Founded in 2010, Classics for All is a charity which encourages the teaching of classical subjects in state schools. We aim to enrich the lives and raise the aspirations of all young people, through introducing them to the ancient world.
By 2025 our goal is to introduce the study of ancient history, classical civilisation, Latin and Greek to at least 1,500 state primary and secondary schools, many in areas of socio-economic disadvantage.
So far, we have invested more than £4.7m in this mission, reaching over 1,200 schools and more than 180,000 pupils. Over 40% of schools we support have above national average numbers of pupils eligible for Free School Meals.
By training teachers, many with no subject specialism in classics and offering them ongoing support, we aim to make classics a sustainable part of the school curriculum.
We are supported by 14 UK-wide regional classics networks, largely based at Russell Group universities. These help us to target schools in areas of low social mobility, ensuring that pupils in schools with no tradition of classics benefit from the programme. Investment in these networks is cost-effective, allowing us to reach more schools.
As a result of our work, teachers consistently report results of improved literacy levels and enthusiasm for languages, culture and history among pupils.