On Friday 21 November, we hosted our first ever GCSE Latin Ancient World Olympiad at Tiffin, a landmark moment for the department and a project I had been dreaming of long before I joined the school. Inspired by the success of Olympiads in other subjects, I wanted to create something similarly challenging and joyful for Classics, and the response from other schools exceeded every expectation. With enthusiastic backing from Mr Dean and the whole school team, including our steadfast Sixth Form Classicists, the idea finally became possible.
The Main Hall was completely packed, with teams from City of London School, Hampton School, King’s Wimbledon, Lady Eleanor Holles, Maidstone Grammar, Portsmouth Grammar, South Hampstead High School, St Olave’s, St Paul’s Girls’ School, St Paul’s School, Streatham and Clapham High School, Walthamstow School for Girls, Whitgift School and Wilson’s School. We are especially grateful to those who travelled from Kent and Hampshire to join us. A special mention goes to Daisy Knox at King’s Ely who, although unable to make the impossible round trip, ran a parallel East Anglia event with six schools and eleven teams: King’s Ely, Parkside Academy, Witchford Village College, Bedford Modern, the Cambridge Greek Academy and Stephen Perse Senior.
Altogether, around 200 students took part across both hubs, a remarkable show of enthusiasm for Latin and the ancient world. Teams of four tackled everything from crosswords and rebus puzzles to derivatives, mythological biographies and the most devious grammar corrections we could throw at them. Schools gave us exceptionally positive feedback, many already promising to sign up again next year. One visiting teacher put it best, saying it was powerful for students to see that they were not alone in their interest, but part of a much wider and more vibrant Classics community.
Congratulations to our inaugural champions, St Paul’s, with King’s Wimbledon in second place and Portsmouth Grammar in third; we hope a podium spot made the journey worthwhile! We have also inaugurated a new trophy, the Alice Kober Shield, which will be awarded annually to the winning team. We look forward to watching the Olympiad grow into a regular celebration of Classics as part of a wider network across London and beyond.
Ms Boland
Head of Classics