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A year 10 pupil who is studying Latin in a London school supported by Classics for All told us: ‘Even just today, we’ve been in biology where lots of the vocabulary is easier to remember because we know where it’s come from. It’s not a dead language, it’s alive everywhere!’ What enjoyment this must bring, and a sense of achievement, to pupils who study Latin and other classical subjects.
We could not reach pupils like this without our supporters’ donations to Classics for All. We celebrate our donors in this issue, listing all who donated during 2017 at Centurion level (£100+) or above. Hilary Hodgson provides an overview of recent school programme developments, illuminated with testimony from teachers, co-ordinators and teacher trainers at the forefront of bringing Classics into schools. We can report that Classics is booming in the North! You’ll find stories from Bradford, Leeds and Scotland, along with a rallying cry to consider teaching Classics in retirement.
We are thrilled to announce that comedian and producer Jimmy Mulville is joining our Board of Trustees, and that Dr John Godwin takes up editorship of Ad Familiares, our online monthly journal which is located in the Reading Room on our website. We honour a previous colleague, Lorna Bower (1957-2017), who tirelessly promoted Classics for All in its early years.
2018 began with a glamorously successful fundraising dinner hosted by our Chairman Geoffrey de Jager at the Reform Club, raising over £100k in funds for our work this year. This has helped us to meet the demand from schools in the first half of 2018. We still face a funding gap of nearly £100k to cover anticipated school demand in the second half of the year, so please help spread the word to anyone you think may wish to be involved. To make a donation, click here.
Finally, we look forward to our annual fundraising talk Tuesday 17 April, VIVAM! Ovid IS alive after 2,000 years. This promises a lively and provocative discussion with Classics for All Patron Natalie Haynes and Professor Stephen Heyworth (Wadham College, Oxford), chaired by Dr Peter Jones MBE with passages from Ovid read by actor Julian Wadham. This event is taking place at the splendid Royal Geographical Society in Kensington. Join us if you can! You can see short preview of what Natalie Haynes will be discussing here.
 Jules Mann, Executive Director
Telephone (mobile): 07809 256839
E-mail: jules@classicsforall.org.uk
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Hilary Hodgson
Grants & Programme Director
grants@classicsforall.org.uk
2017 was a bumper year for Classics for All. We supported over 200 new schools to introduce or develop Classics across the country from the south west of England to the east end of Glasgow.
In 2018, we are continuing to strengthen our presence across the UK. In January, we launched a new classics network in partnership with the University of Warwick and Dr Michael Scott. This will focus on promoting Classical Civilisation and Ancient History in schools. Following a period of research and consultation, Birmingham University will also be establishing a Classics network led by Dr Elena Theodorakopoulos. We are grateful to both universities for the time and resources that they are investing to secure a healthy future for Classics in the midlands.
The new Classics Network in Scotland chaired by Professor Tom Harrison and co-ordinated by Alex Imrie has made an immediate impact. In the east end of Glasgow, 10 schools will be piloting a new Classics course for young people in upper primary school and there are plans to roll the programme out in other local authority areas.
We remain keen to address demand in primary schools where there is a growing appetite for Latin and all things classical. In 2017, the number of primary schools starting Latin with CfA support doubled and there is clear momentum.
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Feedback from primary school teachers suggests that Latin enhances pupils’ literacy skills, giving them a secure understanding of grammatical concepts, as well as offering an excellent foundation for studying Modern Foreign Languages.
Blackpool is a good example of one place Latin has taken root with support from Classics for All. Led by Peter Wright, Head of Classics at Blackpool Sixth Form College, there are plans to introduce Latin on the curriculum in 20 primary schools following a successful pilot programme in 2017. CfA has produced a short film documenting the work which is can be viewed on our website.
In the secondary sector, budgetary constraints continue to put pressure on small Classics departments. As one response to this, we are working with schools to offer all pupils aged 11-14 (Key Stage 3) an introduction to Classics across the curriculum through literature, humanities and languages. There is already some evidence that this approach is beginning to generate demand for classical subjects at GCSE.
We launched the A. G. Leventis funded Greek ‘Electra Programme’ in late April 2017. To date we have supported the introduction of Greek in 18 schools both on the curriculum and as an after school enrichment activity.
To view the full list of 43 schools (!!) reached since October, click here.
