The hunger for Latin continues. Those of us involved in training teachers or awarding grants have had a busy few months as more and more primary schools have decided on Latin as their designated language. Headteachers are delighted that Minimus can be taught by non-specialists.
PGCE students: Training PGCE students at Bristol University to teach Minimus has been a particularly fascinating part of this year's work. This module for MFL and English trainee teachers was an experiment which proved surprisingly popular. 39 students completed the course and were awarded certificates. I have agreed to repeat this module at Bristol University next summer.
Manchester: I was also pleased to give one of a series of Classics workshops at Manchester University organised by John Taylor and David Langslow. The audience was very mixed: dons from both the Classics and other departments, university students both Classics and other and local teachers, both primary and secondary. Our common passion was of course to spread Latin. This event was sponsored by Classics for All and Manchester is one of many successful hubs that have been created around the country.
Somerset: I still very much enjoy meeting the punters and so Nick and I accepted with pleasure Claire Green's invitation to her final Minimus Club at Winscombe Primary School. She had organised a Roman Banquet and the children questioned me about writing Minimus while we enjoyed the food. We finished the session with a rousing chorus of ‘senex MacDonald’!
Training: Recently Classics for All has sponsored another important event “Training the Trainers”. I have trained a group of 12 experienced Minimus teachers to run training sessions themselves. We had a most stimulating day at the University of Birmingham courtesy of Elena Theodorakopoulos. We shared ideas of good practice in teaching Minimus and I explained different models of training event and reminded them of all the resources and support that is available from the Primary Latin Project. When schools or individuals request training I can now call on these Minimus experts to run events locally. I am grateful to Classics for All, in particular Hilary Hodgson, for helping me to develop this idea and for attending.
It is always a privilege to work with Helen Forte on some new Minimus project. This summer we sensed that a Workbook for pupils might be helpful so we worked intensively for three days in Bury St Edmunds and we are very pleased with the finished product. We made the decision to focus entirely on grammar so there are no quizzes about Vindolanda in this product. It hardly looks like a grammar book thanks to Helen's marvellous illustrations. There are two pages of exercises for each chapter of Minimus – a total of 24 pages. It is size A4 and printed by Whitehall Printers in Bristol at a cost of £1 each. Initially we had 1000 Workbooks printed and they have flown off the shelves in less than two weeks so we have reprinted and if you would like to buy these for your pupils please get in touch at bmbellmini@aol.com or better still download the order form from the Minimus website www.minimus.com. They seem to be of particular use to teachers who know no Latin themselves as we included more formal grammar.
So this has been a particularly varied and interesting few months. At the time of writing I am looking forward to our celebratory party in Oxford. Chris Pelling and Mai Musie have generously allowed us to use the Classics Centre where approximately 60 of those associated with the Minimus story will be gathering to celebrate sales of 150,000 copies (actually that number has already increased to 154,000 copies!). This will be an opportunity to thank our many supporters; our sponsors, teachers, those who have spoken at training days and my wonderful committee – the sine qua non of the whole project.
Barbara Bell (centre), with Diana and Brian Sparkes
It has been an extremely full and eventful year for the East Oxford Community Classics Centre, with a large number of continuing projects and courses, as well as a fresh crop of new events, projects and changes to the curriculum within the school. This is a brief report on how the year has gone and what lies ahead at Cheney School.
Cheney School Projects
Roman Cookery Project: This was an East Oxford Community Classics Centre project which enabled pupils from Cheney School to learn about and produce ancient Greek and Roman dishes. Pupils had the opportunity to work with professional chefs, Roman Archaeology specialists, and a local restaurant, and then work as a team to create a Roman banquet as a culmination of the project. The project kicked off on 8th September with a workshop delivered by Dr Zena Kamash, Lecturer in Archaeology at Royal Holloway, on the ancient Roman diet. The team, led by a local classicist and chef Laura Martin, then learnt about and began cooking a variety of ancient Roman dishes over a series of 12 weekly afternoon sessions. Dishes included Pompeian Bread, Cretan Gastreen, Roman burgers and snails.
On Wednesday 22nd October, 13 Year 8 students visited Jamie's Italian Restaurant. Students received an interactive talk on how the ancient Roman diet compared to the modern Roman way of cooking; they then had the opportunity to make some Roman flat bread, and to experiment with creating different types of pasta. They also received a detailed behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchens and restaurant, explored the process of how the pasta meals are cooked, and then were able to sit down to a delicious bowl of spaghetti bolognese at the end. They all also got to take home the flatbread that students had helped to make earlier in the trip. The trip was greatly enjoyed by all who took part, and we are very grateful to Jamie's Italian for their warm and welcoming hospitality and fantastic workshop and tour.
Roman Sundial Project: In April, we ran a stone-carving project for Design & Technology pupils from Cheney School. Working with acclaimed sundial expert David Brown, the students learned how to create the Roman-style sundials from a piece of limestone, and carve the details and decorations. Through this, they learned-stone carving techniques as well as all about Roman sundials, how they were made and how they functioned. The sessions ran for five weeks, and at the end pupils were able to take home their sundials to keep in their gardens or houses.
Figure 1. Roman Museums Project at Cheney School.
Museum Project: The Centre is privileged to own a wide range of items, ranging from mesolithic tools (dated 8000-4000 BC), a large number of Roman glass and pottery fragments, tesserae, roof tiles and a catapult shot – these have been donated to us by museums, individuals and universities. Since November 2014 archaeologist Dr Aarón Alzola has been working with us to create a comprehensive digital database of these items, which we will host online, so visitors, students and many others can view the items and understand more about them. A group of Cheney School students has been involved in the process of categorising the items and entering them into the database. We will train a group of students very year in the artefacts collection database and handling – these students will then become student curators for the collection during their time at the school. We are also creating artefact story trails, which are appearing in various parts of the school. These consist of murals showing how the artefacts were made, how they were used and how they were discovered, and are featuring the artefacts themselves. These trails are a way of immersing visitors and students in the history of these fascinating items in a visually stunning way. Alongside this, Aarón has been developing workshops involving the artefacts which will be embedded into the What Is History? module studied by all Year 7s at Cheney School. These workshops will also be delivered to students and other visitors from the wider community. Through his work at the centre, we aim to make the artefacts collection a vital, accessible and exciting aspect of the centre that Cheney School students and the community at large will learn about and benefit from. On 13th March, we held a launch event for members of the public to hear about the museum project, see the mural sketches and handle the artefacts.
In May 2015 the East Oxford Community Classics Centre was granted Working towards Museum Accreditation status. Over the next two years, we will be working closely with a museum mentors and other experts to help us put in place all the appropriate procedures of artefact collection care, information and access, to ensure that our collections are widely used and valued, both within the Cheney School community, and far beyond too.
