In this talk, Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson will provide an insight into the teaching of ancient Greek language and culture in UK primary and secondary schools. The last decade has seen a range of initiatives which have boosted the study of the ancient Greeks in British schools, with support from policy frameworks, museum partners and philanthropic funding. Professor Holmes-Henderson will share statistics showing the geographical ‘hot spots’ and ‘cold spots’ for the study of the ancient Greeks at examination level and will showcase the most popular resources used by classroom teachers. She identifies stories of success while making recommendations for future research and investment.

Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Professor of Classics Education and Public Policy at Durham University where she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship. After studying Classics at Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge, Arlene qualified as a schoolteacher and taught in high schools for more than a decade before returning to academia. Arlene has conducted international comparative research in the USA as a Fulbright Scholar, in Australia as a Churchill Fellow and in New Zealand as an Erskine Fellow. She is Vice-Chair of the Universities Policy Engagement Network with national responsibility for Arts and Humanities and is an expert advisor to international governments, parliaments and assessment agencies. She was awarded an MBE for Services for Education in the King’s Birthday Honours 2023. For more information, see Arlene’s website and follow her on X @profarlenehh.

This event will take place by Zoom webinar and will be free to all who watch it. Up to 500 places are available. Registration in advance of the event is necessary. To register your place, please click here and complete the registration form. The event will be recorded and subsequently uploaded to our YouTube channel.