“Non scholae sed vitae discimus … we do not learn for school but for life”

Anon

Why have we chosen to teach Latin at St Sebastian’s Primary School?

When reviewing our teaching of Modern Foreign Languages, we considered which language would have the best long term learning implications for our children. When researching Latin, we found that:

Latin studies help improve children's overall school performance because it ...

• Lifts academic outcomes in other subjects
• Assists understanding of mathematical concepts
• Strengthens English literacy knowledge
• Facilitates learning another language
• Provides exposure to ancient history and cosmology
• Prepares pupils for scientific, legal or medical careers
• Equips a child for coding and computer programming

We learnt that Latin threaded through modern-day English as a significant proportion of English vocabulary is derived from Latin.

• ‘Learning classics is a brilliant way to support children’s literacy,’ says Dr Lorna Robinson, founder of the Iris Project. ‘It helps children make connections between Latin and English grammar and vocabulary, and gives them the key to unlock English. It also gives them a deeper cultural knowledge, helping them understand common concepts and phrases like “et cetera” and “Achilles’ heel.”’
• ‘It extends English vocabulary, prepares children to learn modern foreign languages, and has enormous cross-curricular potential, drawing in literacy, history, geography, art, drama and philosophy, as well as helping children with maths and science vocabulary,’ says Jane Maguire, Primary Latin Project committee member and regional advisor for Classics for All.