Latin is championed at Tower House as a subject which can be studied fruitfully by the great majority of boys across the educational spectrum. The uses of Latin are many: as well as being an end in itself, it illuminates aspects of English, French and History. Being a code, it shares many working methods with Maths and Music. Many of its terms can be found in Science subjects too – and there is, in addition, plenty of Greek and Roman Art to look at and admire.

Latin is not ‘easy’, but it can definitely be ‘fun’ – indeed we believe that its rigour is what gives it value. Boys first meet Latin in Year Five, and Latin proper gets underway in Year Six. By Year Eight, boys who show an aptitude or interest might also take up Greek.  There are numerous modern teaching aids from which we have chosen selectively. Grammatical concepts – such as the stems and endings which form nouns and verbs – are drilled comprehensively. Boys will be encouraged to hone their skills with computer practice exercises. Debates, drama, cartoon-drawing, reciting poems and even dressing up are further encouraged, amid the vocabulary-testing, syntax-building and translating – both into and out of Latin.

By Year Eight, a range of academic abilities will be met, from Level One through to and sometimes even beyond Level Three, which is not far from GCSE standard. But as well as language work, boys will be expected to be familiar with some of the great founding myths of the Roman republic, as well as learning about daily life in the Roman world and conducting their own research into Greek myths from Jason and Heracles to the Trojan War. Whether taking notes on PowerPoint presentations, devising their own ‘Trojan Times’ newspaper or going to see (and then arguing about) the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum, Tower House aims to enthuse its Latin students with an appreciation and love of the classical world – but that doesn’t just mean all things Roman.                       

                      
In Year Eight, we are extremely proud to be able to offer students the chance to study Common Entrance Level One Greek. Where Greek and Latin are studied side by side, the study of one language can complement the other, and we believe that students can register significant improvements both in comprehension and enjoyment.