For generations a classical education was considered a privilege for the few, not the many, but now its revival in primary and secondary state schools is well underway.
There is increasing evidence that the study of classical subjects helps to:
- raise pupils’ aspirations and achievement. Widening access to classical subjects can help to break the link between educational opportunity and disadvantage, giving pupils the confidence to progress to higher education.
- support language skills for pupils of all abilities, encouraging a structured approach to grammar and a strong foundation for literacy and learning modern foreign languages.
- encourage cultural insight and awareness, offering pupils new perspectives on contemporary issues.
“It’s about the pupils learning Latin, but it’s about so much more than that too. It’s the principle that our pupils should have access to a wide curriculum and that exciting subjects like classics should be available to everyone.” - David Hogg, Kelmscott School, Bridge Group Report, 2017