‘Dangerous’: Classical homeschooling model making inroads in Scotland

Expert issues warning over ‘Christ-centred’ system from US

BY the end of 2024, a homeschooling movement which embeds classical texts in the curriculum aims to have at least five communities in Scotland.

The US-based Classical Conversations homeschooling model describes itself as delivering a “Christcentred” education “rooted in the classical model”.

It’s a style of teaching which is, by its very nature, somewhat old-fashioned.

Children as young as four are taught to conjugate Latin verbs and memorise names and events from ancient history.

As they get older, they’re told not to view subjects individually but to apply concepts such as logic, reasoning and debate to everything they learn.

A reading list for a 12-year-old is more likely to contain The Iliad than it is a contemporary work written specifically for young adults.

While parents teach the majority of the curriculum from home, children are brought together at least once a week to learn collaboratively.

At present, around 45,000 families educate their children through Classical Conversations globally, with the first Scottish community set up in Glasgow in 2020.

Communities in Livingston and Dundee followed in 2023, with the creation of at least two more communities promised by the end of the year.

The conservative politics of classical schooling

IN America, classical education is growing exponentially.

Dozens of classical schools have opened up across the country, often backed by the political and financial support of Republicans.

For many conservatives, it is viewed as an antidote to the inclusion of topics such as LGBTQ+ history and anti-racism into the public school curriculum.

Indeed, a blog post on the Classical Conversations website rails against the “insidious, slippery departure from biblical principle” in education.

The author, a father who homeschooled his two children via the programme, wrote that attempts to convince Christians of the validity of homosexual relationships amounted to the discarding of “God’s mandate against sexual immorality”.

“The growth of a movement which puts an overtly political spin on education before it’s even delivered is, frankly, dangerous,” said Dr Alex Imrie, a classics tutor at the University of Edinburgh and secretary of the Classical Association of Scotland.

“It should be an alarm call to those in power that classics needs to be introduced broadly across the spectrum of Scottish education, with oversight from bodies such as Education Scotland and the SQA.

“Because our response to this overtly conservative trend of teaching classics must be that if you’re going to teach it, teach it all and teach it properly.

“The truth is that the classical world is not gleaming white marble and socially conservative American politics.

“It’s grimy, dirty, technicolour, violent and often unsavoury. What they’re teaching – from the point of view of a professional classicist – is not classics.

“Works of classical literature must be understood within their context. If you’re reading Plato and Aristotle to inform your modern philosophies on race you are, quite frankly, out of your tree.”

The state of play for classics education in Scotland

DR Imrie never had the chance to study classics at school.

“We got a couple of weeks on the Egyptians if we were lucky,” he said.

“Portobello High School had a Latin motto, but nobody could tell me what it meant!”

It wasn’t until he was able to take an elective in ancient history at the University of Edinburgh that Dr Imrie’s devotion to the subject truly began.

Now, he dedicates much of his time to advocating for classics.

Currently, only around 600 pupils sit exams in classics or Latin every year in Scotland – mainly within fee-paying schools.

“Since the 1980s, classics has gradually disappeared from the state education system,” said Dr Imrie.

“Latin in particular developed this reputation as an impenetrable subject and schools stopped replacing teachers when they retired.

“That then created a smaller job market, leading teacher training courses to drop classical studies and Latin as options, which has only exacerbated the problem.”

It’s currently impossible to pursue training as a classics teacher in Scotland.

Furthermore, graduates of ancient history aren’t eligible for entry on to post-graduate courses allowing them to qualify as history teachers.

The Classical Association for Scotland has spent years lobbying the General Teaching Council of Scotland to change the requirements for entry, with a consultation on the change closing earlier this month.

It’s a move that would likely help with the provision of classics teachers in Scotland, as qualified teachers with backgrounds in ancient history would be able to accredit themselves in classical studies soon after graduation.

“We did a survey back in 2017 which found there were fewer than 20 state schools offering any form of classical studies,” said Dr Imrie, who also works with Classics For All, a charity which seeks to improve the provision of classics, Latin and ancient Greek in state schools.

