Latin
Intent
At Canada Hill Primary School, Latin provides pupils with an engaging introduction to the language, stories and culture of the classical world. Through the study of Latin, pupils develop an understanding of how language works, building knowledge of vocabulary, word roots, grammatical structures and the way meaning is communicated through word endings and word order.
Our Latin curriculum combines language learning with rich cultural and historical contexts. Pupils encounter Roman Britain, the Roman army, mythology, literature, art, science, philosophy, democracy and the wider ancient world. This helps children understand that Latin is not simply an ancient language, but one which has influenced modern English and continues to shape the vocabulary, ideas and culture they encounter today.
The curriculum is deliberately ambitious and cumulative. Because pupils learn in mixed Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 classes, the programme is organised so that pupils do not simply repeat the same content. Knowledge and skills are revisited and extended through the Maximus Classics four-year progression and the complementary Minimus A/B cycle.
Implementation
Latin was introduced across KS2 in September 2024 using Maximus Classics. The first two years established a common foundation for all KS2 pupils. From 2026–27, the Year 5/6 sequence moves ahead of Year 3/4 so that older pupils build on prior learning rather than repeating it.
Teaching combines explicit grammar instruction with stories, translation, spoken Latin, vocabulary work and cultural material. Pupils are taught to recognise how grammatical endings and word order communicate meaning and to apply this knowledge when translating words and sentences.
Vocabulary is explicitly taught and revisited. Pupils make regular connections between Latin roots, English derivatives and word formation. Cultural material provides context and encourages links with history, English, science, art, geography and modern life.
Minimus: Starting out in Latin provides the complementary narrative strand of the A/B cycle. Its story of a Roman family living at Vindolanda introduces basic Latin while developing pupils’ understanding of Roman Britain through stories, myths and background information.
Impact
By the end of Year 6, pupils should have developed a secure foundation in Latin vocabulary and grammar and be able to recognise and translate increasingly complex Latin structures. They should understand how word endings, grammatical structures and word order contribute to meaning and be able to explain their reasoning using appropriate grammatical vocabulary.
Pupils should also have developed a broad knowledge of Roman Britain and the classical world, including mythology, history, literature, art, science and ideas. They should recognise connections between Latin and modern English and use knowledge of Latin roots to help them understand unfamiliar English vocabulary.
The impact of the curriculum is seen through pupils’ ability to recall vocabulary, identify grammatical features, translate Latin, participate in spoken activities and explain cultural and historical knowledge. Assessment is embedded through questioning, retrieval, vocabulary recall, pronunciation, translation and pupils’ explanations of how they reached an answer.