Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Steven Hunt, and Alex Imrie | 3rd December 2024| Policy Papers
The main policy issue concerns the role of ancient languages in curriculum policy.
Latin is now the 4th most commonly taught language in primary schools in England.
This positive trend has been facilitated by the 2013 National Curriculum for Languages at Key Stage 2 which gave ancient languages parity with modern languages, allowing teachers and school leaders in primary schools to teach Latin or classical Greek instead of, or in addition to, a modern language.
This policy support was extended when bursaries for Classics initial teacher training were increased to £25,000, and the Department for Education announced a £4m investment in the Latin Excellence Programme (LEP).
Since 2022 the LEP has bridged the gap between Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 3 (KS3), widening access to the study of Latin for students in 40+ state-maintained non-selective schools across England.
Challenges remain, however, regarding unequal geographical access to Classics (cold spots are the East Midlands and North East), declining numbers sitting Greek GCSE and A Level (almost exclusively in the independent sector) and teacher recruitment and retention.
Access to ancient languages in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is limited, with policy intervention urgently needed.
Policy Landscape
A Department for Education (DfE) report, published in November 2022, identified the benefits of learning Latin and Greek in English primary schools and highlighted the need for a national strategic approach to teacher training and data collection if ancient language teaching is to expand in schools.
This report (Holmes-Henderson and Kelly, 2022) commissioned by the DfE and undertaken by Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Katrina Kelly, analyses existing research behind the claims that learning Latin improves literacy, builds analytical skills and, via etymology, gives children a foundation for understanding new vocabulary. It explores the inclusion of ancient languages on the 2014 national Languages curriculum for 7-11 year olds (currently, pupils at KS2 in England must learn a foreign language – which can be either modern or ancient). The authors indicate that there is evidence to suggest that teaching ancient languages at KS2 offers primary school children many benefits, particularly those students with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), those who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) and those who qualify for the Pupil Premium. There is a lack of comparative research in this area; it is unclear whether ancient language learning offers any additional or unique benefits in contrast to modern language learning.
As well as inclusion on the KS2 curriculum, ancient languages are included on the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and, in 2021, the DfE announced a major £4m investment in a new Latin Excellence Programme (LEP), which began in state schools outside London and the South-East of England in September 2022. The success of the similarly modelled Mandarin Excellence Programme suggests that this new initiative may have far-reaching positive effects. The project applies specifically to state schools since classical language teaching is less available in the state-maintained sector than in the independent sector. Given that the inclusion of Latin and Greek in the KS2 Languages policy applies only to state schools, it is in these settings that funding and resources are needed to facilitate progress.
Furthermore, as the Review reveals, policymakers, educators and charities have contributed to an increase in the provision of Latin and Greek teaching, including via online platforms (such as Oak National Academy, where Latin was included as a mainstream curriculum subject). New projects which incorporate classical knowledge, such as Vocabulous, are offering KS2 students engaging ways of accessing linguistic skills built by, in this case, linking Latin and English word roots.
Teacher Training
The supply of qualified ancient languages teachers has long been insufficient, with around 70 teachers trained each year for around 170 or more vacancies across the UK. Until 2015, when the cap on Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) teacher training courses was relaxed, only King’s College London and the University of Cambridge trained teachers (c 18 each). They have since been joined by the Universities of Sussex, Durham and Coventry, providing a total of around 12 more. Under the School Direct scheme, ten schools have regularly offered teacher training in Classics, but this has been cancelled from 2024. Liverpool College, a successful School Direct provider in the North West, is intending to offer the PGCE through Liverpool Hope University. Harris Academies and the Future Academies Trust, both multi-academy trusts, have their own Initial Teacher Training courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status and the PGCE. Harris has been quite successful in developing Latin in several of its London schools but is not intending to expand at present. Future Academies Trust takes around 6 trainees per year and runs in-house training for teachers in those schools which run the LEP. Neither Teach First nor the new National Institute of Teaching offers a specific training programme for ancient languages; it may be that small numbers of teacher trainees for ancient languages are undertaking training through Modern Languages, History or English. It is difficult to see where further placements might be offered as finding schools and mentors in the state-maintained sector is a challenge even for the long-established PGCE courses.
There have been a number of other initiatives to develop more opportunities for teacher training. In 2014 a course was run at the University of Sheffield Department for Education for modern languages teacher trainees to learn how to introduce Latin into their schools. In 2010 the University of Oxford and the Cambridge School Classics Project received a grant from the DfE to develop courses for teachers already qualified in other subject areas to learn how to be Latin teachers. The charity Classics for All has been instrumental in training ‘non-specialist’ staff in several hundred primary and secondary state-maintained schools over the last ten years.
