Latin
Head of Department: Mr S.J. Chambers
The teaching of Latin is in the core curriculum for the first three years. It is an option for GCSE, AS and A2. The lessons take place in the department’s six rooms in the Cloisters.
There are several ways in which Latin features in the extra-curricular programme: there is an academic surgery at least twice each week; Oxbridge preparation classes are held weekly from March to December; occasional visiting speakers come to Oundle whose talks are open not only to those who are studying Latin at Oundle and neighbouring schools, but also anyone with an interest in the ancient world; there are visits to museums and productions of Classical drama. Recently the Classics department has jointly organised a study visit to Syria and Lebanon with the RS department and further trips are planned to Egypt, Rome and Istanbul. The school has an extensive collection of original Roman coins which are kept in the Archive and Muniments Room in the New Cripps Library. They are available for use in lessons and after-school activities.
The department is staffed by:
Mr N.J. Aubury MA
Mr D.A. Burrow BA
Mr S.J. Chambers MA
Ms. Z.K. Fleming BA MA
Mr K.R. Hannis MA
Mrs M.P.R. James MA
Mr T.J. Morrison BA
Mrs D.L. Watt MA
Miss C.L. Westran BA
In addition the department regularly accepts a Trainee Teacher from the
Faculty of Education at Cambridge University in the Easter and Trinity Quarters.
Course Content
1st to 3rd Form
All pupils in Forms 1 to 3 take Latin. They are taught the basic skills of reading and comprehension through a variety of text books. There is also an opportunity to put the language into its cultural context by studying aspects of Roman civilisation. There are transfers of skills from the language work into the pupils' study of English and Modern Foreign Languages, from the civilisation work into Religious Studies, Geography and History.
GCSE
We currently teach the OCR specification which provides a variety of approaches to the language with both prose and verse set texts and unprepared translation and comprehension. The pupils learn prescribed vocabulary and study the set texts in detail; a rare opportunity for literary criticism at GCSE level. Recent authors studied include Virgil (Aeneid Book II), Pliny, Apuleius, Cicero, Catullus, Horace and Ovid.
AS
We teach the OCR specification in the Sixth Form. For details of course content, and pattern of assessment, follow this link.
This allows the pupils to improve the skills developed for GCSE: unprepared translation, with a prescribed vocabulary list slightly larger than for GCSE, and literary criticism. The standard of the unseen translation at AS (one of three one hour papers taken in June of the Lower Sixth) is closer to that of GCSE than A Level. The authors studied for the two remaining papers vary from year to year: recently Oundle pupils have read some Catullus, Virgil or Horace. The examinations on the literature include passages for comment and criticism, translation into idiomatic English and an essay on one of the major themes illustrated in the text.
A2
The emphasis in the Upper Sixth shifts slightly towards language development from literary studies, with two one hour papers devoted to a combination of unseen translation of prose and verse passages, comprehension of a prose passage and composition in Latin. The latter two are alternatives on the same paper. Another text is studied in detail with examination questions on its content and context: in recent years Oundle pupils have studied Virgil, Cicero or Tacitus.