Et tu, education? Latin gets removed from schools in the UK

When the UK government presented its idea to cut funding for the Latin Excellence Program in schools, debates were revived and controversy arose. The government stated that this was part of a broader austerity measure; with the Department of Education (DfE) predicting a £1.9 billion funding shortfall by 2025. The government’s effort to prioritise more “high-impact” subjects such as STEM pushed this decision that led to the termination of smaller initiatives such as the £4 million Latin programme. This decision created criticism as they were accused of undermining the diversity of the UK curriculum. Overall, this cut highlights the government’s priorities, showing that they prefer financial stability over the promotion of a more diverse and literary curriculum.

The decision is reviving debates about Latin being an elitist subject that has limited accessibility, usually reserved for private schools. For example, 94% of UK private schools offer Latin, compared to only 3% of state schools. An attempt was made by the Latin Excellence Programme aiming to bridge this gap by introducing Latin to 40 state schools. The removal of the subject completely would only exacerbate the misperception of Latin as an exclusive subject to privileged students.

Furthermore, critics argue that Latin’s removal from schools undermines its role in understanding European language, literature and history. More than 60% of English words are derived from Latin, making the language a foundation for linguistic and cultural studies. Removing the subject from the curriculum will diminish students; access to critical cultural heritage and will also weaken cross-disciplinary skills in areas such as medicine, law and linguistics. This emphasises a tension between short-term social priorities and the long-term benefits of a classically-informed education.

Finally, the decline of Latin reflects a broader shift in educational priorities towards STEM and vocational subjects. A 2024 survey found that 72% of state schools are reducing hours spent on humanities subjects, instead favouring subjects such as maths and science. This aligns with a global trend emphasising practical, career-oriented skills over classical studies. However, such shifts may neglect the intellectual benefits of a humanities-based education. The decline of Latin is emblematic of wider changes in educational policy, questioning the precarious balance between utility and cultural enrichment in modern curricula.