Carpe Diem may be the extent of most people's Latin vocabulary.

But this group of 11-year-olds are a cut above the rest after passing a school qualification designed for 16-year-olds.

Every child in the Year 6 class from Putney's Hurlingham School took the OCR entry level exam in Latin in the summer term - and discovered on Thursday, August 25, they had all passed with flying colours.

The qualification is designed for GCSE and A-level students who need to get a grasp of the language but do not have the time to complete the full GCSE qualification.

The children were successful in every part of the assessment, passing the formal written exams that focused on comprehension and vocabulary.

They also completed an assignment which required them to demonstrate their knowledge of Roman culture through writing a letter in the style of Roman author Pliny the Younger, who wrote hundreds of letters about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Jonathan Brough, headteacher at Hurlingham, said: "This subject was included within the school's timetable for children aged between eight and 11 largely because a basic understanding of Latin grammar and spelling was extremely beneficial to the pupils' work in English and modern foreign languages.

"This is a wonderful conclusion to an excellent 2010-2011 academic year at Hurlingham."