Latin set for return to classroom curriculum

Ministers are understood to be preparing to sweep away guidance which would have effectively restricted primaries to teaching languages such as French, German and Spanish.

A review of the national curriculum, set to be published imminently, is expected to look at language learning in detail. But Ministers have said they believe it is down to teachers to judge whether they should offer classical languages alongside modern ones.

The last Labour government introduced proposals to make it an "entitlement" from next year for primary age pupils to learn a modern language, which effectively discouraged schools from putting classics like Latin on the timetable.

The proposals in Labour's last education Bill were scrapped in the run-up to the election.

Speaking at a Politeia conference on Latin in primaries in central London yesterday, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said it was "a shame" and "alarming" that the teaching of Latin in state schools had been hit.

The ancient language is prevalent in English culture, in political and legal systems, religious and spiritual institutions, medicine, art and architecture, Mr Gibb said.

"Latin gives us not just the skills to learn – not just Romance languages like Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and French – but the aptitude and confidence to learn new tongues beyond western Europe," he added.