Our entire Year 9 Latin cohort of nearly 80 students travelled to Bath on 28th November for a day that really brought the ancient world to life. The Roman Baths remain one of the most impressive surviving sites in Britain, a place where you can feel the scale and ingenuity of Roman engineering. Standing beside the Great Bath, with the steam rising and the original lead lining still in place, gave students a real sense of why the Romans considered this a sacred space and why it has endured in our imagination for so long.
The pupils explored the museum in detail. They moved from the temple courtyard to the curse tablets, examined the gilt bronze head of Sulis Minerva, studied the hypocaust stacks, and saw the everyday objects that reveal how people lived in Aquae Sulis. From mosaics and jewellery to writing tablets and reconstructed rooms, the collection helped them make concrete connections between what they’ve learned in the classroom and the real textures of Roman life.
They also took part in hands-on workshops. Here they investigated the lives of the people who lived, worked, and worshipped in the complex, from priests and bath attendants to visiting travellers. The highlight was the chance to put their Latin to use by translating real inscriptions, discovering firsthand how names, dedications, and even complaints were carved into stone. It was a brilliant way for them to see Latin as a living language of objects, not just a set of vocabulary lists.
It was a full and engaging day, and the students represented the school superbly. They came away with a deeper understanding of Roman Britain and, just as importantly, a sense of excitement about where studying Latin can take them next.