A healthy discipline relies not just on a good supply of teachers, but also on ones who engage with research-informed practice. The Classical Association funds the Journal of Classics Teaching, an open-access online journal which showcases up-to-date research on the teaching of ancient languages in schools around the UK and internationally.
Ancient languages in Scottish education
Despite these structural issues and weaknesses, the fact remains that England arguably represents the healthiest landscape for ancient language teaching across the UK. In Scotland, there is simply no access to Ancient Greek, for example, as the solitary national awarding agency, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA, to be restructured as Qualifications Scotland from Autumn 2025) ceased to support the subject decades ago. Latin, while still formally recognised by SQA, exists in a precarious state. Latin is taught in a handful of local authorities as L3 in Scotland’s 1+2 languages policy, meaning that pupils learn English/Gaelic plus two additional languages by the age of 11. In this policy framework, Latin is eligible only as the third language option.
In the secondary sector, Latin is theoretically an option for learners across the country since the SQA offers examinations in the subject at National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. The reality, however, is that this is a diminishing market.None of Scotland’s nine current ITE providers offer Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) options either in Latin or Classical Studies. Until recently, Ancient History graduates were even prevented from applying to PGDE courses in History, as the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) did not weigh ancient history courses equally with other periods of history for the purposes of training.
Organisations such as the Classical Association of Scotland and Classics for All have been able to mitigate this unfavourable landscape to some extent, but Latin remains understandably difficult to expand. It requires a more specific, linguistic skillset, and is not so easily adopted later by teachers in other subjects across the humanities. Furthermore, curricular differences between Scotland and England (paired with the necessity for teachers in Scotland to be accredited with the GTCS to teach senior-level secondary awards) have severely limited the scope for teachers trained with a PGCE in classical subjects, or an international equivalent, from transferring their knowledge to a Scottish context with any ease. The net result is that the majority of candidates in Latin across Scotland (around 80% of the 2022-23 diet) derive from the independent sector.[1] This is a doubly concerning trend for the future health of Latin in Scotland, when it is noted that a number of independent schools do not even use the SQA syllabus, but instead opt for the GCSE and A-Level system. While these centres are fortunate to enjoy flexibility of this kind, state schools will not be able to take similar action if numbers in Scotland reach terminal decline owing to the combination of factors outlined above.
There is hope for the future in Scotland, nevertheless. Education Scotland, the national body which oversees the quality and improvement of learning nationally, continues to host resources for Latin teachers (Education Scotland 2017) and has restated its commitment to supporting the subject and its teachers through a period of national curriculum review, following a 2023 report by the Independent Review Group, led by Professor Louise Hayward. This represents a valuable opportunity to consolidate the position of Latin in Scotland’s curriculum for the future, by developing it in lockstep with a much wider process.
Northern Ireland and Wales: the status quo
Ancient languages do not form part of the Northern Irish Curriculum. A handful of primary schools teach about the Romans as part of the ‘World Around Us’ Humanities unit and a small number of secondary schools teach Latin (usually in the grammar sector). Without any statutory curricular support and no pathways to teacher training, expansion of Classics across Northern Ireland looks unfeasible at present. For more information and recommendations see Taylor et al. (2023).
Curriculum for Wales offers rich possibilities for ancient languages in schools. The prioritisation of etymology within the Languages, Literacy and Communication area of learning presents exciting opportunities for the re-introduction of Latin and Greek in Wales. Holmes-Henderson is working with the Welsh Government to explore a national strategic approach to teacher subject knowledge enhancement, focusing on Greek and Latin word roots.
Policy Recommendations
Our research shows that access to qualifications in classical languages is patchy, inconsistent and reliant on the fact that Latin was the fourth most taught language in primary schools in England in 2023 was certainly the result of policy support and financial support (from Classics charities) to train teachers and buy resources.
Recommendation: Extend the Latin Excellence Programme into the primary sector, thereby joining up ancient languages at KS2 and KS3 with government funding. This investment would supercharge access to Latin (and perhaps also Greek) in schools across England.
To boost the availability of ancient Greek outside the independent sector, a group of teachers and academics (with funding from the Classical Association and Classics for All) launched the Intermediate Certificate of Classical Greek, a half-GCSE qualification. This has proved to be very popular (487 candidates in 2023) and gives hope for improving the uptake of GCSE/A Level in the future.