Themed Days and Festivals
Festival of Ancient Tales: On Friday 3rd October, we celebrated the first birthday of the East Oxford Community Classics Centre with a festival themed on classical stories and myths. The event involved a very wide range of activities, stalls and performances. Visitors and Cheney School members took part in Roman mosaicing, Greek jug-making, Roman games, mask decorating, artefact handling and labyrinth designing amongst many other things. There were exhibitions from the Story Museum and the Metamorphosis Project, and a large number of educational stalls, including Roman herbs and poisons, a stall imagining Homer's Odyssey in modern day Oxford and the Not Just Dormice team, who set up a stall all about the ancient Roman diet. We also had a team of Cheney School face-painters who turned visitors into mythical creatures, and a wide range of Roman-inspired dishes to sample at ‘Grumio's Tavern’. Alongside this, we were delighted to have a stellar cast of performers and authors delivering talks and events throughout the afternoon. These included Anna Neale playing live music all afternoon, the Avid for Ovid team with their vivid dance and music shows, and the Oxford Greek Play cast performing exciting excerpts from The Furies. Hundreds of visitors attended, including large school groups from London and Worcestershire. Our author talks featured Caroline Lawrence, Adele Geras, Lindsey Davis and Tom Holland, who all delivered rousing talks about classics and their lives. The evening was rounded off by a musical performance by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, with her musician John Sampson.
Figure 2. Return of the Romans Day.
Ancient Astronomy Day: On 20th January the East Oxford Community Classics Centre ran an Ancient Astronomy Day. The event involved a range of workshops, talks, activities and stalls for both Cheney students and the wider community. The British Sundial Society came to run a series of workshops for Design & Technology and History groups where students learned about how the Greeks and Romans told the time before constructing their own card sundials. Alongside this, Professor Mike Edmunds from the University of Cardiff visited for the day to talk to groups about the fascinating Antikythera Mechanism, a highly complex piece of equipment used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. At lunch time and after school, a wide range of classicists and astrophysicists came to put on stalls and activities. These included making comets out of dry ice, making paper orreries, learning about the constellations, and a tour of the universe; the Museum of the History of Science brought a beautiful armillary sphere and astrolabe which students and visitors were able to handle; and astrophysics students brought a telescope. There was also astronomy-themed face-painting, Roman dishes (some of which were made by students involved in last term's Roman cookery project), a lucky dip of stars, and many more activities to enjoy.
Return of the Roman Days: On 2nd and 3rd July the Classics Centre held two days of Roman Britain themed events including talks, activities and re-enactment shows. The days were organised to coincide with the Year Six Transfer Days, so incoming students could learn all about the Ancient Romans while attending Cheney School for the first time. The Year 6s were divided into four different legions, each ‘commanded’ by Year 9 Classics students who had created their own shields and were dressed in full costume for the two days. In their legions, Year 6s were handed soldiers’ ration bags and then experienced workshops on a range of Roman themes, before heading to the field to experience live re-enactment shows. Re-enactment organisation Comitatus came to camp on site at the school overnight for two nights, bringing with them eight re-enactors, two beautiful white horses and their groom, and a dazzling array of armour and equipment. They held six shows on the Athletics Field across the two days for Cheney students, Transfer Day students and also a community show for local primary school groups and other visitors. Their shows involved displays of their weapons including archery and javelins, a ballista, throwing axes and swords. Throughout the shows, Catherine Conyard commentated, explaining the use of weapons in battle by the Romans, and the historical sources used to recreate these items. Once the shows were over, students were able to try the helmets and shields for themselves, as well as meet the horses and re-enactors. Alongside the shows were several Roman-themed stalls, including face-painting, mosaics, a Roman lucky dip, Roman bracelet-making and hairstyles, a Roman sundial stall, as well as a display of some of the artefacts the Classics Centre owns. As well as the shows and stalls, we were delighted that Dr Philippa Walton came to talk to Cheney students about Roman artefacts found in Piercebridge, and Jane Harrison delivered a talk on the Romans in East Oxford to Sixth Form students. We were also privileged to have the author of the Roman Mysteries, Caroline Lawrence, delivering a lively talk to Year 7s who will start studying Latin next year.
Classics Summer School: From 26th to 28th August we ran our first summer school, offering Beginners Latin and Ancient Greek classes to ages 7–10 and 11–14, as well as a range of themed stalls and activities. Attendees were split into four groups – Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Poseidon and given gift bags on arrival. The groups attended fun and lively language and civilisation classes from 9.15–10.30 and 11.15–12.45 each day. From 10.30–11.15 there were stalls, activities and refreshments available. Every day of the school was themed on a different aspect of the classical world, so the decorations, stalls, activities and refreshments were changed each day to reflect this. The classes were delivered by local classics teachers from Headington School, St Helen and St Katherine's School, Magdalen College School and Oxford High School.
Classics courses at Cheney School: This year, Cheney School has offered Beginners Latin to its Year 8s, Classics Enrichment to its Year 9s, and GCSE Latin to its Year 10s and 11s. The East Oxford Community Classics Centre has offered AS Latin to Cheney and Cherwell students. Four students sat the AS Latin examination, and all four achieved grade As.
Overview and future plans: This year's activities at the Centre have been a great success. The themed days went extremely well, and the workshops which have taken place have been very well received. We are, as ever, grateful to the students and lecturers from the Oxford University Faculty of Classics as well as those from other Higher Education Institutions for their involvement in some of these courses and themed events. We are also very grateful to teachers from local private schools who have taken part in delivering courses at the Centre. Well over 2000 people have attended and benefited from events at the Classics Centre this academic year, with all ages and a very wide range of demographics included. We have had people travelling from places like London, Essex and Worcestershire to attend our events and summer school, as well as a very high level of local participation.
Figure 3. Festival of Lost Cities.
In 2015–6, we will be running another major community festival, the Festival of Lost Cities, on 18th January 2016. We will be continuing to work towards Museum Accreditation, and will be running Archaeology Enrichment for Year 7s as well as in feeder primaries. We will complete the six mural trails over the course of the year.
We have just taken part for the third year running in Oxford Open Doors Weekend on Sunday 13th September, where visitors got to see the mural painting in progress and speak to our artist Soham De. We are continuing to expand our Literacy through Latin scheme which has been running in Oxford primary schools for ten years. We will be running the Mosaics and Roman Cookery Projects during the year, as well as adding a Roman Textiles Project. We will be running a trip to Chedworth Roman Villa and Bath for Year 8s and local primaries, and will run a residential trip to Hadrian's Wall in July 2016 for Year 8s, 9s and 10s. We will also run trips to the Ashmolean and Museum Services. We plan to run another summer school in August 2016.
