Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
(Latin and Classical Civilisation)
The Classics Department at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School comprises a highly motivated
team of 1 Head of Department and 2 other members of staff, one of whom teaches Classical
Civilisation to GCSE and AS Level as well as Geography throughout the school, the other
(part-time) teaches Latin up to GCSE Level.
Accommodation
The school operates on a split site – Years 11-16 are based at the Chatburn Road site, while
the Sixth Form is based on the York Street site. At both sites the Classics Department has a
dedicated teaching room, equipped with interactive whiteboards. The Department is wellresourced and equipped.
Classics at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Latin
Currently all students commence their classical education in Year 8 by taking Latin (1 hour
per week). At the end of Year 8 students can opt to continue with Latin or Spanish into Year
9 (2 hours per week). Normally around 75 students opt to do so. At the end of Year 9
students choose their GCSE options and both Latin and Classical Civilisation are offered to
GCSE Level.
At GCSE Level there are currently two sets in Year 10 & one set in Year 11 taking Latin
(OCR syllabus). The Head of Classics has occasionally offered GCSE Greek as an extracurricular subject.
Classical Civilisation
Classical Civilisation is a popular AS Level option and there are currently 20 students in Year
12 taking the subject and 9 in Year 13 taking A2 Level.
Latin up to GCSE Level is taught through the Cambridge Latin Course. In Years 8 & 9 much
use is made of the CLC e-learning material for Books 1 & 2. In Years 10 & 11 the CLC
interactive resources form an important teaching resource. All GCSE Latin students are
entered for the higher tier and results are very good. Students are currently entered for the
compulsory papers 1 & 2 and paper 3 (prose literature) and paper 5 (sources for Latin).
The AQA GCSE Classical Civilisation syllabus is followed and students currently study the
following units: Unit 1 – Homer, The Odyssey, Unit 2 – Greek Tragedy and Drama Festivals,
Unit 3 – The Ancient Olympic Games and the Panathenaia, Unit 4 (an evaluative study) –
the Archaeology of Roman Britain.
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The Sixth Form at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is one of the largest school-based sixth
forms in the country and comprises over 600 students, many joining us from other schools
with little or no previous experience of classical subjects. At AS and A2 Level the AQA
Classical Civilisation syllabus is followed. At AS the following two modules are studied: Unit
1 – Women in Athens and Rome and Unit 2 – Homer, The Odyssey. At A2 the modules
studied are: Unit 3 – Greek Tragedy and Unit 4 – Roman Epic. Results at both AS and A2
are very good and each year a number of students proceed to study classical subjects at
university level. The Department has a good tradition of sending students to Oxbridge,
especially for the Mods course II and Classical Archaeology and Ancient History courses.
At present there are insufficient numbers of GCSE Latin students to make A Level Latin a
viable proposition. However, in recent years numbers opting for GCSE Latin have been
increasing and this may be an area for development.
The Classics Department endeavours to promote rigour and academic excellence, whilst at
the same time fostering confidence and enjoyment of classical subjects.
Members of the Classics Department communicate regularly on an informal basis to share
ideas and discuss progress through the schemes of work and specifications. Resources are
developed and shared on an on-going basis. Regular visits are made to Hadrian’s Wall,
Ribchester, classical conferences and the theatre.
Our students are enthusiastic and intelligent, and will usually rise to any challenge presented
to them. They ask questions and are often confident, demanding learners, keen to obtain
the highest standards of teaching. They are extremely rewarding to teach and to spend time
with.
Each member of the department has the use of their own laptop computer. The Classics
team work closely together, communicating daily in planning, organisation and teaching.
The school provides and fully supports professional development opportunities for staff.
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