Latin is back in the Uk even in primary schools, why?
Those who think Latin is unfit for the present world should read this article carefully and take it into consideration:
From the British newspaper Daily Mail
Latin in classroom comeback as 60 primary schools make ancient language compulsory
By Laura Clark
Comeback: Latin is enjoying a revival in state primary and secondary schools
Latin is enjoying a revival in state primary and secondary schools, it emerged today.
More than 500 comprehensives across the UK now teach the ancient language – a sharp increase in less than a decade.
Meanwhile growing numbers of primaries are introducing Latin ahead of a 2011 deadline for foreign language studies to be compulsory.
More than 60 have just signed up to a project which involves teaching Latin in the hope of boosting pupils’ general language skills.
The growth of Latin will hearten supporters of a subject whose survival has rested mainly on its popularity in independent schools
Now a survey has found that more than 500 state comprehensives and 121 state grammars – around one in six of all secondaries – are offering Latin, either as part of the curriculum or during after-school classes.
In 2000, only around 100 comprehensives were estimated to be offering it.
In that year, the Cambridge Schools Latin Project was launched, a computer-based Latin course backed by the university.
The team behind the project say its success proves schools were held back by a lack of access to Latin, rather than a lack of interest in it.
It is also being promoted in primary schools as a way of helping children learn languages, particularly the five Romance languages, which are French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian.
Under the initiative, primaries introduce children to up to six different languages between the ages of seven and 11, choosing them from different language families.
Children might typically learn German, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Urdu and Latin.
The project aims to persuade ministers to require that children are introduced to a broad range of languages in primary school.
Current proposals suggest that children should learn just one or two.
Peter Downes, who is running the project, said Latin was ‘an excellent vehicle for teaching about language structure as well as having obvious cross-curricular links to history and civilisation’.
It helps pupils grasp word order, verb patterns, gender of words and language evolution.
Mr Downes, a former president of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘We are teaching children not just a smattering of languages but an understanding of how language works.
‘Latin is very useful for teaching this.’
Schools signing up are directed towards the Minimus books, written by Barbara Bell, which introduce children to Latin as well as giving them an idea of Roman life.
Meanwhile, figures derived from a survey of schools by the Cambridge Schools Latin Project show that across the UK, 1076 secondary schools are offering Latin.
Of these, 622 are state schools.
The vast majority – 80 to 85 per cent – are using the Cambridge teaching materials.
Martin Dawes, a researcher, said: ‘There’s always been a demand to do it, and now the demand is being met by allowing non-specialists to teach it.’
Mary Beard, professor of classics at Cambridge University, said Latin enabled children to see how language works.
‘Latin opens up culture to the kids. Even for those who just learn a little and don’t go on to read Virgil, I think it offers pleasure and linguistic skills,’ she said.
CVLTVS LATINVS 