We are running the following community courses: Beginners Latin, Beginners Latin for Families, Palaeography, Introduction to Ancient Greece, AS Classical Civilisation, Beginners Greek and Beginners Sanskrit. More will be added as the year progresses.
We already have a number of speakers organised to speak to Cheney School and community audiences including Bettany Hughes, Michael Scott, Martha Kearney and Natalie Haynes at the Festival of Lost Cities; Will Wootton on Ancient Crafts; Becky Peacock on Archaeological Excavation Work and Holly Kane on Knossos; Philomen Probert on Linear B Tablets. We are also working with the Classics Conclave to organise a Careers and Classics Event on 6th November which will feature a range of speakers from different walks of life on how classics degrees have helped in their career paths.
The Centre is working closely to expand classics provision within the school timetable. Cheney School will offer Classical Civilisation AS over two years from September 2015. Through the East Oxford Community Classics Centre, it will continue to offer AS and A2 Level Latin as a city-wide option. We are offering GCSE Greek to a small group of students who would like to take this during school lunch times. If anyone would like to support, either through time, donations of books, items or funds, or in any other way, we would be delighted to hear from you – please email on lorna@irisproject.org.uk – many thanks.
The East Oxford Community Classics Centre is holding a Festival of Ancient Cities on Monday 18th January. This event is a celebration of the great classical cities, and areas of the school will be themed on different ancient sites! All visitors will be given a passport which they can get stamped for visiting the different regions, and will also be able to follow our artefact treasure trails across the school. From 3.30-5.45pm there will be activities, stalls and exhibitions, a walk-through lost cities exhibition in the Library and the opportunity to see our artefact mural trails. There will also be live music and drama performances, including the award-winning UNMYTHABLE. The festival itself does not require booking, but author talks do need to be booked, and can be done so through our website at http://eoccc.org.uk/festival-of-lost-cities
The conference opened with brief welcoming speeches and Hilary Hodgson from Classics for All issuing a notice that grants were available for schools to start Classics – of which schools would be wise to take full advantage. Paul O'Mahoney from the Kallos Gallery in London invited schools to visit: groups are limited to a maximum of 12 pupils (except in special circumstances). Cambridge Professor Tim Whitmarsh gave the first lecture before the conference separated into different rooms. His lecture focused on ‘Classics for the Masses’ – quoting lyrics from a Dr Dre song (I suspect he does not have a PhD in Classics):
“…All I think about is making classics Classics for the masses.”
One of the other lines, appropriately enough, refers to ‘drama making the city happy’. The rest of the song is unquotable before 9pm, or in a family publication such as this.
Professor Whitmarsh considered the defensive nature of Classicists and asked what we are fighting against? Another point was whether Classics was inherently elitist, or whether it was our own institutions which are elitist, or whether there was a link between the two. He considered Professor Edith Hall's idea that Classics should be for everyone and that we (as Classics teachers) have a ‘duty’ to share some of these ideas, such as ‘democracy’ (see Hall's original newspaper article reprinted in this journal). However, Professor Whitmarsh pointed out that we don't need to go back to the Greeks to understand modern democracy – one might argue that there is no direct, unbroken, link and that we could answer this question by looking at English history rather than Classics. Nevertheless, he was in favour of Hall's proposals to make Classics accessible to all and to make more people aware of the idea of democratic principles through the study of Classics.
Professor Whitmarsh considered what we could actually do to achieve this, which included:
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1) Expand access to subjects at school;
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2) Increase public visibility (get Classics mentioned in the media);
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3) Challenge the role of Classics in our ‘elitist’ culture;
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4) Reform our institutions;
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5) Transform the nature of Classics itself by making it ‘more relevant and demographically representative’ or ‘less difficult to practise’.
The rest of the conference explored various individuals and schools which had attempted to increase the profile of Classics by introducing it to the parts that, as it were, other beers couldn't reach. The conference divided into two rooms with lectures running concurrently. Ostensibly, these were divided into ‘Culture and Literature’ (in room G19, with the old fashioned wooden desks and hard wooden seats. If one is going to sit there for more than one lecture at a time, then one is advised to bring a cushion, as experienced travellers on the Dymchurch railway do) and ‘Language’ (in the room with the comfy chairs, but without the Spanish Inquisition, who failed to turn up). However, these titles were something of a misnomer as the focus throughout the conference (with the exception of Professor Whitmarsh's lecture) was on Latin (with the occasional reference to Greek). Classics, in the broader sense of the term, which includes Classical Civilisation and Ancient History, was rarely mentioned.
The conference contributors were (in the room with the hard seats) Xavier Murray-Pollock, East End Classics Centre Co-ordinator, who has probably the best office in the world; Patrick Ryan, the Secretary (or should one say grammaticus?) for the Classical Association for Ireland, provided an ‘international’ perspective (who noted that if we thought the situation of Latin and Greek was bad in England it was dire in Ireland where only 17 pupils took the Greek exam, and just over 100 Latin. Yet he has managed to re-introduce both Latin and Greek to adult learners, although they are often of senior years); Nicola Neto, a Latin teacher from Sidney Stringer Academy in Coventry; and Jane Maguire, committee member for the Primary Latin Project and a regional advisor for Classics for All. In the room with the comfy chairs were Rowlie Darby, an English and Classics teacher, who has successfully introduced Latin and Ancient History into the curriculum at Patcham High School in Brighton; Emily Matters, Head of Classics, Pymble Ladies’ College, Sydney; Oliva Sanchez, a Latin teacher at St. Paul's Way Trust School in Tower Hamlets, who emphasised the importance of local primary and secondary schools working together, the proximity making it easier to train other teachers whose free time is short and valuable; and Zanna Wing-Davey, the Executive Director for the Latin Programme Via Facilis.
The general tenor of the conference was how to promote the use of Latin in schools, be they primary or secondary. Introducing Latin into primary schools which were ‘feeders’ to local secondary schools is crucial, and the enthusiasm of teachers and teaching assistants to learn Latin was as great (if not greater) than that of the children. The Minimus books are popular, fun, lead nicely into CLC and it is easy to train primary school staff at this level. Training secondary school staff up to GCSE level was considered to be problematic, but MFL teachers, unsurprisingly, were the best option, where there was a lack of ‘specialist’ Classics teachers. There was the perennial soul-searching of how do we ‘justify’ learning Latin, in particular in persuading head teachers whose support is so crucial if Latin is to be given a chance to be introduced, or to continue. Here, the primary argument was that Latin helped to improve literacy rates, which appeals to head teachers’ responsibility for meeting targets.
