Gayhurst School

The influence of the Romans, their civilisation, culture and language persists to this day, and a study of the Romans provides an insight into many features of the world around us for comparison and contrast, while studying Latin itself, apart from its intrinsic value, gives a basis for the development of language skills in English, such as increased grammatical awareness, precision in usage, and the structure and spelling of words, as well as being a valuable medium for learning to learn. Such a linguistic study supports, promotes and eases the study of other languages, particularly the Romance ones.

At Gayhurst all pupils begin learning Latin in Year 4 in the company of Minimus, a mouse who lived with a Roman family at Vindolanda at the end of the first century A.D. They quickly establish a firm foundation in the basic elements of the language - simple verbs and nouns, and their inflexion. There is ample opportunity to enjoy the timeless stories from Classical mythology and to find out about various features of everyday Roman life.

In Year Five the process continues with Minimus Secundus while strengthening familiarity with the key language elements. By the end of Year Six pupils will be conversant with the six cases of nouns, adjectives and the present, imperfect and perfect tenses of verbs.

In Year Seven the focus turns towards the requirements of C.E.E. and Scholarship, developing the key skills of comprehension and translation to the appropriate level by the end of Year Eight - while maintaining a broad spread of interesting features from the culture and civilisation of the classical world.