The Bewdley School Awarded 'Secondary School of the Month', January 2024
An Interview with a Young Classicist
Many of the students studying Classics at Shrewsbury Colleges Group go on to study the ancient world at University. Read below for an interview from one such student, who recently graduated from the University of Birmingham...
Why did you choose to study classical civilisation at Sixth form?
Classics was not offered by my secondary school's sixth form, leading me to look at other places such asShrewsbury which had a very good classical civilisation course available and was highly-ranked among educational institutions
What was it like to study classical civilisation? What was your favourite thing about it?
The lessons were always fun and engaging, whilst thoroughly covering the syllabus. My favourite module was Imperial Image, where we learnt about Roman Emperor Augustus and his use of material culture such as architecture and coinage to promote his image and social-political messages, which fascinated me.
Why did you choose to study the Ancient world at University?
I enjoyed learning about ancient history so much that it was logical to continue my positive experience and expand my knowledge.
What was it like to study Ancient worlds at University? What do you think you gained from your studies?
The ability to explore multiple ancient civilisations in greater depth and detail was something that I found made me a true historian, in the knowledge and skills I developed throughout the process. I felt great satisfaction from understanding the reasons behind different events and situations, where the process of delving into a topic and piecing together information felt like being on a scavenger hunt solving a mystery to uncover past truths.
What was the 'leap' between A level and University like? How did your A levels prepare you?
Studying at a degree level was more intense, especially during assessment periods. I found the leap between A-level and University was the amount of independent learning and level of academic writing expected, fortunately studying classical civilisation at Shrewsbury gave me a good foundation to develop these skills and succeed in higher education.
What are some things you really love studying about the Ancient World?
I am still fascinated to this day by material culture such as stela and architecture, and how examining them reveals important information about social relationships and interactions of past peoples.
What was the best thing about studying in Shrewsbury Colleges Group and the University of Birmingham?
Both Shrewsbury Collages Groups and the University of Birmingham are highly ranked for classical civilisation and well taught. I found both institutions warm, friendly and safe, where I felt that the teachers and staff cared about me and were invested in my learning and personal development. Studying with them both was the best decision I could have made to get me where I am today.
What do you think your future plans might be? How has studying the Ancient World prepared you for the workplace?
Future plans are a little uncertain, but I hope to enter the Museums and Heritage sector. I have developed multiple skills over the past few years that are transferable and useful to working life, such as my ability to work independently to solve complex problems.
A New Latin Course - Via Prima
The Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham is launching a new short course introducing Latin to beginners in October.
You do not need to have studied a language before, or have an academic background, as the short course is intended for complete beginners.The course will cover how Latin was written and pronounced, how its sentences communicate their meaning through ‘inflection’, and some basic terms for talking about grammar and syntax.
On successful completion of Via Prima students will have a confident understanding of the basics of Latin language and a solid grounding to take their study further.
Starting on Monday 16 October, the course includes six weeks of Latin content, using materials specially developed for this course. Students will also have regular contact with a Birmingham academic and ancient languages expert through timetabled discussions with the module tutor.
To find out more or to apply, click here
Ovid in the West Midlands Prize giving 2022
We were very proud to welcome pupils, parents, siblings, and teachers alike to our prizing giving ceremony at the Exchange Building. Our prize winners had the chance to listen to two Greek myths from Daniel Morden, a Welsh storyteller and author, who has collaborated with Hugh Lupton on retellings of Classical tales. Dr Elena Theodorakopoulos gave a talk on Ovid and his poetry, and prizes were handed out by Lindsey Davis, a historical novelist from Birmingham, who has written more than 30 books set in the ancient world.
To see each of the shortlisted and prize winning entries, make sure to check out the Ovid Entries Photo Album!
Classical Association 2023 Teaching Awards
Sian Squire, Outstanding State Sector Initiative Award:
For many years, Sian has been the sole teacher of A Level Classical Civilisation at Shrewsbury Colleges Group – the only state FE college in the area which provides students with the opportunity to study the classical world. The course has grown so much that there are now over 100 A Level students taking Classical Civilisation.
She has worked tirelessly to maximise the reach of the subject to all her learners and provides a wealth of opportunities throughout the school. She has developed links with a local independent school so her students could participate in a production of Oedipus Rex and access Latin lessons, has encouraged her students to enter the Fitzwilliam College Cambridge Essay writing competition and the Lytham St Annes Classical Association competition, and supported them in attending a variety of summer schools, including Newcastle Bite Size and the JACT Latin and Ancient History summer schools.
Due to her efforts, her students set their sights high and last year 25% of the cohort went on to higher education courses that were related to the classical world. Not only is Sian incredibly generous with her time for her students, but she also helps other Classics teachers, having previously presented at the CA conference.
You can see what Sian has been up via the Shrewsbury Classics Twitter @Classics_Shrews
Birmingham and Midlands Classical Association New Year's Talk
For its 2023 New Year's Lecture the Birmingham and Midlands branch of the Classical Association was delighted to welcome Dr Andrew Bayliss, Head of the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham.
