Years 7 to 9

In key stage 3, the students are taken on a romp through some of the highlights of Classical life. The choice of topics is enormous and varies from year to year, but some of the things they may study are:

• Year 7: the gods, the Trojan War, the Punic Wars, the Delphic Oracle, Roman culture and customs.
• Year 8: mythology, heroes and legends, theatre, entertainment, democracy, tragedy, comedy.
• Year 9: The Roman army, expansion and the Celts.

GCSE

The GCSE Classical Civilisation is a fascinating immersion into ancient culture. Comprised of two units, it focuses firstly on Myth and Religion. Under the umbrella of this topic, students will study the role and importance of the gods, how gods were worshipped and why, their temples, propaganda, festivals and rituals. They will also be encouraged to ponder and question, to consider the reliability of evidence and to think about beliefs different from their own. The second topic is Roman City Life where we study how the Romans lived – their houses, education, politics, entertainment – and then read their literature (in English) to find out what they thought. The abusive satires of Juvenal are particularly insightful, if offensive! At the end of their study, students should have a good idea of some of the key aspects of Greek and Roman life and beliefs, as well as a keen ability to analyse evidence, weigh up ideas and articulate their thoughts persuasively.