’s Bryanston Greek Summer School to supplement the language taught.
The teaching of Classics develops transferable skills which are valued highly by any university or future employer: the ability to analyse and scrutinise various media, be it literature, art, or social history. These transferable skills can lead to eventual careers in law, consultancy, and work in the Home and Foreign Office - to name but a few.
Year 7
Cambridge Latin Course (Stages 1 – 12)
We learn the basics of the Latin language whilst unravelling the trials and tribulations of Pompeian family life in 79AD…
Pupils are encouraged to engage with primary sources from Pompeii and use their creativity and imagination to produce engaging pieces of work. Latin grammar and vocabulary is learnt through highly interactive means, getting away from the ‘chalk-and-talk’ experienced by ‘old school’ students of the past.
Year 8
Cambridge Latin Course (Stages 13-19)
We encounter life in Roman Britain, in particular the mischievous actions of Salvius in the kingdom of Cogidubnus. We expand our knowledge of tenses and cases reaching a good knowledge of Latin vocabulary and syntax.
Year 9
Cambridge Latin Course (Stages 20 - 28)
We continue with our adventures in Britannia and visit Aquae Sulis and Devae. Students are introduced to participles and the various uses of the subjunctive. Students are also introduced to basic Classical Greek grammar.
Years 10 and 11
Cambridge Latin Course (Stages 29 – 40)
Students travel to Rome and discover the life of those in the highest of social circles; not only do they witness legal proceedings but also a literary meeting held by Martial.
Once the Cambridge Latin Course is completed students are at a GCSE level of understanding in Latin. We build on this knowledge base through using The Latin Language and Latin to GCSE.
This is a terminal course whereby students will sit all examinations in the summer of Year 11. Students will take A401, A402, A403 and A404 testing both a proficiency in unseen translation and literary appreciation of the set texts covered.
Following the OCR GCSE specification we also cover the following set texts:
For examination in 2012:
Prose Set Text (A403)
• Pliny: Do you believe in ghosts? Letters 7.27
• Livy: The mysterious death of Romulus, A History of Rome 1.16
• Suetonius: Omens, portents, and the murder of Julius Caesar, Divine Julius 81, 88
Verse Set Text (A404)
• Aeneid II lines 268–280, 298–317, 624–654, 671–716, 768–795.
OCR GCSE Specification:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9985_kd_spec.pdf
Sixth Form
For both years study is split between two teachers: Ms. Caroline Butler and Mr. Andrew Corstorphine in a carousel fashion. Students focus on Latin Language and Latin Literature with an equal divide in the lessons allocated. The allocated teacher swaps at the end of Autumn Term.
Students are encouraged to engage with the target text and to use commentaries regularly to improve their skills of literary appreciation. Students will also be prepared for the unseen section of the summer exams through regular translation of the prescribed author.
Both AS and A2 are both determined by summer examinations in their respective years, there is no coursework option. AS candidates must take L1 (Latin Language) and L2 (Latin Literature); A2 candidates must take L3 (Latin Verse) and L4 (Latin Prose).
Students are also prepared for Oxbridge entry.
Following the OCR AS specification we cover the following set texts:
For examination in 2012:
• Ovid, Amores III. 2, 4, 5, 14.
• Cicero, In Verrem II. 1. 53–69 (aspendum vetus oppidum ... pepercissent).
Unseen author: Cicero
Following the OCR A2 specification we cover the following set texts:
For examination in 2012:
• Catullus, poems 1, 2, 3, 4, 7-13, 22, 70
• Livy, Book XXIII. 2–9.
Unseen Author: Ovid (elegiacs)
OCR Latin AS/A2 Specification: http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9611_kd_gce_spec.pdf
Classical Civilisation Course Outline
Students follow the AQA specification for both the AS and A2 specification culminating in exams at the end of each year. There is no coursework option; students will regularly consult with a wide array of sources and be encouraged to analyse and produce their own informed opinion.
AS Year
CIV1A: Greek Architecture and Sculpture The highly visual component of the Classical Civilisation syllabus invites personal interpretation, an analysis of different art forms, and how foreign influence is seen in the ever developing Greek style. We examine the aesthetics but also the usage and intention of Greek Architecture, working out why and how certain artistic forms come to be. With regard to Greek Sculpture, we analyse how realism crept into sculpture with the advances made in the technology needed to create these impressive art pieces.
CIV2A: Homer’s Odyssey What is a journey? Can journeys be psychological as well as geographical? The aftermath of the Trojan War is plagued with more misery and strife as the remnants of the Greek army struggle home. With Penelope weaving away with suitors at her door, Odysseus’ ‘nostos’ takes him via mystical lands and races. A peacetime epic, this story focuses on the evolution of an individual empowered by his desire to get home. Even when Odysseus gets home what will await him? Will his struggle end there? Students need to untangle a complicated nexus of literary themes and characterisations and arrive at their own interpretation of this classical masterpiece.
A2 Year
CIV3B: The Persian Wars Learn about the politics of cultural identity; Athenians forging their own identity against the excessive luxury and general ‘otherness’ of the Persians. This module looks at a clash of societies, ideals, customs and beliefs. Not only do we turn a critical eye to 300, but we also look at a vast array of literary sources: inscriptions, military accounts, Greek tragedies. The battle against Persian evolved from a battle over ‘land and water’ to the reaffirmation of national identity.
CIV4C: Roman Epic Virgil’s Aeneid is a foundation myth where we witness love juxtaposed with duty, the story of how one man is forced to leave the burning wreckage of Troy and found a new city and a new race: Rome. The Aeneid has the structure and thematic complexities of the Iliad, yet as an addition to the Epic Tradition dominated by Homer, it interacts with its Hellenic predecessors. Beyond the literary allusions, the Aeneid interacts with its obligations as, arguably, a commissioned piece of Augustan literature, a piece of literature that reflects a society that has gone from a Republic to an Empire. What does the Aeneid tell us about Rome: its ideals, morals, traditions, and its leadership under Augustus?
AQA AS/A2 Specification: http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2020-W-SP-10.PDF