There were sighs from school leaders and linguists — ancient and modern — when Gavin Williamson announced the new Latin Excellence Programme to introduce Latin teaching into 40 state schools next year.
Given the parlous state of funding for post-pandemic education, £4m seems like a lot of money to spend on a scheme which is intended simply to “improve the uptake of Latin to GCSE”.
Maybe, of course, there are some really solid metrics behind this scheme, and the DfE has a carefully considered, well-thought-through plan to ensure that students who thrive in Latin are able to continue their studies to a higher level, with well-qualified Latin teachers.
If — big if — all this can be put in place, then it would be great to support this scheme, with one other caveat: that it is part of a wider plan, equally well-thought out, to transform education in our society. It wouldn’t all have to happen at the same time — just knowing that it was a part of a longer term project would be sufficient.
“One of the most powerful lessons I have learned in my career is that every single teenager is a phenomenal human being.”
Where Gavin Williamson and the DfE are spot on, of course, is in their determination to provide equality of access to education for all, and to ensure that no child’s ambitions are hampered by their background.
One of the most powerful lessons I have learned in my career in education, from leading selective independent schools to my involvement in charities which support disadvantaged children and young people, is that every single teenager is a phenomenal human being.
Each one is a unique individual with a strength of character and potential that could enable them to make an amazing go of their life, resulting in a really successful contribution to their community and society in general.
As they progress through the school system, however, they very quickly work out whether they fit or not, and where they are in a perceived pecking order (just ask any 6 year-old how the colours of their class reading groups translate into levels of ability).
“As children progress through the school system they very quickly work out whether they fit or not.”
This is a very pervasive — and damaging — part of the hidden curriculum in schools, fed by overstretched teachers, as well-regulated, quick learners are easier to manage, and are inevitably praised. But more significantly, it is fed by decades of social bias.
When I was a head of German, I quickly worked out that the (untrue) perception of German as “hard” dated back in part to the historical turbulences of two world wars and the resulting distrust and suspicions of the language. And in part it was owed to the structure adopted in many schools that German was an extra option, only available to those who were good at the most commonly taught language, French.
This, despite German, with its consistent pronunciation and syntax, being demonstrably easier to learn for students with, for example, dyslexia – much easier than French, or, indeed English.
Prejudice and academic elitism runs deep, and we really, really need to have a conversation about this. Academic studies are not the be-all and end-all for teenagers and their futures, although it can sometimes seem that this is the case, as the narrative is driven by the media and popular politics.
“But what are we doing to tackle the deep-rooted issues? Where is the plan and the funding for this?”
We too readily make a facile distinction between academic (good) and vocational (less good), and other powerful social structures sustain this distinction, from universities hungry for students to the high salaries of the corporate sector, which has yet to embrace diversity of academic background.
Perversely, lauding Latin risks feeding this prejudice further. It would, of course, be amazing if some students on the programme discover a love for language, history or culture which ignites a spark in them and transforms their lives. Who wouldn’t want to encourage that? But what are we doing to tackle the deep-rooted issues? Where is the plan and the funding for this?
So – here is an idea. Let’s shift the dialogue. Let’s not focus our discussion on Latin, or other content-based subjects, although they will provide the richness around the core – which is learning itself. Let’s focus on learning, on learning to love learning, on learning how we learn best (we are, of course, all individuals in this respect too).
Let’s encourage — and enable — children and teenagers genuinely to follow their passions, loosening up the curriculum in order to provide the space for depth, not just breadth.
And in tandem, let’s put effort into helping all parents, teachers, politicians, journalists — everyone, in fact — to recognise their own unconscious biases, so we can all tackle them collectively. Every teenager deserves an amazing education, and we need to invest in this – not in short term gimmicks, but as part of a deeply thoughtful commitment to creating a better society.