MORE than 40 children from across the county took up arms at a Classics summer school in Oxford.

The three-day course at Cheney School saw the seven- to 14-year-olds learn Ancient Greek and Latin, try out Roman food and become a soldier as part of the Roman army.

A national grant of £10,000 has enabled the East Oxford Community Classics Centre to run the schools and offer GCSE and A-Level courses.

Owen Hopkins, eight, from Wantage, said: “I loved charging around with the spear.”

Some of the city’s independent schools’ Classics teachers helped out with the course, which saw a range of stalls with ancient artefacts on display.

Teachers from Oxford High School, Headington School, Magdalen College School and St Helen and St Katharine all shared their expertise.