̨��swag Academy Foxhills is celebrating the successful completion of its first year in the Latin Excellence Programme, a national initiative aimed at increasing the uptake and attainment of Latin in state schools across England.

During its first year, ̨��swag Academy Foxhills has had 16 students from Year 7 to Year 10 studying Latin, which will increase to more than 20 in September. The school was one of the first to be selected for the programme, which is funded by the Department for Education and delivered by the Centre for Latin Excellence. The programme has provided the school with a range of resources and support, including funding to increase Latin provision, visits from expert practitioners and a fully resourced, evidence-based Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 curriculum.

Enrichment opportunities are also included in the programme, which meant that students were able to go on a trip to Rome, where they visited iconic sights such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

Students also participated in the Young Aesopi fable competition. There were over 180 entries from 21 schools and the judging panel was incredibly impressed with the high standard. ̨��swag Academy Foxhills student, Orla, received the Highly Commended Drama Prize and her Latin fable features in the Latin Excellence Programme Winning Entries book.

Tracy Motson, Principal at ̨��swag Academy Foxhills, said:

“I am immensely proud of the Latin Excellence Programme. Our students have been amazing and are simply flourishing and loving studying a new subject. This is an example of another fantastic academic opportunity for our students.”

The Latin Excellence Programme is a four-year programme, and ̨��swag Academy Foxhills is committed to continuing to develop its Latin provision over the next few years. The school is confident that the programme will help to ensure that more students have the opportunity to experience the benefits of studying Latin.