Our response to Cambridge OCR’s recent decision to withdrawal AS Latin and Greek qualifications

The Classical Association, together with the Hellenic and Roman Societies, is urgently engaging with Cambridge OCR following the sudden announcement of the withdrawal of AS Level Latin and Classical Greek. We have been contacted by many of you regarding this decision. We know this has caused significant concern across the teaching community, and we want to reassure colleagues that, as the Subject Association for the discipline, we are advocating on your behalf.

We have written formally to Cambridge OCR, to express our concerns that this withdrawal:

– Makes access to Latin and Greek even harder, particularly for state-sector schools and regions already facing limited provision.
– Risks damaging the pipeline into A Level Latin and Greek, where the AS provides an essential entry point for many students.
– Creates uncertainty about the long‑term security of A Level qualifications in classical languages.

The AS qualification is vital for many centres. We know many of you plan AS courses over two years. At the very least, we are pushing for the final assessment window to be extended to 2028 to protect students intending to begin the AS this coming September – but we are also urging Cambridge OCR to reconsider this decision entirely.

We will shortly be meeting with Cambridge OCR to ensure the concerns of the teaching community are heard and addressed.

The Classical Association remains committed to safeguarding the future of classical language education, and will continue to advocate strongly on your behalf.