“We’ve managed to more than double that number since then, which – in a context where curriculum narrowing is constantly criticised – seems really positive.

“Latin, due to the linguistic barrier, is a bit of a harder nut to crack. But we’re collaborating with the existing Latin teachers in Scotland to try and defend its place in the curriculum.

“We’re trying to break down the divide which currently makes an education in Latin the preserve of the fee-paying minority.”

SCOTS are being encouraged to share their views on “aspirational” legislation which could see Scotland become the first country in the world to have an autism commissioner.

Despite feeling disconnected and showing signs of thinking in different ways when they were younger, Charleen Morton and Carrie Watts had both become parents before they discovered they were autistic through their children being diagnosed with the condition.

After experiencing first-hand the difficulties and stigma autistic and neurodivergent people face in their everyday lives, both of them are now desperate to see as many people as possible make their opinions known about the Scottish Government’s Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill.

The legislation – being consulted on until April 21 – includes proposals for more inclusive communication and mandatory public sector training to address the barriers faced by autistic people, neurodivergent people and those with learning disabilities.

It also includes a world-leading plan to implement an autism commission or commissioner to uphold and protect the rights of autistic people across the board.

The Scottish Government has highlighted evidence that people with learning disabilities die on average 20 years earlier than the rest of the population while autistic people are nine times more likely to die by suicide, with a major contributing factor being the stigma they face.

Watts said that the Scottish Government should be applauded for its bravery in putting forward the bill, but insisted it is vital the neurodivergent community engage with the consultation to ensure proposals are not watered down.

The 47-year-old from Inverness told the Sunday National: “I think the Scottish Government should be commended for trying to address this because it needs to be. It’s aspirational and it’s fabulous. I hope there will be a continued bravery in the way they move forward with it.

“We very rarely get opportunities like this to affect the long-term outcomes for people and the public should get involved.

“Everyone will know an autistic person so we should all be getting involved to shape better outcomes for so many people.”

Morton, 46, added: “If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got. We need people to speak up.

“If we can get a commissioner to help autistic people get more support and live independently, that will not just help autistic people but will help across the board.”

AREPORT produced by the National Autistic Society Scotland and Scottish Autism in 2023 showed how 96% of 1215 people surveyed supported creating an independent commissioner who could hold local and central government to account, promote good practice and ensure autistic people have a “powerful ally” embedded in law they can turn to.

The top proposed duties of the commissioner from the report in order were: Hold local authorities, service providers and the Scottish Government to account; promote an understanding of autism to the wider public; support individuals and families to address issues and make complaints, and gather data on meeting autistic people’s needs.

Watts said a commissioner is needed to ensure there is more accountability for how autistic people are treated and cared for.

She said: “There is a misconception that disability equals unworthiness. Autistic people are caught in this situation where we are disabled by certain physical aspects of autism, but then we are further disabled by society.

“People have a very 1950s perspective on what it means to be autistic and how that looks in the modern-day world.”

Watts continued: “I think there needs to be accountability. When you offer suggestions and guidance, you’re not holding anyone accountable for anything.

“The only way we can create genuine change that will lead to better outcomes for autistic people is to have someone there as an oversight who can say ‘this policy is discriminatory’ or ‘this practice is hurting autistic people’.”

Morton, from Arbroath, added: “There’s too many children being left after school in bedrooms with no quality of life at all because there’s no help there.

“You’ve got autistic people who go to university and are high flyers, but there are huge percentages of people in the middle and no-one is there for them.

“These are the kids that don’t attend school and end up at home with very poor mental health.”

Both Morton and Watts – who are volunteers with the National Autistic Society – argued mandatory training for the likes of police officers, emergency service workers and school staff is essential while they will also be putting forward arguments for autism to be clearly defined separately from mental health problems.

Watts said: “Autistic people can experience distress and require the services of mental health professionals that have nothing to do with being autistic.”

The Scottish Government’s consultation, which has been co-developed with people with lived experience of disabilities, can be filled out by following consult.gov.scot/ mental-health-unit/learningdisabilities-autism-neurodivergencebill/consultation