His talk, 'The Problem with the Spartans' was not only useful to pupils studying Ancient History at A level, but incredibly interesting for anyone interested in learning more about these famous warriors!
A level Imperial Image and Minecraft!
Sian Squire from Shrewsbury Colleges Group writes:
As part of the Imperial Image module for A level, we are required to study several Augustan buildings. One of these is the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated by Augustus in 2BC to give thanks for the victory over Caesars assassins , Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Phillipi in 42BC. Students were given free reign over how they chose to build a model – some used lego, some made a model from photocopying boxes and sellotape. Dan chose to make his in Minecraft!
My name is Dan, and I built the Temple of Mars Ultor in Minecraft, in order to revise and give myself a fun challenge simultaneously.
Bored on half term and struggling to revise, especially the buildings in the Imperial Image section of our syllabus, I decided to play Minecraft, with the idea of building some of the buildings from Rome so I could learn more about their construction, grandeur, and most importantly their symbolism. Getting on to a server with my friend, we started this undertaking. Not realizing how long it would take us, for the whole week of half term we worked away, hiring people to collect materials we needed, buying them off of other players and finally, researching and building the Temple.
It was a massive undertaking, and doing so was an excellent method of revision, and taught me new ways I can pick up things quickly in my studies. I explored every crevasse of the Temple, through online tours of the ruins, blueprints, reconstructions and historical sources from Rome.
Even though I had a massive amount of fun doing this, it also taught me a lot about buildings; I learnt the very strict way the Greeks & Romans constructed their temples, the symbolism and function of the temple, and I learnt a lot about other buildings in the meantime.
Most importantly, however, it has taught me that an excellent way to study is to give myself a creative goal and perfect it. In my case, it was to build a perfect (as I can get!) replica of the Temple over a period of time, however another possibility I considered was making a video, a 3D Model, or an arts and crafts project. Studying in order to achieve a creative goal has proven extremely effective at helping me learn and retain information, and I plan to do it in the future by either modelling a 3D Model of Aeneas’ chestplate in the Aeneid, or using Unreal Engine 5 to create a beautiful render of the Forum Romanum.
Barr View Primary School
A lovely visit to Barr View Primary School. I got to watch a very enthusiastic Maximus Latin lesson, saw some incredible inventions, and learnt that you can buy stamps that say Bene Factum!
Pool Hayes Primary School Visit
A visit to Pool Hayes Primary School led to learning about Mary Evans's 'Who Let the Gods Out?' for the first time. The pupils were shocked to discover we had never heard of it before, and were eager to tell us all about it! It was fantastic to see the students so enthusiastic about the ancient world, and to learn about how Classics is being incorporated throughout the curriculum.
Teddies in Togas, Shrewsbury Colleges Group
Hear from Sian Squire, the sole Classics teacher at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, about combining the ancient world and charity work!
We have over 100 students at Shrewsbury Colleges Group studying A level Classical Civilisation and we like to have some fun alongside the set syllabus! This year, some of my students suggested we raised some money for Children in Need so I agreed to be sponsored to wear a toga all day and the students made Teddies in Togas! It got quite competitive this year and so we had a prize for the best dressed. We were able to send £200 to charity and have some fun doing it!
The winner was Paige Swain , who studies Classical Civilisation, and her partner Oscar who currently doesn’t but was delighted to join in! Paige is hoping to study the Ancient World at University. She writes:
“Oscar and I decided to dress up two teddies, one as the Greek hero Achilles and the other as the Roman leader Augustus Caesar. We study Augustus in Classical Civilisation as part of the Imperial Image module. Other students chose to recreate other ancient characters such as Zeus and Herakles or make up their own Roman Senators by cutting a hole in the top of a pillow case or wrapping their teddies in a cloth. To make the Augustus bear we simply tied a sheet around him in the style of a toga and made a laurel wreath out of crafting leaves. We chose to add little details such as a tea stained will of Mark Antony and little hand drawn coins (Divi Filius coin) as pins to keep up the toga. For the Achilles bear, I looked up pictures of armour and copied the shapes I saw to make up the main body of the armour and then added little Myrmidon helmets to his shoulders to make it a little more specific to Achilles. The shield and sword were made from silver card, like the rest of the armour, and details were drawn on. The hardest part by far was Achilles helmet, Teddy bears have strange head shapes! Overall, the experience was really fun for all the classics students as well as a great way to get people from outside of the subject involved in a fun classics-based project, it felt like a classical build-a-bear!
Ovid in the West Midlands 2022 Prize giving
On the 9th of May 2022 the Birmingham and West Midlands Classics Network organised a prize-giving event for students who participated in our annual Ovid the West Midlands Competition.
The prize giving was the first event to be held at The Exchange, the former home of the Municipal Bank and now a hub for creativity, collaboration and celebration.
The winning pupils, along with their teachers, families and carers, were invited to watch a brand new play, based on the Greek myth of Pandora by the Birmingham based playwright Matthew Gabrielli, and performed by actress Charis McRoberts.
Shortlisted entries for the competition included artwork, dioramas, needlework, cake, poetry, creative-writing, sculpture, videos, and many more!