Recommendation: Include this qualification in the activities promoted by the National Consortium for Languages Education, including CPD for teachers, thereby extending its reach across England.
Subject Advisory Teams (comprised of academics and school teachers), coordinated by the Classical Association, should ensure that teachers’ views on qualification reform are communicated clearly to examination boards and curriculum policy colleagues at the DfE.
Recommendation: The Classical Association, as national subject association for Classics, should work in partnership with examination boards OCR and Eduqas, and the Classics teaching community, to review the national qualifications (GCSE/A Level) in ancient languages.
The situation in Scotland is harder to predict. As in England, Latin numbers remain consistently steady but, as noted, this is predominantly owing to schools in the independent sector offering the subject. While Education Scotland continues to support Latin, we are hopeful that it will persist, but the reality is that no major advances will be made until Latin returns as an option for teacher training. In the absence of this, attention may need to be focused for now on building a groundswell of experience at the junior secondary level, encouraging Classical Studies teachers and those of other languages to branch into Latin within the so-called Broad General Education (for students aged 12-14) up to National 3 or National 4 level, where non-specialists may lead classes without formal GTCS accreditation.
Recommendation: Reinstate a Scotland-based route to full registration as a Classics teacher i.e. a PGDE.
Connect Classics Education research, teacher professional development and teaching material production to optimise classroom practice. There is a need for a coordinated approach, with clear links, from KS2 - KS3- KS4- KS5.
Recommendation: The Classical Association, the Council of University Classics Departments and the Association for the Reform of Latin Teaching should co-design and co-deliver professional development and teaching materials with teacher training professionals.
It has been our experience that knowledge exchange, teamwork and advocacy across borders have helped the Classics education community to stay alert to policy possibilities while seizing all practical opportunities to champion ancient languages in schools.
Endnotes
[1] SQA data for attainment in Latin across National 3 to Advanced Higher in 2022-23 session. Of the 596 total presentations recorded in Latin, 471 of these were registered to independent schools.
References
Department for Education. 2013. Languages Programme of Study: Key Stage 2. National Curriculum in England. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7b9246e5274a7318b8f889/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Languages.pdf [accessed 18 June 2024].
Department for Education. 2021. Thousands More Students to Learn Ancient and Modern Languages. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-students-to-learn-ancient-and-modern-languages. [accessed 18th June 2024].
Education Scotland. 2017. Active Learning Strategies in Classical Languages. https://education.gov.scot/resources/active-learning-strategies-in-classical-languages/ [accessed 8 June 2024].
Holmes-Henderson, Arlene and Katrina Kelly. 2022. Ancient Languages in Primary Schools in England: A Literature Review. (London: Department for Education). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1120024/Ancient_languages_in_primary_schools_in_England_-_A_Literature_Review.pdf [accessed 1 June 2024].
Hunt, Steven. 2023. ‘Initial Teacher Education for Classics: England, 2023. The Current Position.’ CUCD Bulletin, 53, 1–15. https://cucd.blogs.sas.ac.uk/files/2023/10/Steven-Hunt-Latin-Education-final-2.10.23.pdf [accessed 18 June 2024].
Taylor, Amber, Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Sharon Jones. 2023. ‘Classics Education in Northern Irish Primary Schools: Curriculum Policy and Classroom Practice.’ Journal of Classics Teaching, 24(47), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1017/S205863102200054X.
Cite this article
Holmes-Henderson, Arlene, Steven Hunt and Alex Imrie. 2024. ‘Ancient Languages in UK Schools: Current Realities and Future Possibilities.’ Languages, Society and Policy. https://www.lspjournal.com/post/ancient-languages-in-uk-schools-current-realities-and-future-possibilities.
About the authors
Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Professor of Classics Education and Public Policy at Durham University where she is Director of the Centre for Classics Education Research and EngagementS (CERES). She is Chair of the Latin Expert Panel at the Department for Education and Vice Chair of the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN). [@profarlenehh @durham_classics @policyupen]
Steven Hunt is Associate Teaching Professor in Classics Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. His latest book Teaching Classics Worldwide is published by Bloomsbury Academic on 6th February 2025. [@stevenhuntclass @CamEdFac @CamClassics]
Dr Alex Imrie is Tutor in Classics at the University of Edinburgh, and also the Scottish Network Co-ordinator for Classics for All. His main research interests are the history of the Severan era (AD 193-235), the author Cassius Dio, and Classics teaching in Scotland. [@AlexImrie23 @HCAatEdinburgh]
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