Classics: Latin and Greek

Classics is a popular and well-respected subject at Bristol Grammar School. Latin and Classical Greek are offered at GCSE and AS/A2, with classical civilisation also available at A Level. The department, consisting of five full-time specialists, is large and successful by national standards, and aims to promote an interest in all aspects of the ancient world – linguistic, literary, cultural, historical, philosophical and artistic.

Frequent visits are organised to local sites (eg Caerleon, Chedworth, Cirencester, Bath) and each year there are tours to Italy and Greece.

Pupils and teachers attend performances of classical drama each term and our students occasionally stage productions such as Sophocles's Oedipus Tyranus.

The School holds a Greek and Latin reading competition annually and has a good record of success in the Bristol schools' competition.

Lectures from visiting speakers are hosted regularly and each year pupils choose to pursue classical courses at university, in particular at Oxford or Cambridge.

The department is fortunate to have its own specialist library (the Caldicott Library) and is one of the major users of ICT within the School, making full use of a range of language-drilling software and CD ROMs.
All this activity enhances pupils' experiences in the classroom and it is unsurprising that our record in public examinations is outstanding. Please see Results.

Latin

All pupils in Years 7 and 8 study Latin, using the Cambridge Latin course, and no prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. Roughly a third of the year chooses to continue the subject to GCSE. On average, 12 pupils carry on to AS and 8 to A2, making BGS one of the largest departments in the country.

Greek

Classical Greek is available as an option in Year 9. Most who choose it carry on to GCSE and a few continue to AS/A2. Although Greek groups tend to be small, they are highly committed and provide a challenge relished by some of the brightest pupils in the School. The presence of Greek on the curriculum is a distinctive feature of BGS compared to most schools in the UK.

For details of the GCSE curriculum please visit www.ocr.org.uk