RATIONALE:

For generations a classical education was considered a privilege for the few, not the many, but now its revival in primary and secondary state schools is well underway.

There is increasing evidence that the study of classical subjects helps to:

• raise pupils’ aspirations and achievement. Widening access to classical subjects can help to break the link between educational opportunity and disadvantage, giving pupils the confidence to progress to higher education.
• support language skills for pupils of all abilities, encouraging a structured approach to grammar and a strong foundation for literacy and learning modern foreign languages.
• encourage cultural insight and awareness, offering pupils new perspectives on contemporary issues.
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“It’s about the pupils learning Latin, but it’s about so much more than that too. It’s the principle that our pupils should have access to a wide curriculum and that exciting subjects like classics should be available to everyone.” - David Hogg, Kelmscott School, Bridge Group Report, 2017 

Implementation

At Farcet C. of E. Primary School we teach Latin as it provides the following:

• it offers the opportunity to reinforce the teaching of English vocabulary and grammar
• the language lends itself to a systematic and effective style of teaching
• Latin is a logical step after phonics, reinforcing the notion of structure and pattern in language
• it provides a paradigm for language learning in KS3 and beyond, and enables the learning of other romance languages such as Spanish and French
• teaching the subject allows insights into myth and other cultural aspects that form the basis of modern Western culture

The curriculum teaches Latin in a way that enhances English literacy, both in its choice of vocabulary and grammar covered. It consists of sixteen units, each with a particular grammar focus. The course is designed to be taught by non-specialist teachers and is accessible to pupils of all abilities. 

Maximum Classics explores the interplay between Latin and English and every lesson incorporates games or activities drawing on this. The course also tracks KS2 elements such as word class, tense and auxiliary verbs using the same terminology used in English spelling and grammar teaching.

This is the link explaining the benefits for teaching Latin:

Primary Latin Video on Vimeo

Links to the resources for parents:

Audio-visual dictionary - Maximum Classics

latin-pronunciation-mp4 (videopress.com)

Curriculum Overview 2023