Delighted to have my article on the development of a new Latin course targeted at upper primary pupils in Scotland published in the Scottish Languages Review.

Recent decades have seen a decline in the number of Scottish learners presented for National Qualifications in Latin. This has been exacerbated by the absence of any Initial Teacher Education course in Scotland offering Classical subjects as an option for specialisation. The provision of Latin in primary schools has been more difficult to gauge. Latin is included as a Classical Language under the Curriculum for Excellence framework and as a potential L3 option in the Scottish Government’s Languages 1 + 2 policy.

Earlier attempts to provide Latin resources and to support their delivery have had success, but this has been limited by the need for ongoing support from subject specialists and by teachers’ lack of confidence. In response to this, a new Latin course has been developed which aims to remove some of these barriers. Designed for use with learners in the upper years of primary, it is hoped that this will go some way to position Latin as a more viable option for schools’ fulfilment of the L3 language obligation. This article explains the course design and the pedagogical principles underpinning it and examines the importance of context and cultural backdrop in learning the language. It concludes with an evaluation of the piloting of the materials, including a reflection on how the unit might be further enhanced to create a comprehensive resource and appealing addition to the suite of languages offered as part of the BGE curriculum in Scotland.

You can read the full article here.