Scientia est potentia knowledge is power

PA 91/09 What have the Romans ever done for us? Pupils at an Arnold Primary School have been given a fascinating insight into the answer to that very question as part of an unusual project involving staff and students at The University of Nottingham. For one hour a week, a group of 17 youngsters at Arnold Mill Primary School have had the chance to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and even tastes of Ancient Rome, as part of a weekly Latin club. With help from academics and postgraduate and undergraduate students from the University's Department of Classics, they have been finding out about everything from the politics of the Roman Senate to the spectacle and brutality of the amphitheatre. The youngsters, all aged between seven and 11-years-old, have even been learning the native tongue of Rome and will have their new language skills tested to the limit when they present a 10-minute play entirely in Latin to an invited audience of parents, teachers, school governors and invited dignitaries later this week. PhD student Cressida Ryan, who has been leading the Latin Club sessions, said: "It's not a subject that you would usually see on a primary school curriculum but the reaction we have had to the club from the kids has been quite incredible, they absolutely adore it. "It's amazing what they have achieved so far.