There was still the tendency, at least initially, for head teachers to let only their so-called Gifted and Talented students do Latin when it has first been introduced, because results are so crucial: if the introduction of Latin has a detrimental effect on their league table position then there is the worry that it has fallen at the first fence and will be ditched at the first opportunity. This plays into the stereotype that Latin is only for the brightest students and is ‘elitist’ (in the sense of ‘only for the few’). As was mentioned in the plenary session the best way to engage a wider range and much greater number of pupils would be to focus not on Latin, but on Classical Civilisation (in translation) which has a broader appeal – as it includes literature, history, philosophy, art and architecture. The problem is that Classical Civilisation, for some inexplicable reason, is not included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), even though Latin and even Ancient History is are. This means that schools will not put as much emphasis on doing Classical Civilisation as they would if it were included as part of the EBacc. In practice, this means that it will be very difficult to persuade head teachers to set aside room for Classical Civilisation in the school timetable. Yet independent schools do set aside such time for both Latin and Classical Civilisation. Given the success of such schools, should we not be imitating them? Are we not depriving children of the opportunity of doing Classics with our very English (inherited) notions of Classics being elitist (in the apparently derogatory sense of the word)? Should we not be more like the French and embrace elitism in the sense of striving to be the best? Some of these issued were raised in Nicola Neto's lecture entitled, “I want what they're having”, which focused on students from her state school wanting the opportunity to learn Latin and Classics just like their independent school counterparts.
The celebrated author Tom Holland gave the final lecture, focusing on the imperial court of the Julio-Claudians, with the emphasis on sex and gossip, which is always rich material for comedy. He made some interesting parallels with a certain North Korean dictator and some of the unfounded rumours which surround(ed) him. The day ended with ‘wine and nibbles’ (that well known 1930s music hall act) in the Museum of Classical Archaeology, surrounded by casts of the famous statues which we are all familiar with from the textbooks, but rarely get the chance to see close-up.
Thanks should go to St. John's College for providing lunch, Classics for All for sponsoring the after dinner drinks and food, and the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies and their Greek counterpart for funding the attendance bursaries, of which I was one of the recipients. Thanks also (in alphabetical order) to Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Steve Hunt, Mai Musie, Lorna Robinson and Emma Searle for organising this event.
I was a Cantab happy to be back in G.19; happy to see those heavily (and geekily) graffiti-ed desks still littered with lustings after ‘Classexy’ lecturers and happy still to be reading the University wifi network as ‘euro-dam’. I'd come to this Conference as a Classics teacher in training, a teacher in a school where Classics certainly matters, but keen to see how best we can work alongside schools eager to get Latin onto their curricula and, more importantly, to see how some are doing it so successfully.
Tim's discussion of ‘Classics for the masses’ unfolded inexorably; first posing questions like ‘How are we democratising Classics in the modern world?’ and ‘Is Classics inherently elitist?’ then expanding to look at the ways Classics could be seen as being bound up in exactly those modes of exclusion and whether our elitist institutions are keeping Classics locked away in an ‘ivory tower’. Tackling how to democratise Classics seemed to be the biggest ‘issue’ to solve and one that seemed to raise its head many times during the day. Do we simply expand access to schools? Or increase public visibility? Or reform our institutions? Or transform the nature of Classics itself? These were just some of the options Tim explored whilst drawing on ancient texts to compare and contrast the ways in which the Ancient World brought Classics ‘to the masses’ by means of teaching and the theatre.
He drew his talk to an end with a series of Venn diagrams demonstrating how both social elitism and intellectual elitism map into each other: Classics today sits solely in a conflicted sphere and it needs to meet both these demands. It must be both intellectually demanding but then democratised for all – as Nicola Neto said later in the day, we cannot provide a ‘watered down version’ for some. Changing the syllabuses or the content of subject was not Tim's answer. Instead his message was that we should preserve the intellectual challenge of the subject whilst at the same time try to make the process of learning Classics positive in an elitist sense. We shouldn't and can't remove linguistic barriers. Tim effectively set up the premise that was to subsequently run throughout the day; we need to think seriously about Classics as something people can realistically attain in their communities.
Just as Tim has spoken of how important it was to get Classics to the masses by embedding the nature of the subject locally, we were treated to stories of those who had first-hand experience of bringing Classics to their ‘communities’. Emily Matters flew across the world to speak of the revival of Classics within the Australian curriculum and how her school, Pymble Ladies’ College, hosts everything from Drama Festivals to Classics Camps (with Aeneid readings in the Bush) and Greek Symposiums to Reading competitions to promote the study. Classics down under is certainly on the up since the 1980s but still with under 75 schools offering it as an option, Emily seemed to suggest there was still a way to go. Rowlie Darby of Patcham High School spoke of his Latin Club of 70 Year 9s and Nicola Neto of Sidney Stringer Academy outlined, with the help of videos, the journey her pupils had made to develop the logical skills to decipher both Latin and Greek to GCSE level. Nicola was keen to stress that ‘learning Latin is very different from other languages nor, critically, is it perceived in the same way’. The idea that MFL will increase employability, is peripatetic and open in contrast to the academic, closed-off and fixed ‘dead’ Classics is certainly a perception that she has challenged in Sidney. The liberating sense of enjoyment the study of Classics has given her pupils is undisputed and the desire to engage with a distant culture to better understand their own is something she believes more children should have the opportunity to enjoy. Zanna Wing-Davey of The Latin programme then finished Session 2 by running through some ‘fresh’ methods to use in the classroom at KS2. I know I speak for many who left with the Nouns rap in my head.
As I walked down sun-soaked King's Parade later that evening, thrilled to have put so many of the Classics’ Twitterati's profiles to faces and glad to have made contact with so many other Classics teachers, I felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for all those people ‘bringing Classics to the masses’. This conference had allowed me the chance to be a part of that movement. The fact my parking cost more than the Conference didn't even bother me.
I must confess that I was a little nervous about the ARLT summer school – I had not attended a summer school since my own school days, and as the 27th July approached, I had just started to unwind for the summer, aided by a week's holiday in Spain…
However, I had a super week, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! This year's course was held at the Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls – a stunning setting, and one which allowed us to explore the Roman presence in Wales on our Wednesday outing to Caerleon and Caerwent. The director, Laura Beech, had organised an interesting and varied lecture programme, making use of local experts from the Universities of Swansea and Bristol (who spoke on topics as diverse as the archaeology of Roman Wales, technology in the Ancient World, the transformations of Pentheus in Ovid's Metamorphoses and similes in Iliad 22), and of those from further afield, such as Matthew Leigh (Oxford), who engaged us with his discussion of the pantheon of heroes in Aeneid VI, and Jonathan Powell (RHUL), who gently guided us outside the comfort zone (in terms of Latinity) of most classicists into the realms of medieval Latin and Magna Carta. Finally, Monmothians Jonathan Griffiths and Camille Geisz gave us a fascinating insight into their respective research projects, Stoic/Epicurean ideas about the end of the world, and the fifth century CE poet Nonnus.
