Ovid in the West Country
Ovid in the West Country is our annual competition run for KS3 students at local state schools.
The aim of the competition is to get KS3 students excited about storytelling and the ancient world by listening to a handful of stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses available via the Classic Tales website.
During the autumn term, students listen to recordings of these stories with their teachers in the classroom before responding creatively to a myth of their choosing.
You can watch our Ovid in the West Country 2020 prize-giving video below for some examples of the brilliant work students have produced.
We will be running an online teachers' workshops on Tuesday 5th July (16:00-17:30) for those wishing to learn more or take part in this year's competition.
These sessions will include an overview of how the competition works, as well as some helpful guidance from Bob Lister and Joan Foley on approaching these Ovid stories with your students.
Please sign up here to register your interest in the 2022 competition and teachers' workshop, or email Lizzie Gourd at classics-hub@bristol.ac.uk if you have any questions.
NB Ovid in the West Country is part of Ovid for All: a special initiative from Classics for All which is endorsed by the Cambridge School Classics Project, creators of the Classic Tales website.
Key dates for 2022
- Tuesday 5th July: introduction and information session for KS3 teachers (16:00-17:30). Free resources made available online, including audio files, transcripts, & lesson plans.
- Autumn Term 1: teaching of Ovid’s stories in English lessons, clubs, or writing groups.
- W/c Monday 31st October: students submit their competition entries to teachers. First round of competition judged internally at each school during this first week back.
- Wednesday 9th November: deadline for the submission of all shortlisted entries to the Classics Hub. Please email digital entries and photos to classics-hub@bristol.ac.uk.
- Late November/early December: official prize-giving event.
Without doubt, the most exhilarating and thrilling part of this whole project is the response from the students. They love it! They love it because even the most challenged student can achieve. They love it because the brightest students can progress and fly at their own pace – and we encourage those students to do just that.