All pupils study Latin in the First and Second Years.  This grounding in a Classical language, with careful attention to grammar, syntax and vocabulary, lays foundations valuable to the study of English and Modern Languages (indeed such systematic learning is a skill which can be transferred to all areas of the curriculum).  In the Third Year, pupils can elect to continue with Latin and/or start Ancient Greek.  Both subjects are taught to GCSE and are offered to A level.  The syllabus is divided equally between language work and the study of Classical Literature, with the pupils reading authors such as Virgil, Ovid, Pliny and Cicero or Homer, Euripides, Thucydides and Herodotus.  As well as Latin and Greek A level courses in the Sixth form, there is the opportunity to study Classical Civilisation to A level, reading classical texts in translation and learning about the cultures to which they belong.

Study of the societies of Ancient Greece and Rome helps us to understand the ideas and forces which have shaped much of the modern world we live in.  We therefore aim to do more than teach languages and literature, but also to give our pupils an understanding of the societies to which these belong.  Background courses at the lower end of the school cover Greek Mythology, and Roman Life topics.  The department runs regular trips within this country, to Hadrian’s Wall, Roman Chester, the British Museum, as well as theatre visits to see Classical plays.  Every second year, we visit either Italy (sharing our time between Rome and the Bay of Naples) or Greece (touring around the main Classical sites in Athens, at Delphi and on the Peloponnese).