Classics in Fettes College Preparatory School is extremely strong alongside the strong tradition of the Senior College. The philosophy of education in the Prep school places Latin right at the centre of the curriculum for Years 7 and 8. Pupils are taught grammar at a high level and the formal elements of the language are introduced right from the beginning. We believe very much in strengthening the pupils’ English via Latin and many lessons are spent on connections and derivations. French and Latin work closely together to make sure that the pupils have a positive experience from their exposure to another language and sometimes the pupils dabble into Greek and they find their experience with another alphabet very rewarding indeed.

The school views Latin as an avenue to problem-solving and logic, in a way with Latin the pupils feel they can take apart and rebuild language again. We are very aware that Latin must maintain a fresh image at all times and the pupils find themselves in all sorts of trips and activities and in no way are they taught the subject in forma and dry manner.

Latin and Greek
All students start their Latin in year 7 and those that take it further to scholarship remain on a course which is very high on Latin morphology and syntax. They reach an excellent standard by their second year of Latin and they then are introduced to Greek.  The quality of the scholars is superb and many of our Prep students in the past are now reading Classics at Oxford or Cambridge.

The majority of the pupils remain on an equally challenging course - the Cambridge Latin Course – which is rich on derivations and Roman culture. The course is completely interactive with DVDs and online activities.

There are reading competitions in the Second Form and we try to take the pupils to Hadrian’s Wall and particularly Vindolanda where they observe the excavations in progress. The school has a an excellent link with Vindolanda and the pupils many times get to get their hands dirty in the trenches.

T Form
In T Form all pupils find themselves taking part in a Roman feast where they learn their first Latin verbs (amo = I love and neco = I kill!). It is a day when they actually have a proper taste of ancient Rome and they always find it enjoyable as they in turn rehearse being slaves to their proud Roman masters.
They also visit the Roman collection at the Chambers street National Museum and do a Treasure hunt at Cramond Roman Fort.

Rome
In the same year the pupils all go to Rome for a three day tour as an introduction to Latin in the 1st Form (year 7). We cover a few of the most important sites like the Colosseum but the emphasis is on the important heritage of Rome’s past to our culture today. We thus cover the Vatican, some medieval sites and stress the continuity that any city has between its past and present.