Classical Civilisation

Course summary

Classics is a popular and highly regarded subject area at King Edward's. A knowledge of Latin and Greek can dramatically improve a pupil's range of vocabulary, the accuracy of spelling and clarity of expression. It can enhance the ability to communicate in one’s own language. Modern society owes a huge cultural debt to the civilisations of Greece and Rome and knowledge of the intellectual achievements of these societies can help us make sense of the world today. We offer two courses at GCSE (Latin and Greek) and three at A Level (Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation). From these, our pupils can access a range of courses on the Classics at university, as several of our pupils do each year. The study of Classics has an intrinsic value in enabling pupils to understand a whole range of issues: political, ethical, religious and social. The combination of dedicated teaching and a vibrant programme of extra-curricular activities has led not only to consistently superb examination results, but also increased numbers of pupils studying Classics. GCSE In Years 10 and 11, pupils embark upon the OCR GCSE course in Latin and, for some, Greek as well. They will work on syntactical constructions and unseen translations in language lessons, whilst they will also read a variety of set texts in their original language and will be questioned about their meaning, factual content and literary qualities. The Latin authors read will include such luminaries as Pliny and Virgil, whilst the Greek authors include Herodotus and Homer. For the most able Classicists, the combined Latin and Greek course aims to secure two GCSEs in one timetable slot and requires the pupils to attend an extra lesson at lunchtime in order to provide sufficient time to teach both specifications. A LEVEL Both Latin and Greek are offered at A Level, with the focus remaining equally divided between literature and language. Language lessons aim to provide more in-depth analysis of vocabulary, word endings and sentence structure and will now include prose composition alongside grammar sentences and unseen translations. Literature lessons involve a more holistic approach, reading texts in more detail, with further awareness of the background society and the author’s own background. Prose authors will be read for both years of the A Level course, whilst we read two verse authors over the two years. The OCR Classical Civilisation syllabus is also offered in the Sixth Form, and pupils do not need to have previous experience of the subject to take it for A Level. The options currently taught allow the pupils to access elements of Literature, Art History, Politics and Philosophy all under the umbrella of one subject. It is a unique challenge which delivers a broad range of expertise over a range of areas.