One of the strengths of the summer school was undoubtedly the option groups; I mainly used them as an opportunity to mugup on next year's set texts, and benefited immensely from discussions of linguistic problems in, and / or the historical contexts of, Tacitus Annals IV (Jonathan Powell), Sophocles’ Antigone (Pat Bunting) and Iliad 1 (Laura Beech). I also had great fun in Sarah Parnaby's ‘Drama in the classroom’ group, and picked up some good ideas for next year's teaching. There was a vast range of option groups on offer, to suit Classics teachers working on all subjects, in all sectors and with all age groups, ranging from ‘Roman coins’ through ‘ICT in the classroom’ and ‘Writing Latin for the nervous’ to Jonathan Powell's hugely popular prose composition class – my only regret is that I couldn't do more of them.
We worked hard, but played hard too, and along with the quiz, the highlight of the week for me was the entertainment evening, during which I acted in a couple of short plays and read a short section of Antigone in English; others sang (alone or as part of the choir), played the piano, and recited Latin, Greek and English poetry, to the delight of the audience. I was just about to head off to bed when it became clear that the evening had only just begun, and we sat down to sing various well-known songs, such as Eidelweiss, YMCA, Waterloo (aptly renamed ‘Actium’), all of course in Latin.
Figure 4. ARLT Summer School 2015.
Figure 5. ARLT Summer School language workshop.
The whole atmosphere of the course was one of warmth and generosity, and I feel lucky to have been able to chat to so many Classics teachers from across the country, all of whom were willing to share their experiences and resources. We were very well looked after by the director (Laura Beech), the summer school secretary (Helen Lowe), the ARLT committee members and all of the staff at HMSG, and I would like to thank them for putting so much effort into making the week happen. I'm very much looking forward to next year.
The next ARLT Refresher / INSET day is at University College London, 5th March 2016
We are pleased to announce the details of our next Refresher Day. This time we will be meeting at University College London (Gower Street; nearest Tube stations: Euston, Euston Square, Warren Street; room tbc), and, as always, the day will be full of opportunities to share good practice, learn from fellow teachers and stay in touch with the latest research. Every year we welcome practitioners from all backgrounds, including experienced teachers, student teachers and non-specialists: all those with an interest in teaching Classics will find something to make it a fantastic experience. More specific details will be available nearer the date. In the meanwhile, please find below a taster of what is to come:
Key Lectures: Dr Stephen Colvin, University College London, on ‘Ancient Greek (and Latin): grammar, diglossia, and the koiné’ and Dr Rosa Andújar, University College London, on ‘Living the Drama: learning from the UCL Classical Play.’
3 Option Sessions on a wide range of teaching topics, including Latin and Ancient Greek set texts, Classical Civilisation topics, teaching methodology, subject marketing, among others. The Hellenic Bookservice will be in attendance.
Cost (£30) includes refreshments and lunch.
For more information visit the ARLT website www.arlt.co.uk or contact the course director, Ana Martin, at a.martin@nwc.gdst.net
The next ARLT Summer School is at Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire, 25th – 28th July, 2016
The price per person for residents includes tuition, full board and a single or twin room with a washbasin.
Total cost: £250; non-residential discount rate: £150; PGCE teacher trainee: £125; first time attendee: £200; with bursary: £150 (separate application required); Daily rate: £75.
Option Groups include:
GCSE, AS and A2 set texts for Latin and Greek; A level Classical Civilisation topics; Latin language; KS3 Latin; Latin pronunciation; Examinations and assessment; Classics Book Club; Palaeography; Drama.
Specific tuition can be arranged for teachers who would like help with basic translation of set texts or wish to brush up their language. Please ask for more information.
SPEAKERS
Nick Cooper, Leicester University; Dr Kathryn Tempest, Roehampton University; Professor Judith Mossman, University of Nottingham; Professor Patrick Finglass, University of Nottingham; Dr Helen Lovatt, University of Nottingham; Dr Esther Eidinow, University of Nottingham.
Further information from the Director:
Alison Henshaw, Nottingham Girls’ High School, 9, Arboretum Street, Nottingham. NE1 4JB alison@henshaws.me, arltsummerschool@yahoo.co.uk, www.arlt.co.uk
The GCSE Study Day on Classical Civilisation and Ancient History gave a more in-depth understanding of the subject's course as well as going beyond GCSE level, inspiring me to continue Classics throughout further education and encouraging the growth of my passion for it.
Each of the workshops specialised in a particular aspect of Ancient Civilisation, from Athenian Drama to Exploring the Epic; but every activity gave opportunity for extensive discussion, questions and debate. I found the workshops on my GCSE topics particularly advantageous: having an enthusiastic, skilled teacher along with students from different schools allowed us to interpret previously seen texts with a new and interesting perspective. Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing topics that I had previously not touched on. The class of Ancient Women in Politics and Literature was fascinating. I found it exciting to investigate how females could be portrayed with such extremity at the time. This allowed my personal interest in Classics to exceed rather than just catering for the GCSE syllabus.
In addition to the workshops, the event provided a really enthusiastic air about Classics in its entirety. The professors spoke about the rich culture of Ancient Greeks and Romans, showing how Classics is about combining a variety of subjects including Literature, Philosophy, History, Linguistics, Art and Archaeology. I was taught to think outside the box, be creative and reflect on the Ancients’ time being so significant that it still affects our modern day society in a number of ways.
Another component of the day that I thought was very stimulating was being in a building with such an atmosphere that knowledge was almost seeping through the walls. I felt truly inspired by everyone to reach the level of learning consisting of a more fruitful and advanced education. Even simply being in a department of Cambridge University, getting a taste of what it would be like to study there was largely motivating.
To conclude, the day was undoubtedly successful in my opinion; an inspiration.
On 17th September, the charity Classics for All held a fund-raising gala dinner at the Reform Club in London. Teacher recipients of Classics for All grants mingled with the guests and heard a series of speeches from teachers about the work that Classics for All had supported already and wanted to support in the future. Jane Maguire, recipient of Classics for All support for her work in bringing Latin in primary and secondary schools in Norfolk, spoke as follows:
“Ladies and Gentlemen: “Latin has contributed significantly to enriching our curriculum”
“The progress of the Latin children against pre-set targets in reading and writing has been outstanding”
“Latin has exceeded our expectations and been a breath of fresh air for our children”
“So what does it take to get Headteachers of small rural primary schools, who have never contemplated teaching Latin, to make these statements? An enthusiastic approach with clear information, then the tenacity to be very pro-active and persistent. Heads need to be convinced that any new initiative is a) of benefit to the children and b) do able in terms of practical arrangements and their budgets.
