Latin and Ancient Greek do not appear in most lists of languages to learn, yet they carry a long tradition in schools and universities. In England, access to them in state schools has been uneven, and the Department for Education (DfE) has tried different forms of support over the past few years. This article summarises what official DfE material says about the Latin Excellence Programme, its closure, and the support that remains for schools and learners. It concerns England only.
Why the programme was created
A DfE press release of 31 July 2021 announced a new £4 million Latin Excellence Programme for state secondary schools. It cited a British Council survey finding that Latin was taught at key stage 3 in 2.7% of state schools compared with 49% of independent schools. The stated aim was to raise GCSE Latin entries, and the programme was modelled on the Mandarin Excellence Programme, which the release said had been launched in 2016 and involved 75 schools and more than 6,000 pupils learning Mandarin towards fluency. The release said the Latin programme would be led by a centre of excellence working with up to 40 schools to develop teacher training resources and lesson materials for 11 to 16 year olds, supporting schools over four years from 2022 to 2026.
The DfE’s Education Hub, a public-facing blog, presented the reasoning in more accessible terms. It said around two thirds of English words are derived from Latin, that Latin gives an advantage to anyone learning languages derived from it, and that it influences the study of Classics, including Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew, classical civilisation and ancient history. These are the Department’s own claims in a promotional post, not the findings of a study, and they should be read that way.
What participating schools received
The GOV.UK guidance for schools, dated 6 March 2023 and now marked withdrawn, described the programme as offering funding to increase Latin provision, a fully resourced key stage 3 and key stage 4 curriculum, enrichment activities and trips, visits from expert practitioners six times a year, and regular continuing professional development for teaching Latin in the state sector. It was delivered by the Centre for Latin Excellence, established by the multi-academy trust Future Academies, and was free. Schools were expected to be non-selective state schools in the North, Midlands and South West of England, to have an Ofsted rating of good or outstanding, and to be at or working towards an EBacc entry rate of 40% or more. The programme started in schools in September 2022.
Discontinuation
The Education Hub post of March 2025 states that the programme has been discontinued, but that the 39 schools in it can still access the curriculum materials provided through the scheme. It says pupils on the programme taking their Latin GCSE that summer would continue to be provided for, and that schools can continue to teach Latin outside the programme. The post says the Department values a varied curriculum. It does not give a reason for the end of the programme, so none is stated here.
Support that remains
The same post lists free or low-cost support that any school can use to introduce Latin and classics, delivered through charities that the Department says it works with:
- Classics for All, a charity working since 2010 to support classics teaching in state primary and secondary schools. The post says it has worked with over 180,000 pupils aged 7 to 18 in over 1,250 schools, and it supports teacher bursaries at summer schools.
- Hands Up Education, a non-profit organisation that creates teaching resources and trains teachers. Through its Latin in Schools Initiative it offers free Latin teacher training and free Latin courses up to GCSE for teachers, and can provide a GCSE textbook series and digital learning accounts free to schools starting Latin clubs or classes.
- The Classical Association, the national subject association for classics, which hosts training days, provides grants for professional development and student competitions or trips, and publishes the Journal of Classics Teaching and Omnibus magazine.
What this means for learners
For an adult or a parent, the practical lesson is that school provision of Latin depends on the individual school, and that outside school, courses are a separate route. Learners considering an ancient language for interest can compare the format questions in the site’s guide to how to choose a language course, and those wanting a qualification can read about taking a language GCSE or A-Level as a private candidate and the Ofqual-regulated language qualifications guide. The guidance above says nothing about adult classes, so those questions are for individual providers.
Common questions
Is the Latin Excellence Programme still running? No. The Department for Education says it has been discontinued, and its GOV.UK application guidance is marked withdrawn.
Can a school still teach Latin? Yes. The Department says schools can continue to teach Latin outside the programme and that any school can introduce classics.
The bottom line
England’s Latin Excellence Programme was announced in July 2021 to widen access to Latin in state schools, ran from September 2022 with a small number of schools, and has since been discontinued, with materials still available to the 39 participating schools. Charities such as Classics for All, Hands Up Education and the Classical Association continue to offer support that any school can use. Whether a given state school offers Latin remains a school-by-school decision. This is general information based on Department for Education publications.
Sources
- Department for Education, The Education Hub, “Teaching Latin and the classics: support available for schools” (educationhub.blog.gov.uk)
- Department for Education, GOV.UK, “Thousands more students to learn ancient and modern languages”
- GOV.UK, “[Withdrawn] Join the Latin Excellence Programme”
- Department for Education, The Education Hub, “What are the benefits of learning Latin and Mandarin in school?” (educationhub.blog.gov.uk)