Classics
The Classics Department is committed to offering a stimulating and rewarding Classical education for boys from Years 7 to 13. We use language, literature and our own artefacts to access the fascinating history of ancient civilisations in the classroom and we offer as many opportunities as possible to take pupils on trips to see Classical wonders first-hand.
Our subjects prepare the students at Watford Grammar for life beyond school, developing a wide range of skills, which will be applicable to any academic or career path. The study of the Latin language creates highly analytical and curious learners, as they are taught to both focus on the details of grammar and to evaluate ancient literature in its original form, stylistically and in terms of what it tells us about ancient cultures. Similarly, Classical Civilisation and Ancient History train students to analyse evidence from literature, art and architecture to draw conclusions about the way the Ancient Greeks and Romans viewed the world, themselves and those around them. All Classical subjects encourage students to consider the ways that ancient civilisations mimic, mirror or contrast modern thought and experience.
The Classical subjects complement all of the other subjects in the school and are regularly the courses that bring linguists, scientists, artists and historians together. We believe there is something for everyone here in the Classics Department.
Key Stage 3
Year 7 Latin
All pupils learn Latin in Year 7 for one hour a week on a half-termly rotation with PSHE. They complete Chapters 1-2 of the popular new textbook Suburani, which is a colourful mixture of the Latin and the culture of the Romans, with the help of online activities from the accompanying website. Topics studied include: The city of Rome, public buildings, life in the Subura and the myth of Romulus and Remus. We also consider the impact of Latin on Modern Foreign Languages and English.
Year 8 Latin
We complete up to Chapter 12 of Suburani, as the Second Language option, with two hours of lessons each week. Latin continues to combine learning of the Latin language with studying the Roman World. Topics studied include: Roman Britain, Slavery in the Ancient World, Roman Religion and Entertainment. Students’ understanding of a Roman, working-class family’s way of life is further developed, as well as mini-courses on Ancient Greek language and History, life in the Roman Army and the Roman occupation of Britain.
Key Stage 4
GCSE (Year 9, 10 &11)
Latin: Students continue to develop their linguistic skills with the help of Suburani, Books 1-2; they experience different cultural backgrounds, as the characters bounce across the Mediterranean between Africa, Gaul and Italy. Halfway through Year 10, they begin their study of literature in the original Latin - an almost unique opportunity for pupils at that age. We use the Eduqas examination board, which publishes much of its material freely online. The Literature topics change every two to three years; recent topics have included: Myth and Superstition, Boudicca and the Druids, Love and Marriage and The Emperor Nero.
Classical Civilisation
There are two elements for the GCSE course - one covers Ancient Greek and Roman beliefs and the other on life in Roman Italy, both of which build on KS3 knowledge of life in the Ancient World:
Myth and Religion
We study in depth the gods of Ancient Greece and Rome and how they impacted the way people lived and behaved. Temples, sacrifice, art, myths and legends are all studied to help gain an understanding of human behaviour and the power of religion.
Roman City Life
We examine key aspects of Roman civilisation, from where they lived to how they lived, including housing, the gladiators, chariot racing and slavery. The cities of Rome and Ostia provide many examples for our examination, as well as the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Key Stage 5
Sixth Form
Latin
The OCR A Level course provides the opportunity for consolidation and extension of prior language learning, which is tested by unseen translation of an adapted passage and of a shorter piece of original Latin by a specified author. We also study one prose set text and one verse set text, which are tested by comprehension and essay questions. The set texts are selected to give students a broader sense of what life was like in Ancient Rome: Cicero’s legal speeches give a fascinating view into the socio-political context of the late Republic and Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ combines Roman mythology and foundation stories with the historical context of life at the beginning of the Roman Empire, following the fall of the Republic. Both texts continue to extend students’ knowledge of life in Ancient Rome, the cultural debt the Romans owed to the Greeks and the multicultural nature of the Classical World. The course develops students’ analytical skills both in the context of close-reading of texts, wider consideration of themes and characterisation and keen dissection of language and its mechanics. They also hone their ability to put forward a convincing argument, through discussion of the set texts.
