Access Classics is an outreach initiative by the School of Classics at University College Dublin (UCD). It was established in 2019 to widen participation in, and encourage engagement with, Classics, a field that explores ancient Greek and Roman civilisations, their interactions with other cultures, and their continued impact on our world. Access Classics has three main aims:

• To provide support for second-level teachers of Classics through teaching resources and individualised support at all levels;
• To encourage and facilitate the uptake of Classical Studies, Latin and Ancient Greek at third level;
• To work with schools that currently do not/ cannot offer Classics as part of their official curriculum in order to provide their students opportunities to explore the ancient world

To meet these aims, we run tailored workshops for second-level students, either visiting the schools or welcoming the students and their teachers to the UCD campus; we create fee, downloadable resources, particularly for Transition Year; and we are delighted to work with and alongside some fantastic organisations in promoting Classics and its uptake in Ireland, most notably the Classical Association of Ireland and the Classical Association of Ireland Teachers, and those striving to increase accessibility to education as a whole, such as UCD Access and Lifelong Learning.

Classics is a marginal subject in Irish second-level schools, being formally offered in only ca. 70 second-level schools (out of a possible ca. 730), and the Classical languages (Latin and ancient Greek) are available in only a handful of schools. As such, we are delighted with the response we have received since 2019, meeting with more than 5,000 second-level students in person and interacting with thousands more through our resources! We look forward to meeting many more students and teachers over the coming years!

Contact information for Access Classics:

General information: bridget.martin@ucd.ie or access.classics@ucd.ie

To book/enquire about a visit: https://forms.gle/WiTJPSgghY7DAvxv9