“They will normally start off by expressing polite, mild curiosity. It isn't hard to convince them of the general intrinsic value of offering children a grounding in the Classics. Their interest increases when presented with the advantages Latin can bring to their pupils’ progress in English, MFL, History and across the curriculum. Most attractive of all for them is the support to be found in Latin for English grammar, spelling and word derivations. Their eyes will light up further when assured that training and funding for resources is available. Without this, we would get no further.
“Free, high-quality training is essential. There are very few teachers around in our state primary schools now who have had any experience of Latin themselves. We have shown that any teacher and many TAs can be successfully trained to deliver primary Latin. Particularly in a small school this can be extremely welcome. As from last year, all primary schools need to teach a language. How is the Head of a small school, unless he/she is lucky, find a specialist teacher for French etc? It can only be good news that Latin in the primary school does not require a Classicist; class teachers, if trained, can deliver Latin, as can many TAs.
“For teachers with no background in Classics isn't it a daunting idea to teach Latin?
“This has been a fantastic opportunity, both on a personal level and for the children.”
“I have learnt alongside the children – a good confidence builder. The children know I am not an expert, so we are all on a level playing field and this gives them confidence”
“It has given me a real insight into how Latin benefits children with their Literacy”
“From teachers and, interestingly, Teaching Assistants who have been trained to teach primary Latin. They have all reported how successful it is for the schools and what welcome personal and professional development for themselves. Many of them started teaching to small groups of pupils (often the more able); as their confidence grew and they saw the benefits, they then extended to whole-class, mixed-ability teaching.
“As far as the children are concerned, the most commonly used word to describe their Latin learning has been “fun”. They really enjoy following the adventures of Minimus the little mouse who lived in Roman Britain. Most also possess a real awareness of how it is helping them.
“Latin has helped me with my grammar, spelling and understanding longer, more complicated words”
“Latin has helped me so much with my confidence and with lots of other subjects.”
“Latin is a good language to learn and it helps your learning skills””It stretches my mind to a different level of learning.”
Figure 6. Jane Maguire in conversation with Boris Johnson.
“Whereas recruitment for a voluntary GCSE course at one High School started slowly, this year has seen a significant increase in student numbers. It cannot be coincidence that the year group eligible for the course is precisely the one which had two years of Minimus in their primary schools.
“As a non-Classicist (unless you are kind enough to count O Level Latin 50 years ago), it convinced me that all children can benefit from Latin. Two illustrations of how Latin can benefit children of all abilities:
“One bright child reported how he had been able to assist his granny with her crossword when she hadn't understood the word “pulchritudinous”. He knew about Flavia's dress being “pulchra”. A big word for a 10 year old and frustrating that the remark was made minutes after an Ofsted inspector had passed through the room.
“At the same school there was a boy of fairly limited academic ability and often with very challenging behaviour. One day he was called out of his Latin lesson for extra support in English and Maths. His reaction was a huge tantrum and the demand to know how they could possibly help him more than Latin was doing.
“Thank you to all who have contributed to the Norfolk Adventure. It could not have happened without you. In the last 4 years I have worked with 19 schools and 25 teachers; around 500-600 children have benefited from learning some Latin.
“With continued funding we could approach more schools across the country and establish more regional hubs and local co-ordinators to deliver training, monitoring and ongoing support.
“Classics for All is aptly named. This is our carpe diem moment to make it happen.”
Boris Johnson, former Classicist, Mayor of London and a fervent supporter of Classics for All, who had attended the dinner throughout, said afterwards:
“It was inspiring to hear from Jane about the benefits that primary school headteachers in Norfolk are reporting back to her from the study of Latin. Her achievements as a regional Classics Champion prove yet again that all children can benefit from Latin, and it would be a tragedy if we were unable to build upon her success. We need to train more teachers to meet the growing demand and to carry these benefits into the secondary sector.”
Figure 7. Boris Johnson at the Classics For All dinner.
‘I am a Classical Studies student at the University of Manchester and I have attended Latin Camp this year in order to give myself a grounding in the Latin language. Attending Latin Camp has been a real privilege and joy for many reasons. The wide variety of activities and the beautiful city of Wells were added extras to an amazing introduction to Latin. The classes were handled in a way that made the intensity of the course a lot easier to digest and the daily grammar clinics were really helpful, for any questions could be answered straight away.’ (Lauren Cox, Age 19)
The 35th Latin summer school once again took place at Wells Cathedral School, Somerset. This year 125 students attended the two-week course, making us the fourth biggest ever. Our traditional spread of ages continued, with the youngest being 15 and the oldest being 52. This year was slightly less international than previous years, with only 10% coming from overseas, but the blend was still exotic with students from Dubai, Munich and Glasgow. This year 31% of our school-age students were from the state sector, a little down on last year. We also continue to appeal to and provide for mature students studying at undergraduate and postgraduate level. We particularly pride ourselves on providing a course which caters both for those with specific academic goals and also those with a more general interest.
‘I could do 60 lines of Latin verse in an hour and make it into readable English, when before I came I was struggling to complete 30 lines in the same time.’ (Costandia Demetriou, Age 17)
Staff and teaching
The success of the Latin Summer School is reliant on the quality of its tutors and we were pleased that so many experienced tutors decided to join us again this summer: Charlie Paterson, David Moyes, Luke Bastin, Rhiannon Litterick, Laura Snook, and Olivia Upchurch. Adding to the mix were a few loyal returners: Will Ford, Sara McNee and Elly Nicoll, who came back after a break. We continue to shamelessly exploit the ‘PGCE’ group for the latest hot new talent in Classics teaching and welcomed both Katie Lathan and Clemmie Faulkner to the team. This year's assistant role was split between Ed Evans, who looked after us in the first week and ‘old-hand’ Emily Strang, who kept us all in order for the second. This will be Emily's last time as assistant and we wish her in all the best in her new Classics teaching career – I am amazed that we didn't put her off the idea of Latin teaching for life!
‘I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend the Summer school. Thanks to the intensive sessions I managed to read long passages of two literary works. Since the texts were of different nature, I now have more experience with various genres and styles, which will be very useful for my further reading of Roman literature. It was helpful to have the possibility to deal with the text first by myself and then discuss the difficulties in class and with the tutor. Apart from that, I appreciated that the sessions weren't only about translating and that we also discussed the background of the stories.’ (Sara Flemrova, Age 20)
Once again we had 13 teaching groups. A significant proportion of students were studying Latin at GCSE or A Level (with the two biggest groups being made up of those about to start Year 11 and Year 13). We once again catered for those who needed to learn Latin as a condition of their Oxbridge offers. By the end of the two weeks, both beginners groups sat a GCSE language paper and achieved an average of 87% marked by actual GCSE mark schemes. Just under 60% would have achieved an A*.
