The Iris Project - Capital Classics

Capital Classics

The education charity,  Classics for All, has been awarded £250, 000 by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s London Schools Excellence Fund to lead a partnership which will train 70 teachers to work in London schools, teaching Latin and other classical subjects.

The partnership, Capital Classics, includes the Classics Centre, BSix College in HackneyThe Iris Project and Nower Hill High School in North Harrow, Middlesex.

Supporting Classics for All in this project will be: Birkbeck College, University of London; University of Liverpool; Oxford University (the Faculty of Classics and Wadham College); University College London.

Two coordinators will plan and run activities from hubs in east and north London (BSix College and Nower Hill High School) supported by specialist CPD and enrichment activities led by the Iris Project and HEIs. The hubs will also establish and co-ordinate local teachers’ networks.

Chairman of Classics for All, Nicholas Barber CBE, says:

“We are absolutely delighted to receive this grant.  It will be of great benefit to pupils at schools in North and East London“.

“We are looking forward to hearing from any primary or secondary schools in the area. Latin and Classics are fun to learn, are well within the capability of most children, and bring that precious gift of academic confidence.”

The award has been granted by the London Schools Excellence Fund, which is part of the Mayor’s Education Programme working to ensure excellent teaching in all London schools. It will focus on schools in north and east London bringing Classics to 1000 pupils in primary and secondary schools up to A-level.

In the first two years, the project will train 70 teachers to deliver new or improved Classics teaching, increasing access to Classics for pupils in challenging areas of London with limited or no Classics provision. It will:

  • Run high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for 70 teachers in primary and secondary schools to enhance subject knowledge and equip them to teach Classics independently. The programme will reach 1000 students from Key Stage 2 to A-Level.
  • Run a complementary Classics enrichment programme including visits, lectures and summer activity to inspire and enthuse teachers, students and parents
  • Establish a teachers’ network to further subject knowledge, develop and share teaching resources and approaches beyond the period of the grant, reaching a further 30 schools per year from 2015.
  • Disseminate case studies promoting the Classics to build wider support for the network in London and nationally.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is a well-known Classicist, said: ‘Parents in London want to know that the school their child attends will give them the best start in life and access to top universities and careers. That’s why we’re making funding available for high performing schools and organisations like Classics for All to share their knowledge and expertise with others, to raise expectations, bring academic rigour and improve attainment for more pupils. With the London Schools Excellence Fund our goal is to turbo-charge the system so that all schoolchildren in the capital have the best possible education.’

An external evaluator will undertake an independent evaluation of the project and its impact. Classics for All will oversee project governance, budgeting, evaluation and reporting, and will ensure the smooth running of the partnership.

 

The Iris Project
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