The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. The study of classics and ancient languages can teach pupils valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. All schools are free to include Latin, Ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum, and there are GCSEs and A levels available in all three subjects.

The department has worked with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of free support available to help teach these subjects.

We also continue to provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Classical education, including classical studies and the study of ancient languages, offers valuable insights into history, language development, politics and art, and can enrich pupils’ understanding of the world today. All schools are free to include Classics within their curriculum, and GCSEs and A levels are available in this subject.

The department continues to work with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of the free resources and support available to teach this subject.

To further strengthen subject expertise, we provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including those training to teach ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

How on earth can the Secretary of State justify spending £90 million on a one-year contract for advertising and media while cutting a £4 million Latin excellence programme mid-year that is helping to improve school standards in some of the most deprived areas of the country? Does that not show that the Secretary of State’s priorities are all wrong?

The right hon. Lady was a Minister in the Treasury, and she was responsible for leaving behind the black hole that this Labour Government are having to sort out. We face unprecedented challenges. When it comes to Latin, we are working with classics associations to ensure that children can continue to study Latin. It is important that children in our state schools have that opportunity, but the Conservatives designed the scheme to terminate in February. Maybe the right hon. Lady can tell us why that was.

The study of ancient languages can teach us valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. It helps students understand the evolution of language and gives them the chance to study and analyse ancient texts that provide valuable insights into important questions for the twenty first century.

All schools are free to include Latin, ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum. The department has been working with classics organisations to ensure that schools are aware of the free support available to them to help to teach classics and ancient languages. We will be signposting this support on the department's Education Hub shortly. The Education Hub can be accessed here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/.

The study of ancient languages can teach us valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. It helps students understand the evolution of language and gives them the chance to study and analyse ancient texts that provide valuable insights into important questions for the twenty first century.

All schools are free to include Latin, ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum. The department has been working with classics organisations to ensure that schools are aware of the free support available to them to help to teach classics and ancient languages. We will be signposting this support on the department's Education Hub shortly. The Education Hub can be accessed here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/.

The study of Latin, classics and history of art can teach us valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are as relevant in the 21st century as they were for the ancient world. All schools can choose to teach these subjects if they wish at any stage in a child’s education.

The department is working closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers delivering Latin through the Latin Excellence Programme to key stage 4 students are be prioritised for support before the programme ends on 28 February, and that all schools on the programme can continue to use its materials.

The art and design national curriculum includes in its aims that pupils should “know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation”.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review's aim is for every child and young person to access a cutting-edge curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative.

The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and it will publish its final report, with recommendations, this autumn. We will take decisions on what changes to make to the national curriculum in light of these recommendations.

The study of classical languages can teach valuable lessons in history that are as relevant in the 21st century as they were for the ancient world. All schools can choose to teach classical subjects if they wish at any stage in a child’s education and can support this provision from their core funding.

Mainstream schools and young people with high needs are receiving £2.3 billion more in the 2025/26 financial year compared to 2024/25. This means core schools funding will total almost £63.9 billion next year.

The current contract for the Latin Excellence Programme, put in place by the previous government, is due to end on 28 February 2025. The Latin Excellence Programme has cost £2,071,000 to date since 2022. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the programme’s curriculum resources and all students will sit their planned exams this summer.

​​The fiscal situation this new government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Given this, the decision to not extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the agreed initial three-year contract remains.

The department will work closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme on 28 February, to ensure pupils’ continuity of learning. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources once the programme ends.

The Centre for Latin Excellence has contacted all the schools involved in the Latin Excellence Programme and has received assurances that all pupils due to take Latin GCSE this summer will continue to do so.

​The department is working closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources once the programme ends supporting them in the continue delivery of Latin teaching.

The fiscal situation this government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure the department delivers on our priorities. Given this, we have taken the difficult decision not to extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the current contract on 28 February 2025.

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The fiscal situation this government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Given this, the decision has been made to not extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the agreed initial three-year contract, which will end on 28 February 2025. This was not an easy decision, and we are grateful to the Centre for Latin Excellence for its work to deliver the programme and that of the schools who have participated.

Over the course of the programme Latin was delivered to over 4,000 pupils in over 40 schools across England, with an emphasis on schools outside London and the South East. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources and we hope that many schools will continue to deliver Latin after the programme ends.

The department will work closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme on 28 February.

The fiscal situation this government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Given this, the decision has been made to not extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the agreed initial three-year contract, which will end on 28 February 2025. This was not an easy decision, and we are grateful to the Centre for Latin Excellence for its work to deliver the programme and that of the schools who have participated.

Over the course of the programme Latin was delivered to over 4,000 pupils in over 40 schools across England, with an emphasis on schools outside London and the South East. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources and we hope that many schools will continue to deliver Latin after the programme ends.

The department will work closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme on 28 February.

The government is delivering on its commitment to put education back at the forefront of national life and break down barriers to opportunity for all children and young people.

This government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in our country’s finances and is taking the difficult decisions necessary to fix the foundations and get our economy back on track. This means prioritisation on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities, including protecting core funding for schools.

Given this, the department has made the difficult decision not to extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the three year contract, which will end on 28 February 2025. The department is grateful for the excellent work of the Centre for Latin Excellence and that of the schools who have participated in the programme.

To encourage the study of classics in state schools in England, the Department launched a £3.9 million Latin Excellence Programme (LEP) in September 2022. The LEP is delivered by the National Centre of Excellence and run by Future Academies, which is a multi academy trust based in London.

The aim of the LEP is to improve pupils’ attainment through increased access to, and uptake of, a GCSE in Latin, whilst also contributing to pupils’ broader classics education. The National Centre of Excellence works with 40 schools across the country to support high quality Key Stage 3 and 4 teaching, using a common curriculum which teachers will be trained to deliver by the Centre.

Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.

The Department’s teacher recruitment and retention reforms are aimed at supporting teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects, including classics.

The Department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.

The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.

The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. The bursaries are focused on subjects experiencing teacher shortages where schools are likely to devote the most teaching time. This ensures the Department is spending money where it is needed most. For 2022/23, classics exceeded its postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) target, reaching 193% of the target, compared to 150% of the target the previous year.

While classics does not attract a bursary, the Department offers a £25,000 tax free bursary for languages, including ancient languages. Additionally, all trainees on a tuition fee funded course (including classics trainees) will be able to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs.

The number of A level entries by students in England aged 16 to 18 in Latin or classical Greek since the 2012/13 academic year can be found in the attached table. A breakdown by state funded students only exists from the 2017/18 academic year.

[1] Exam entries are for the academic year for 16-18 students, after discounting. Includes pending awards.

[2] Figures are based on provision data (from 2017/18 to 2021/22) and revised/final data from (2012/13 to 2016/17).

[3] Subject breakdown on institution types (All state-funded students) not published prior to 2017/18.