Ancient History
The OCR A Level allows our pupils to explore the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds in great depth. For those who studied Latin or Classical Civilisation at GCSE, prior knowledge of ancient authors is developed and extended; those who are new to the subject are supported in discovering these areas for the first time, through materials supplied during the lesson and recommendations for super-curricular study.
In Year 12, study focuses on the unfolding narrative of the relations between the Greek city-states, particularly Athens and Sparta, and between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire during the period 492–404 BC. At the same time, we look at the establishment and development of the Roman principate under Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius and Nero. There is a particular focus on the military, social, religious and political issues of the Roman Empire.
In Year 13, we complete two depth studies: one addressing the ‘The Politics and Society of Sparta between 478 and 404 BC’ and the other focusing on ‘Ruling Roman Britain between AD 43 – 128’. This A level provides the opportunity to study the ancient world through the sources it has left behind, from history and poetry to artefacts as wide-ranging as inscriptions on triumphal arches, tombstones, sculpture and excavation plans of military forts. The course develops high levels of analysis and requires students to rigorously evaluate historical sources and the work of modern historians alike; students complete the course having gained valuable skills in analysis, synthesis and argument.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR CLASSICAL GREEK
We offer extra-curricular Classical Greek in the Sixth Form; this comprises one lunchtime and one after-school session each week, with the aim of preparing students for the new Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek. This gives committed students an opportunity to engage with a different Classical language and achieve an extra qualification; it also supports applications to study Classical subjects at University. The ICCG helps sixth-form Latinists to make comparisons between Greek and Latin and gives students not pursuing Latin A Level a chance to maintain their interest in Classical languages.
Exams & Assessment
GCSE Latin Eduqas/WJEC
GCSE Classical Civilisation OCR course
A-Level Latin OCR
A-Level Ancient History OCR
Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek (sixth-form extra-curricular option)
Enrichment & Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular activities
The Department offers a Classics Club on Thursday lunchtimes for all those interested in the Ancient World. This includes some lectures delivered by our A Level students to the younger years to encourage independent research, as well as presentation opportunities, Classics-related games, object handling and discussion of wider reading. Topics extend beyond Rome and Greece and include ancient societies which interacted with Classical cultures, linguistics, numismatics and archaeology.
We also offer Classical Greek as an extra-curricular option for Year 12-13. This comprises one lunchtime and one after-school session each week, with the aim of preparing students for the new Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek. This gives committed students an opportunity to engage with a different Classical language and achieve an extra qualification; it also supports applications to study Classical subjects at University. The ICCG helps sixth-form Latinists to make comparisons between Greek and Latin and gives students not pursuing Latin A Level a chance to maintain their interest in Classical languages.
We also regularly make visits abroad to enable our students to see and appreciate the evidence of the statues, buildings and locations that we have studied in the classroom. In the past, we have taken trips to Italy, Greece, France and Germany. In October 2022, there was a joint Classics-PRE-French trip to Paris, including visits to a Roman amphitheatre, Baths and the Classical finds at the Louvre. The Classics Trip to Sicily in Easter 2024 toured the island, viewing both Roman and Greek archaeology and architecture, and getting to know the myths and history of the island, from the famous Cyclops, Polyphemus, to the terrifying tyrants and governors of the Greek and Roman periods.
Resources & Reading Lists
Resources
The Department has developed an outstanding resource collection. We have acquired many Classical books over the years and an extensive digital image and DVD library to help present the Ancient World in a modern way. We also make use of a collection of original and replica objects, ranging from full-size replica helmets and weapons to real pieces unearthed from the volcanic ash of Pompeii itself!
Reading Lists
If you enjoy a Classics book (even if it’s not on our list), please click on the link below to fill in our short Book Recommendation Form, so we can consider recommending it to others: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdF7C7ExF2bus26IqbPY2ntCZrJZ5tynItCerTSTpk97FpmEg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Recommended Podcasts
The Ancients
In Our Time (Sixth-form level)
Youre Dead to Me (Radio 4 - radio edits are suitable for younger listeners - if not marked 'radio-edit' material is appropriate for Sixth-form students only)