Classics for All

Classics for All Classics for All raises funds to support the teaching of classics in state schools across the UK.

Classics for All was founded in 2010 to reverse the decline in the teaching of classics in state schools. Our vision is that all pupils in state schools across the UK should have the opportunity to study classical subjects, regardless of their background or ability. We believe that exposure to classics has many positive benefits. Head teachers and governors report the value of classics in raising

pupils’ aspirations, improving their literacy and cultural awareness and enhancing the school’s reputation, particularly for schools in areas of low social mobility. To date we have reached over 1,100 schools and offered over 144,000 young people aged 7-18 the opportunity to study the ancient world either as part of the curriculum or as an enrichment activity. A growing number of pupils supported by Classics for All are now studying classics at examination level or at university.

📍 CA Conference, Manchester🎓 Academics & teachers — don’t miss these panels!Classics for All are running two sessions at...
09/04/2026

📍 CA Conference, Manchester
🎓 Academics & teachers — don’t miss these panels!
Classics for All are running two sessions at the Classical Association conference in Manchester this weekend focused on access, outreach, and language at school and university:
➡️ Bridging the gap: Language learning from school to university
Student voices, school teachers & university lecturers in conversation about transition and equity in ancient language learning
➡️ Classics in NW state schools
Real case studies showing how Classics is thriving in primary, secondary & sixth form settings — and how it’s being made to work.

💬 Practical, reflective & cross sector

You can also visit us at our stand !

30/03/2026

Classics for All has written to Cambridge OCR following the announcement of the withdrawal of AS Level Latin and Classical Greek, expressing our concerns:

Classics for All expresses deep concern over Cambridge OCR’s recent decision to withdraw AS Level qualifications in Latin and Classical Greek.

The AS Level plays a vital role in widening participation, particularly for students in state schools where Latin and Greek are often taught off timetable or as enrichment subjects. For many, the AS provides an essential, accessible progression route beyond GCSE – one that cannot be replicated by the full A Level alone.

OCR’s own data shows that these AS qualifications are disproportionately taken by state school students. Their removal risks significantly reducing, and in some cases eliminating, sixth form provision in classical languages across the state sector. It also creates a substantial gap in the progression pathway between GCSE and A Level, limiting opportunities for students to demonstrate their linguistic potential and undermining efforts to support social mobility.

We urge them to reconsider this decision, engage meaningfully with teachers, students and sector organisations, and work collaboratively to ensure that state school learners can continue to access high-quality, achievable qualifications in Latin and Greek.

Classics for All stands ready to contribute to this discussion and to help identify a solution that protects access and opportunity for all.

📣 Last chance to apply for a full bursary!Classics for All, in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute of...
25/03/2026

📣 Last chance to apply for a full bursary!

Classics for All, in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, is offering FOUR fully funded places on the Undergraduate Certificate in Classical Studies for 2026–27.

This online, part time, one year course is perfect for state school teachers and education professionals who want to deepen their knowledge of ancient Greece, Rome, and the wider Mediterranean world. No previous experience in Classics needed!

✅ Fully funded tuition
✅ Flexible online study
✅ Open to UK based teachers & education professionals
✅ Bursaries available for those facing barriers to further study
📅 Apply by 31 March 2026

👉 https://www.pace.cam.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/financial-support/bursaries
Please share with anyone who might benefit!

25/03/2026

Wonderful to see the great work that teacher Emma Noble is doing in St Ambrose High in Coatbridge celebrated. Classics for All supported Emma in her journey to GTCS accreditation in Classical Studies and it is fantastic to see her success celebrated.

Free CPD for Teachers: Running Classics School TripsTaking students to see ancient sites, museums and artefacts in perso...
05/03/2026

Free CPD for Teachers: Running Classics School Trips

Taking students to see ancient sites, museums and artefacts in person can be unforgettable. There’s nothing quite like the moment when students see something “live” that they’ve only seen in a textbook.

But we know organising a school trip can feel overwhelming.

Join this free online session hosted by Classics for All designed to support teachers in UK state schools who want to run Classics-related trips.

During the session you’ll:
✨ Hear from three travel companies about the trips they offer in the UK and abroad
✨ Ask questions about planning and logistics
✨ Join primary or secondary teacher discussions led by colleagues who have organised trips in the UK and abroad
✨ Gain practical tips and ideas to help you get started
📅 Register by Friday 6 March 2026 https://bit.ly/4d4O24d
💻 Online event (Zoom details sent after registration)

Please share with colleagues who might be interested!

Why should senior leaders introduce classical subjects to their state schools? 'We believe there is a huge benefit in te...
27/02/2026

Why should senior leaders introduce classical subjects to their state schools?

'We believe there is a huge benefit in terms of further developing literacy; the study of Classics can help achieve a deeper understanding of grammar and a more accurate use of English. Furthermore, we believe the study of Classics develops cultural literacy and insight. This helps our students to reflect deeply about themselves and the lives of others whilst also becoming critical thinkers – a crucial component of personal development. There is also an exciting and somewhat unique interdisciplinary opportunity; the study of Classics can only enhance and embellish students' experiences in history and the arts.'
- Andy Norrington, Associate Headteacher at Allerton Grange School

At Classics for All we provide:
- Free training, resources and ongoing support for state schools to introduce or develop Classics
- Classics CPD for non‑specialist teachers, addressing the national shortage of trained classicists.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you introduce Classics.

Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!🏳️‍🌈💖To honour this month, Classics for All is spotlighting LGBTQ+ stories within the ancient...
25/02/2026

Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!🏳️‍🌈💖

To honour this month, Classics for All is spotlighting LGBTQ+ stories within the ancient world.

This week we are focusing on the poet Sappho (c. 630–570 BCE), one of the most celebrated lyric voices of archaic Greece.

Lots of our evidence on LGBT history focuses on relationships between men, but Sappho’s poetry offers a rare and powerful insight into the female perspective.

Sappho lived on the island of Le**os, and much of her surviving work expresses deep emotional and physical longing for other women. Her poetry speaks of jealousy, passion, heartbreak and admiration.

Sappho appears to have led a circle of young women devoted to music, poetry, and possibly the worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Whether this community functioned as a formal educational group, a religious collection or something more informal remains debated, but her poetry makes clear the intensity of the bonds she formed.

Her work was so admired in antiquity that she was later called the “Tenth Muse” by writers including Plato.

Over time, Sappho became an enduring symbol of love between women. Indeed, the modern terms “le***an” and “sapphic” both derive from her name and her home island.

Though only a fraction of her poetry survives today, Sappho’s words continue to resonate across more than two millennia.

***an

Painting by John William Godward (Public Domain)

How would you score on University Challenge? Classics edition 📜🏺1. “...paeninsula Arabia, inter duo maria Rubrum Persicu...
24/02/2026

How would you score on University Challenge? Classics edition 📜🏺

1. “...paeninsula Arabia, inter duo maria Rubrum Persicumque procurrens, quodam naturae artificio ad similitudinem atque magnitudinem Italiae mari circumfusa”

Name the author of this classical text

2. From the Greek name of an oxygen group element, what five-letter word describes an organic compound containing an alcoholic-like group that has sulphur in place of oxygen?

Comment your score below!

Want more classical quizzes? Sign up to our weekly quiz: https://tr.ee/T5TTJsECGZ



Dimitris Kamaras CC

Are you a UK state school teacher interested in introducing Classics to your school? 🎓We offer bespoke training for all ...
20/02/2026

Are you a UK state school teacher interested in introducing Classics to your school? 🎓

We offer bespoke training for all primary, secondary and sixth-form teachers to introduce a variety of classical subjects.

- Etymology
- Latin
- Classical Greek
- Classical Civilisation
- Ancient History

Contact us here: https://classicsforall.org.uk/my-school-wants-classics/apply-support

Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!🏳️‍🌈💖To honour this month, Classics for All is spotlighting LGBTQ+ stories within the ancient...
17/02/2026

Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!🏳️‍🌈💖

To honour this month, Classics for All is spotlighting LGBTQ+ stories within the ancient world.

This week we are focusing on the relationship between Antinous (111–130 CE) and the emperor Hadrian (76–138 CE).

Ancient Greece and Rome did not have the clear definitions of sexuality that we use today. Relationships between an older, more socially powerful man and a younger male partner were relatively common. These relationships often existed alongside heterosexual marriages and could serve not only a sexual role but also a pedagogical one, with the expectation that the older man would help guide the younger’s education and career.

In Roman society, however, masculine status was crucial. While relationships between men were not condemned, public figures could be criticised if they were perceived to take on a passive or “effeminate” role. The key issue was not the relationship itself, but the maintenance of social and masculine dominance.

What makes Hadrian and Antinous particularly remarkable is the public visibility of their bond. It was unusual for such relationships to be publicly celebrated with the level of affection and commemoration that Hadrian showed.

Following Antinous’ untimely death at around the age of 20, Hadrian is said to have wept for him “like a woman”. He went on to deify Antinous, establish a widespread religious cult in his honour, found the city of Antinoopolis, and institute games dedicated to his memory.

The cult of Antinous became extraordinarily popular, outlasting Hadrian himself and becoming one of the most widespread imperial cults devoted to a deified human across the Roman Empire.

As a result, Hadrian and Antinous later became enduring symbols of male same-sex love in Western cultural memory, referenced by writers such as Oscar Wilde.



© Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons

Happy Valentine's Day from Classics for All! 💕Celebrate love this Valentine’s the Roman way!Lupercus was a Roman god of ...
13/02/2026

Happy Valentine's Day from Classics for All! 💕

Celebrate love this Valentine’s the Roman way!

Lupercus was a Roman god of farmers, harvests and wild animals. Every year on 15 February, Romans held a festival in his honour to promote health and fertility across the city.

During the festival, the Luperci priests sacrificed a goat and a dog. They would touch their foreheads with the blood, then wipe it clean with wool dipped in milk. A feast followed, and then the priests cut strips from the animal skins and ran through the streets, playfully striking women. It was believed that those touched by them would become fertile.

Because of this celebration of love and fertility, many scholars see Lupercalia as an early ancestor of the Valentine’s Day we celebrate today on 14 February.

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