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Lucy Hall, Classics Teacher
Dixons Trinity is the first school in our Multi Academy Trust (MAT) of nine schools to champion classics on the curriculum. Following support from Classics for All in 2015, we were able to offer a Latin course to 75 pupils at Key Stage 3 and had 5 students opt for Classical Civilisation GCSE. Numbers are increasing, and we have 11 students studying the GCSE course in Year 9 out of a year group of 112. In 2016 we expanded Classics to include Dixons Music Primary School and Year 4 began the Minimus Latin course with Classics for All support…
Visit our website to read more https://classicsforall.org.uk/case-studies/latin-classics-bradford/
We returned to Bradford to hear how the kids were getting along. They’ve been learning lots of Marmalade and Jam words (titles given by their teachers to describe words and phrases derived from Latin) Here’s what they had to say (click on the image to view a video):
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Alex Imrie, Scottish Classics Network Co-ordinator
We have been working hard over the past months to revive Classics ‘north of the wall’, and to re-introduce our subject into Scottish state schools. While only setting out on a long road, we are seeing considerable enthusiasm across the board.
I’ve been running all over the country (arctic weather conditions permitting!) to discuss introducing Latin as a language option for primary schools, and we have commenced formal consultations with a number of local authorities. In Aberdeen, we have even been featured in the local media! Local councillor Martin Greig is optimistic, and has predicted ‘great interest’ among teachers, parents and pupils alike. Progress has been made with Glasgow City Council, where we are in the process of training teachers to deliver a ten week unit in Latin in ten different primary schools, all of them in areas of high social deprivation. This programme will introduce Latin to c.450 pupils simultaneously.
Read more on our website here.
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Before receiving support from Classics for All, classical subjects had never been taught at Allerton Grange School.
They are now the only state school within Leeds to teach Classical Civilisation at GCSE and one of three sixth-forms to offer it at A-level.
Visit our website to hear from the Headteacher, students and the teacher who made it all happen.
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Classics and retirement go very well together!
Robert Tatum explains…
What might a Classics teacher do in his/her retirement? To my very pleasant surprise I find myself, having retired just over 3 years ago, training non-specialist teachers to teach Classics more confidently and competently, currently working in three N.E. London schools.
I started in Autumn 2014, giving assistance with language work (using the Cambridge Latin Course) to a P.E. teacher who, on the strength of her ‘O’ Level Latin, has been preparing students for WJEC Level 1 Certificate in Latin Language, then Level 2. From a Lunchtime Club in September 2008 to a current Year 10 GCSE class (of 18 pupils) on the timetable this P.E. teacher has used her “athletic skills to stay one step ahead of the students”.
Read more here.
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In Memoriam
We mourn the passing of Sir Gerald Elliot, Lady Belinda Morse and Sir Henry Brookes earlier this year. Sir Gerald was a tremendously supportive donor from the very beginning of Classics for All, as was Lady Morse (with Sir Jeremy Morse and their family). Four years ago, Sir Henry hatched up the idea of the Lawyers Group in support of Classics for All, an initiative which is growing each year - a wonderful legacy.
We are also very sorry to have lost a staunch volunteer for Classics for All, Lorna Birchley (known to us by her married name Lorna Bower), who died earlier this year. Lorna played a vital role in promotion and communications in the early days of our charity. She produced two films about our work, in 2012 and 2013, which still present a compelling story about our support for schools; they can be viewed on YouTube. We wanted to share with our supporters Lorna’s obituary from The Guardian; Classics was just one part (albeit a passionately important part) of her extraordinary life.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/feb/15/lorna-birchley-obituary
From The Guardian obituaries Patrick Kelly, Thu 15 Feb 2018
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Trustees
Nicholas Barber CBE, Hon President; Geoffrey de Jager, Chairman; Christopher A Clarke, Hon Treasurer; Jeannie Cohen, Hon Secretary; Carolyn Foreman; Professor Thomas Harrison; Deborah Hughes; Sarah Jackson OBE; Professor David Langslow; Matthew Lindsey-Clark; Jimmy Mulville.
Advisers
Dr Peter Jones MBE
Staff
Hilary Hodgson, Programme Director; Jules Mann, Executive Director; Moa Taylor Hodin, Administrator.
Grants Support
James Murray
Patrons
Professor Mary Beard OBE; Lord Butler of Brockwell; Professor Paul Cartledge; Lord Dyson; Professor Pat Easterling; Sir Michael Fallon MP; Lord Faulkner of Worcester; Tony Harrison; Natalie Haynes; Charlotte Higgins; Ian Hislop; Tom Holland; Bettany Hughes; Professor Richard Jenkyns; Boris Johnson MP; Martha Kearney; Joanna Lumley OBE FRGS; Stuart Lyons CBE; Professor Christopher Pelling; Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE; Sir Tom Stoppard CBE.
See also: Development Committee, Lawyers Group Steering Committee and CfA Event Planning Group members
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Classics for All is supported this year by: The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation and The Staples Trust.
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Classics for All is a Registered Charity (Number 1135379) and a Company Limited by Guarantee (Number 7182949)
Registered in England and Wales
Contact General: Telephone: 07809 256839
Email: contact@classicsforall.org.uk
www.classicsforall.org.uk
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