The selection of texts read by those in the pre-GCSE groups and above was once again stimulating and in some cases quite unusual. Charlie Paterson's group may have been scarred for life after reading a combination of Suetonius’ Nero and Seneca's Thyestes and David Moyes’ group seemed to enjoy the jaded humour of Juvenal's Satires. For the younger groups, there was an opportunity to get their first taste of real Latin literature and we hope that it will give them some extra confidence as they embark on their final year of GCSE. Two years ago we introduced a group aimed specifically at those who were going into Classics teaching and we offered the same provision this year. The aim of this group is not only to provide a chance to look at the set texts specified by the exam boards but also to look at how best to prepare questions and mark in the style of public exams.
The grammar clinics were once again divided into ‘regular’ and ‘advanced’ and we continue to consider if and how we can improve them. It is not always possible to respond to all suggestions for improvement but we do try to use them to make positive changes. Next year, for example, we are hoping to introduce a clinic which offers an introduction to literary criticism.
‘Another great aspect of attending was meeting many people from different countries, which taught me a lot regarding different approaches to teaching Latin. These findings a value tremendously as I myself aspire to teach Latin in the future and I can appreciate different approaches to certain didactic problems that arise from teaching Latin language to native Czech speakers.’ (Adam Kejhar, Age 20)
Events
We were very lucky to welcome back so many familiar faces for the series of evening lectures. In keeping with tradition, Anthony Bowen gave the first talk and taught us how to pronounce Latin properly. Wednesday night is now ‘Quiz Night’ on the summer school and gave the students another opportunity to meet people outside of their teaching groups. The ‘Name that Tune’ round, where the titles or lyrics of popular songs are literally translated into Latin, continues to be the most enjoyable (from both a tutor and student point of view). With ‘loquere cum amicis tuis, cum amicis meis, cum me, sed nos numquam-quam-quam amicitiam reficiemus, -quam.’ receiving the biggest laugh.
Dr. Genevieve Lively got us to consider the rather wonderful possibility that Pygmalion's statue might be one of the earliest examples of a ‘cyborg’. It was obvious that many pupils relished the chance to combine their love of Latin literature and science fiction. Professor Matthew Leigh talked to us about Roman comedy, which is always a popular topic. On Sunday evening, Dr John Smith once again provided us with a fascinating insight into the life of a Roman Legionary in south west England. This talk always provides an opportunity to develop further our understanding of the Roman army in Britain and John often has some interesting new insights to share as a result of the experimental archaeology projects he is involved in.
In the second week, Dr Claire Holleran from Exeter University gave a very thought-provoking talk on the history of archaeology at Pompeii and the problems faced by the academics who wish to study and preserve it in the 21st Century. The following night, Stephen Bird prepared us for our trip to Bath with a talk on Aquae Sulis and as always his support enriched the students’ experience of the trip itself. The museum at Bath continues to update its exhibitions regularly and the majority of students took this opportunity to enjoy an afternoon exploring the city before enjoying the baths themselves. On the final lecture night, Dr Costas Panayotakis very kindly made the journey from ‘the other summer school’ to entertain and educate us on ‘Petronius and the Roman Novel’. The talk appealed to students of all ages and experience and we very much hope to welcome him back next year.
The Hellenic Bookservice once again brought their extensive collection of books, posters, DVDs, ‘Grumio ancillam delectat’ pencils and ‘loquor Latinam’ badges; and the students made the most of this subject-specific retail therapy. We were very grateful to Mark Grant who once again delivered his Roman cookery lesson; as always it was a very popular session. The Latin Summer School would not be the Latin Summer School without the staff play at the end of the two weeks. It is fair to say that this was perhaps not our slickest performance of the ‘Miles Gloriosus’ but the tutors enjoyed it immensely and the students kindly offered up the odd titter in response to our efforts at comedy.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
This year we awarded £1500 in a total of 5 bursaries. It is always very important to us that we make the summer school and the learning of Latin as accessible as possible. The comments quoted throughout this report are all from those who received bursaries and the financial support is clearly appreciated by those who received it. Admittedly, this sum is lower than last year, but this is because there were fewer requests for bursaries and everyone who asked for financial help received it.
The sponsorship we are so generously given by those listed below not only allows us to provide places to those who would not be able to come otherwise but it also helps us keep fees down overall. The Director David Stephenson and I would like to thank those sponsors whose generosity helps makes this possible:
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The Classical Association
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The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
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The Jowett Copyright Trustees
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The Craven Committee, University of Oxford
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Trinity College, Cambridge
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Faculty of Classics at the University of Cambridge
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Friends of Classics
Further developments and changes
As a summer school we are always looking for ways to improve the educational experience we provide. 2015 saw several innovations: a change in the structure of the day in response to majority feedback received the previous year; electronic reports and, most importantly, Latin Camp hoodies (to match our existing merchandise: the ‘awesome’ t-shirts and ‘very handy’ mugs). The sight of 125 people dressed in every conceivable shade of the rainbow, with JACT Latin Summer School blazoned across their backs, was quite a sight to behold. The rearrangement of the day meant the gap between lunch and the last teaching session was reduced to make a longer length of time between dinner and the lecture. We hope that this provided students the opportunity to prepare their texts before the talks, thus allowing for earlier bedtimes and a little extra socialising time.
Next year's course
The website www.latincamp.co.uk continues to be the first point of contact for those who wish to apply using the online application process. If you need further information after looking on the website or have specific questions to ask, then please do email me on aboyt@norwich-school.org.uk
Dates for the 36th JACT Latin Summer School are Monday 25th July - Saturday 6th August. Course fees will be published on the website and circulated shortly.
The Faculty of Classics at Cambridge is well known for putting the Ancient World on screen. With Mary Beard, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, and others on the staff, Cambridge's Classics academics are some of the most familiar faces on TV documentaries.
This new competition invites you to take part in this mission of communicating the Ancient World through film (YouTube, not BBC1 just yet!). We are looking for creative and interesting films which explore a classical object or topic in less than 4 minutes. There will be a prize fund of £500 for the best entries and the winning videos will be put on our unique website – The Greeks, The Romans & Us (www.greeksromansus.classics.cam.ac.uk) – which features a range of videos of Cambridge's well-known and up-and-coming Classicists.
How to take part
You are invited to form a team of up to four members aged between 14 and 19.
You then need to select an object or a topic to focus on, and consider how best to present it. Remember that film is a visual thing, so it has to look interesting as well as sound interesting. Even 4 minutes seems like hours if your video doesn't have some visual interest and variety in it!
