Acts 2:3-4
‘All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’
Speaking in other tongues and the presence of the Holy Spirit helps the development of new languages and understanding of other cultures. Speaking and learning another language is a gift, just like speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
We want our children to have good spoken language skills and learning Latin provides a good foundation in many other languages that they can go on to study in the future. Like the disciples, our children will be fluent to speak and share the good news/ Gospel to all corners of their world.
Rationale for teaching classics at St Anne’s RC Primary school
We have adapted our curriculum to introduce the study of classics with a main focus on learning to read, write and speak Latin. We understand that this will benefit our children in many ways and provide them with the tools they need to acquire language skills across the curriculum. Below are some of the many reasons why our children will benefit from learning Latin.
- Through learning Latin, children learn that words have roots and meanings.
- Increased and enriched vocabulary.
- Recent research has shown that learning Latin provides excellent support for teaching and understanding grammar.
- Prepares children to learn other languages at KS3 and beyond.
- It enhances children’s study of the Greeks and Romans as part of the KS2 History curriculum.
- 80% of English words and 90% of academic language is derived from Latin.
- Learning Latin scaffolds language development for pupils working below age-related expectations, or pupils with English as an additional language.
- It is fun and our children love it!
