Latin at Yardley Court

Latin is taught at Yardley Court from Year 5 onwards in a four-year program leading to Common Entrance or Public School Scholarship.
The aims of the department include teaching comprehension of the Latin language for reading purposes, developing from the outset an understanding of the content, style and values of Roman civilisation and trying to foster an appreciation of the permanent value of Latin as an academic discipline in the 21st century. We also seek to kindle the imagination of pupils through contact with the classical world, and provide an enjoyable stimulus for further study of languages.

In addition to these general aims there are specific skills which we hope our pupils will acquire. These are, in no order of priority :

• to produce a written translation of a Latin passage in good lucid English
• to recognise the connections between Latin words  and a large part of normal English vocabulary
• to increase pupils’ awareness of the society, values and culture of the Roman world
• to make comparative judgments between the ancient Roman world and that of our own modern civilisation
• to develop memory, aptitude for reasoning, and to encourage coherent logical thought and intellectual rigour
• to reach competence in the Common Entrance examination at Level 2 or 3
• to tackle the demands of senior school scholarship papers with flair and confidence