It's entirely up to you what subject you choose for your film, so long as it's something drawn from the ancient world: it could be a historical question like “why was Julius Caesar assassinated?”, or it could focus on a piece of literature like a poem by Catullus or a Greek Tragedy, or it could be about a particular object, an ancient coin, or vase, or statue.
How you present it is also up to you: you could go for a traditional mini-documentary style, or for something more artistic – the choice is yours.
Every member of the team does not need to appear in front of the camera; you may wish to spread the tasks of writing, recording and presenting your ideas. The film may also include other individuals, as long as they consent to taking part.
Prizes
The judges will be looking for films that show real thought about the subject you are presenting and that use the video format effectively to make your film interesting and rewarding to watch. The overall prize fund is £500 which will be shared out by the judges amongst the winners, and the top videos will be put on The Greeks, The Romans & Us website for all to enjoy.
To enter the competition
After you've created your film you need to do the following:
When you have finished, upload it to YouTube (www.youtube.com). This is an easy way of sharing films, ensures that all films are of a similar size and quality, and enables you to retain control and copyright of your film. It may be helpful to look at the guidance available for uploading films to YouTube http://support.google.com/youtube/. This includes information for converting file formats and uploading from mobile devices.
You may wish to mention that your film is an entry for the competition. However, you must include the following disclaimer: The views and opinions in this film are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of any member of the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.
Please fill in the application form and email it to schools.liaison@classics.cam.ac.uk. The deadline for entries is 15 March 2016. Download the application forms at www.greeksromansus.classics.cam.ac.uk.
Your team members do not need to attend the same school or sixth form college, but we do ask for a written statement from one teacher to authorise that the entry is the work of the team.
Copyright
Anything that you quote in the piece should be acknowledged in a written or spoken form. Please remember that permission should be sought to use any image, music or film that is in copyright and if granted, credit must be given at the end of the film. You can find guidance about what copyright is, what it applies to, who owns it and how long it lasts at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy.htm.
Good Luck and we look forward to watching your film! For inspiration visit: www.greeksromansus.classics.cam.ac.uk – Queries to schools.liaison@classics.cam.ac.uk”
St John's College Classics and Ancient History Essay Competition, University of Oxford
We're delighted to announce that entry for this year's St John's College Classics and Ancient History Essay Competition is now open. Essay Titles and Guidelines for 2015-16 and the Cover Sheet to be submitted with the essay can be downloaded from https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/3086/Classics—Ancient-History-Essay-Competition.html.
The competition is open to all students currently studying in Year 12 anywhere in the UK, whether or not they have studied the ancient world before. Topics include ancient history, archaeology, ancient literature, and philosophy.
The essay titles are chosen to take account of the research expertise at St. John's College, and to encourage the widest possible approach to investigation of the ancient world. Prizes of up to £125 in book tokens will be awarded for the best essays and all entrants will receive a certificate of entry.
The deadline for all entries will be 4 pm on Thursday 25th February 2016.
Due to the large number of entries, we will not be able to offer feedback on individual essays; instead tutors produce a report which reflects on the previous year's competition.
All entrants will also be invited to attend a Study Afternoon at St John's College, Oxford on Thursday 21st April 2016. If you have any questions please contact schools.liaison@sjc.ox.ac.uk.
OCR Examiantions
Reform update: Latin and Classical Greek
We have made minor changes to our proposed GCSEs in Latin and Classical Greek and the updated specifications and assessment materials can now be found on our website. We are hopeful that the feedback will be positive and we will soon be announcing our accreditation. We are just putting the finishing touches to our Classical Greek and Latin AS and A level specifications and assessment materials. These will be resubmitted to Ofqual in early November, and we will keep you updated on their progress also.
Teacher support: resources, CPD and more
We are committed to supporting teachers as they deliver our qualifications, and with that in mind have been working hard to produce resources based upon what teachers tell us they actually need. We already have some of our (completely free!) resources online, but are really excited about future releases, including guides for every set text at all levels, and will contain background handouts, teacher notes, suggested activities and student resources, and also a guide to effectively using IT to teach ancient languages.
If you have any ideas for resources, or would be interested in working with us on them, then please do contact us on classics@ocr.org.uk./
Our publishing partner Bloomsbury are putting the finishing touches to the books they are producing especially to support our specifications. These will be supplemented by online resources. Commentaries will be available for all the AS and A Level set texts, as well as new language teaching textbooks. http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/education/secondary/classics/
Finally, don't forget that we have free CPD supporting the reformed specifications, and also sessions for the current ones. Please find details here www.cpdhub.ocr.org.uk.
Reform update: Ancient History and Classical Civilisation
The draft subject criteria for Ancient History and Classical Civilisation are out for public consultation, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-gcse-and-a-level-content-for-teaching-from-september-2017
These subject criteria documents give examination boards the ‘rules’ in which we must comply when it comes to creating the specification and specimen assessment materials. We would urge you to respond to this consultation with your views.
We are beginning to speak to teachers about ideas for the new specifications, and we are keen to get as much feedback as possible. Alex and Caroline will soon be going “on the road” to visit centres and groups of teachers to discuss what their feelings are about the new specifications. If you would be interested in being involved, or think your centre might be able to host a meeting of local teachers, then do contact us on classics@ocr.org.uk.
The new GCSE
WJEC is very pleased to announce that its new Latin GCSE has now been accredited by Ofqual – the first reformed qualification in any subject for first teaching in September 2016 to be so accredited.
Details of the specification and the sample assessment materials can be found on the Eduqas section of the WJEC website (Eduqas is the WJEC branding for its reformed qualifications available to schools in England). Final work on the support for the literature prescriptions and the sources for Roman Civilisation is now being undertaken and will be available to download within the next few months.
We hope that teachers and students will find some items of interest within our specification and be able to identify some differences from the OCR equivalent which are worthy of their evaluation.
Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates
The number of candidates has continued to rise in a way encouraging for the subject. Some of the language units saw rises of 20% between 2014 and 2015.
Because of the availability of the GCSE the literature certificates will no longer be available after summer 2017.
However the Level 1 Certificates in Latin Language and Latin Language and Roman Civilisation (where 80% of the entry is pre-Year 11) will continue beyond 2017. Whether the equivalent Level 2 certificates (70% are Year 11) will continue is currently being discussed within WJEC. Please sign up for our newsletter via the website to get news of the final decision and, in the meantime, email me (alan.clague@wjec.co.uk) if you have any strong feelings on this decision.
Given the changes to take place after 2017, it has been decided that all the current prescriptions for literature and Roman Civilisation will remain unchanged from 2016 to 2017.
Open access
