Designed for instructors in schools and universities, as well as stakeholders and policy-makers in education everywhere, this book is a systematic guide to contemporary school teaching of classical languages, literature and civilisation in major countries across the world. This book examines the trends and assesses the rationale for such diversity in programmes of study and asks the question: What are classical subjects for in today’s schools?

Each chapter is arranged by geographical area and draws on the experiences of teachers and other education experts in each country, commenting on contemporary practices. Themes such as the impact of national education policies, enrolment, assessment, accessibility and inclusion are discussed. The teaching of Classics has wide variations in practices and purposes from one education system to another: in some, the teaching of Classics continues to be focused on the mastery of language and grammar; in others, active use of the ancient languages is growing in popularity; and yet in others, the focus is shifting towards the study of the languages and civilisations in translation. Presenting an overview survey and comparison of practices across the world, this book is essential reading for instructors and teaching training courses in the world of classical education.