Thousands of secondary pupils are facing “significant disruption” after the government scrapped its state school Latin programme mid-year as it seeks to plug a fiscal black hole.
In a letter seen by Schools Week, the Department for Education has informed schools it is terminating its Latin Excellence Programme (LEP) in February.
The £4 million scheme was supposed to run until 2026, but government has enacted a break clause to end it earlier.
Government departments are under pressure to find savings.
In a statement to Schools Week, government added it has ceased funding for “a small number of subject-specific support programmes”, but it would not be drawn on which other schemes this covers.
Future Academies, the multi-academy trust that spearheads the Latin scheme, described it as “incredibly difficult” news.
In a letter to schools, it said ending the programme mid-academic year will “cause inevitable and significant disruption to the education of so many pupils and the work of schools.”
The move will particularly affect key stage 4 pupils, with almost 1,000 pupils at 29 schools due to take Latin at GCSE, as well as several thousands more pupils studying Latin at key stage 3, it said.
The DfE said ending the scheme was “not an easy decision” and “in no way reflects the impact and quality of Latin delivery”.
“However, given the fiscal situation the new government inherited, there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure the government delivers on its priorities,” it said in its letter to schools.
Scheme had aimed to open up ‘elitist’ subject
Created in 2021 under then-education secretary Gavin Williamson, the £4m Latin Excellence Programme aimed to increase accessibility to classical studies in state secondary schools.
Williamson said while Latin has a reputation as being “elitist” and “reserved for the privileged few”, it “can bring so many benefits to young people”. He said in 2021 the subject was being taught at just 2.7 per cent of state schools – compared to 49 per cent of independents.
The LEP scheme saw The Centre for Latin Excellence established at Future Academies, which helped create teacher training resources and develop a Latin curriculum for schools.
The MAT says the scheme has been a “clear success”. It now covers 40 non-selective state schools largely in economically deprived areas and has reached more than 5,000 pupils, more than one-third of whom are eligible for free school meals.
The LEP was initially due to run for three years. But as the new Labour government seeks to plug a £22bn black hole in public finances, the DfE informed the LEP in October the scheme was under review.
The board submitted a report outlining “critical risks” associated with ending the programme in February.
Other schemes axed
“We suggested that many of these risks…could be partially mitigated by waiting until the end of the academic year to terminate the programme,” it said. But government told schools today the scheme will end in just a few weeks.
In its letter informing schools of the decision, the DfE said this week it will be “working closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that schools are supported in the final months of the programme”.
The LEP says from March 1 it will no longer receive funding, which contributes to teacher salaries and grants for schools.
The scheme also offered pupils visits to Roman heritage sites across the UK and to Rome, but the trust said trips planned for later this year are now “likely to be unfunded”.
A DfE spokesperson said: “While a decision has been made to end funding for a small number of subject-specific support programmes, our independent curriculum and assessment review will make sure all pupils benefit from a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and maths, and ensures every young person gets the opportunity to develop the skills needed to succeed in work and life.”
