Classical Civilisation and Ancient History in British Secondary Education#

By Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Edith Hall#

In this book, Arlene Holmes-Henderson MAE and Edith Hall MAE document the history of Classical Civilisation and Ancient History qualifications in the UK; past, present and future.

In the UK A-Levels and GCSEs in Classical Civilisation and Ancient History offer exciting avenues through which to access the cultures of people who spoke ancient Greek and Latin, and their neighbours, across the ancient Mediterranean and Black Sea worlds. They are inherently interdisciplinary, offering an outstanding opportunity to study a civilisation in the round, using diverse sources from literary and philosophical texts to legal documents, inscriptions, art, architecture and archaeology. Yet many people are either unaware of the existence of these courses, or do not understand their contents. This unprecedented study, by two Classics Professors at the University of Durham with extensive experience of teaching in schools and HEIs, charts the subjects’ historical development and emergence in their current form since the mid-20th century, explaining and illustrating their contents. It describes the skills and competencies that they confer, which are valued by university admissions offices and employers alike. It presents the results of interviews with several significant participants in the story of these classical subjects and of questionnaires filled in by many additional teachers and students. It also offers practical advice on how to introduce Classical Civilisation and/or Ancient History at secondary level, with guides to bibliographical and other resources.






ISBN: 9780367903732
Publication date: August 2025
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

An Open Access edition is available on the Liverpool University Press website, thanks to funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

About Arlene Holmes-Henderson#

Arlene Holmes-Henderson MAE MBE is Professor of Classics Education and Public Policy at Durham University. She specialises in the teaching and learning of classical subjects and regularly provides expert advice to international governments on curriculum and assessment design. She is founding director of Durham’s Centre for Classics Education Research and Engagements (CERES) and is co-director of the Advocating Classics Education project. Prof. Holmes-Henderson was elected to the Classics and Oriental Studies Section of Academia Europaea in 2024.

About Edith Hall#

Edith Hall MAE FBA, Professor of Classics at Durham University, has previously taught at Oxford, Cambridge, Reading, London, Leiden and Northwestern Universities. She has published more than thirty books and is co-leader of the campaign Advocating Classics Education. She regularly broadcasts on television and BBC Radio and acts as consultant to professional theatre companies. Prof. Hall is a member of the Literary and Theatrical Studies Section of Academia Europaea since 2013.