Latin Excellence Programme: GCSE Latin funding for non-selective state schools cut - what you need to know
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- The Government has decided not to continue funding a programme that provides high-quality Latin teaching in non-selective state schools
- There are concerns about what it will mean for pupils partway through Latin GCSE courses
- The Department for Education says the ‘£22 billion black hole’ it inherited meant tough decisions were needed
- It will work to try and minimise disruption for current students
A successful programme aimed at getting more state secondary school pupils learning and earning qualifications in the classical language of Latin will be cut.
The Government has confirmed it will no longer be funding the Latin Excellence Programme, with education publication Schools Week reporting that a letter was sent out to partnering schools informing them that it would be terminated next month. The programme helped deliver Latin programmes in comprehensive state schools across England, including funding a fully resourced key stage 3 and 4 curriculum “to support all students regardless of starting knowledge”, and paying for enrichment trips for staff and pupils alike, according to official guidance.
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Hide AdThe original contract was set to run until 2026, and concerns have been raised that ending it suddenly will be disruptive to pupils currently completing their Latin GCSEs in participating schools. But why exactly is funding for the programme being cut - and will it have an impact on students?
Here’s what you need to know:
Why has the Government cut funding?
A DfE spokesperson told us that the current Government was putting education “back at the forefront of national life”, with key priorities protected in the budget and an additional £2.3 billion announced for schools. “But the £22 billion black hole we inherited means tough decisions are needed across the public sector.”


Many policies from its extensive election portfolio of promises for schools and the education sector are already in the works or have been allocated funding in the latest Budget. These include a full review of the national curriculum, free school breakfast clubs in primary schools, and a push to recruit thousands of new teachers.
Labour’s Plan for Change would “ensure every child, regardless of background, gets a rich education that helps them achieve and thrive”, they continued. “While a decision has been made not to continue the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of its contract, our expert-led curriculum and assessment review will ensure every young person leaves school ready for work, life and the future.”
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Hide AdWhat impact will ending the Latin Excellence programme have?
The Latin Excellence Programme was run by the the Centre for Latin Excellence, and administered by the Future Academies multi-academy trust. It had programmes at 40 non-selective, local authority-maintained schools in 2024, including 10 in the North West, two in the North East, seven in Yorkshire, six in the West Midlands, one in the East Midlands, four in the East of England, five in the South West, one in the South East, and four in Greater London. Latin GCSE courses at schools which are not part of the programme will not be impacted.
Future Academies Trust chief executive Lawrence Foley told The Guardian that with funding to be cut from February 2025, he worried it would affect up to 1,000 students in years 10 and 11 - who were partway through their GCSE Latin courses. “For the kids who are in [Year 10], who are four months into their GCSE course, there’s the real risk that their school no longer has the funding for the subject and so decides to cut it and move them to another subject. Or worse than that: the school might have to use an unqualified teacher to sit in a room and supervise their study.”
He said that many of the schools that were part of the programme - and were intending to run a GCSE Latin course through it in the next school year - were no longer going to offer the subject. “They are saying that they can’t take the risk of running the course without specialist support.”
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Hide AdSchools Week has also reported that pupil trips to significant Roman heritage sites across the UK and Italy planned for later in the year are now most likely not going to be funded. We have also approached the trust for comment.
In a letter to the paper, a group of senior academics urged the Government to reconsider removing the programme’s funding, saying that it had been successful at encouraging children from economically-deprived areas across England to learn Latin - “a subject that both challenges and inspires them, teaching them another language but also revealing to them the roots of English words and exposing them to some fascinating history, archaeology and art”. They too were concerned about funding being cut part-way through the school year, as well as the likely loss of what the subject has to offer for these pupils.
The Department for Education has said that it was grateful for the hard work and dedication of those who had delivered the programme. It would be working with the Centre for Latin Excellence to minimise the impact on current pupils, and would endeavour to make sure teachers still had access to the curriculum materials beyond February.
Do you think Latin is an important subject - and is it accessible enough to pupils from all walks of life? Have your say and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.
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