Association of Classical Teachers

Association of Classical Teachers
Name	Association of Classical Teachers
Formation	20th century
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Region served	United Kingdom, International
Membership	Teachers, scholars, schools

Association of Classical Teachers is a professional association supporting instruction in Latin language, Ancient Greek language, Classical studies, and associated curricula in the United Kingdom and internationally. It brings together secondary and tertiary practitioners, linking classroom practitioners with scholars from institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, King's College London, and University of Edinburgh. The association liaises with examination boards such as the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations and AQA and collaborates with museums like the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum.

History

The association emerged amid interwar and postwar debates influenced by figures such as John William Mackail, E. A. Barber, B. L. Ullmann and movements associated with Classical Association (UK) and Greece–United Kingdom relations. Early development interacted with trends from Public Schools Commission reforms, discussions at the Royal Society and curricula shaped by University of London committees. During the late 20th century its activities were influenced by policy shifts represented by Education Act 1944, attention from advocates like Dorothy Sayers and curriculum reviews linked to National Curriculum (England) debates. International linkages involved exchanges with scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, and classical programs in Rome, Athens, and Berlin.

Organization and Governance

Governance uses trustee models comparable to those at British Academy and Royal Historical Society, with officers drawn from academic departments such as King's College London Department of Classics, University of Oxford Faculty of Classics, and schools like Eton College and Westminster School. The executive committee includes representatives from examining bodies including Cambridge Assessment and Pearson Education. Advisory panels have included members associated with Society for Classical Studies and fellows of colleges such as Trinity College, Cambridge, Magdalene College, Cambridge, All Souls College, Oxford, New College, Oxford, and St John's College, Oxford. Legal and financial oversight follows charity frameworks similar to Charity Commission for England and Wales arrangements.

Membership and Affiliation

Membership categories mirror similar associations such as the Classical Association (UK), Society for Classical Studies (US), Deutscher Altphilologenverband, and include schoolteachers from institutions like The Perse School, St Paul's School, and Winchester College, university lecturers from University of St Andrews and University of Glasgow, trainee teachers from Institute of Education, UCL, and retired members connected to museums like the National Gallery. Affiliations extend to international networks including International Federation of Classical Associations, collaborations with the European Classical Association, and partnerships with bodies such as British Council and UNESCO cultural initiatives.

Activities and Programs

Programs encompass professional development comparable to offerings by Teacher Development Trust and curriculum workshops referencing texts by Virgil, Ovid, Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, Tacitus, Herodotus, Thucydides, Homeric Hymns. The association runs teacher training sessions linked to qualifications like the Postgraduate Certificate in Education and collaborates with examination boards such as OCR and Edexcel to shape syllabuses. Outreach initiatives engage schools, Classics-focused charities such as The Iris Project, and festivals like the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Bath Literature Festival.

Publications and Resources

It publishes teaching materials and journals analogous to publications from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and periodicals like Classical Quarterly and Journal of Hellenic Studies. Resources include annotated editions of works by Vergil, Horace, Sappho, Pindar, Euripides, and lexical tools comparable to Oxford Latin Dictionary and Liddell-Scott Jones Greek–English Lexicon. Digital resources interface with platforms such as Perseus Digital Library, Loeb Classical Library, and repositories at Project Gutenberg and the British Library. Guidance for classroom practice parallels materials from Royal Society of Arts publications.

Conferences and Events

Annual conferences attract keynote speakers from universities including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Michigan, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and institutions such as American School of Classical Studies at Athens and British School at Rome. The program features sessions on pedagogy, assessment, and texts by authors like Euripides, Sophocles, Vergil, Homer, and Plato. Events take place at venues such as Senate House, London, Ashmolean Museum, British Museum, and conference centres used by British Academy and Institute of Classical Studies.

Impact and Influence

The association has influenced syllabuses and examination specifications issued by Department for Education (UK), contributed to debates alongside bodies such as the Classical Association (UK) and Society for Classical Studies, and supported initiatives that increased access to Classics in state schools including programs linked to Office for Students priorities. Scholarly engagement involves collaboration with project teams from Perseus Project, Loeb Classical Library Foundation, and research councils such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Its advocacy has intersected with cultural institutions including British Museum exhibitions on Roman Britain, Ancient Greece, and contributions to media outlets such as the BBC and The Guardian.

Category:Classical studies organizations