Letter To Members

Dear JACT member

As we begin a new year, I wanted to sum up some of last year's more significant developments at JACT, and let you know about our plans for 2009.

2008 was an enormously busy and productive one for JACT. Our conference and AGM attracted over one hundred members to the British Museum - not only for Boris Johnson's presidential address but for guided tours of parts of the collections and for a highly successful set of sessions on key topics (not least the new GCSE specifications). Through our Examinations Committee, we have now established a good working relationship with OCR, as with other awarding bodies, and have been energetically representing our members' concerns. JACT has now also launched a regular e-newsletter, as a way of passing on news to (or consulting with) our membership, and we are set shortly to unveil both a new website and an important new resource, the Classics Online Gateway. Developed in collaboration with the Oxford Classics Faculty, my own Liverpool Department, and the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Classics, the Gateway is intended to provide an exhaustive database of Classics projects nationally.

Also during 2008, we bade farewell to our Honorary Consultant Secretary, David Taylor, a deeply committed advocate of classics in schools for many years, whose high standing in the educational world proved invaluable to JACT. We welcomed two new, immensely able and energetic officers - Katharine Radice and Alan Beale. On Council, Bob Lister, Julian Morgan and Monica Williams came to the end of their three year terms as elected members, and John Godwin, Lynda Goss and Janet Taylor replaced them following the elections held before the AGM. We are hugely grateful for the commitment and hard work that the departing council members put into JACT, and for the enthusiasm and experience of our new recruits. Our former administrator, Anna Bayraktar - well known to many members through her stalwart work in the office and in organising our AGMs - moved on to take up a new position in a film production company, and was replaced as administrator by Robyn Wheatley. My fellow officers and I have been immensely impressed by the speed with which Robyn has already "learned the ropes" and become an integral part of the JACT team.

There is plenty to look forward to in the new year. Beginning from September 2009, we will be running, annually, a single integrated INSET day: the first of these will take place at University of London, Senate House. Further details and a booking form will be distributed in the next edition of JCT and via the JACT Email list. We are also, as you may be aware, currently testing the feasibility of a major fundraising campaign (jointly with Friends of Classics) to support the teaching of Classics in schools. There are a number of exciting features planned in our two publications, the Journal of Classics Teaching and Omnibus, including a special Autumn edition of JCT with articles specifically relevant to the forthcoming year's examination syllabi. If this proves useful to our members, we hope to make it an annual feature of the journal.

We hope that the 2009 JACT Conference will take place in the newly reopened Great North Museum in Newcastle. It is expected to feature an address from our new President, who I can reveal will be the well known writer and broadcaster Bettany Hughes. At this stage we still have the flexibility to add some sessions to the agenda and so if you have any specific ideas for topics or speakers you would like to see at the Conference, please do get in touch with us via office@jact.org.

We are, indeed, more generally keen to hear from our members about what JACT should (or should not!) be doing. We think that it is vital that JACT should reflect the needs of its members, and so if you have any ideas or suggestions for things JACT should (or indeed should not!) be doing, please let us know via office@jact.org. Even better, why not volunteer to help? We are currently looking for additional members for our Latin committee, and if you are interested in finding out more about what is involved, please contact the office and we will be happy to give you more details.

Finally, I hope you have all heard the news (published in the Telegraph on December 27th) that the government has now recognised that Latin is in fact helpful (rather than harmful!) to modern language learning and is considering reinstating Latin 'as an official curriculum language' this year. I hope this is a good omen for the position of classics nationally - happy new year!

Tom Harrison

Chair of JACT Council

About JACT

JACT works in close association with the Classical Association (CA) and the Association for Latin Teaching (ARLT) - which has its own associated web site (link below) -, the learned societies and the British Schools in Athens and Rome. It maintains links with the Department of Education and Employment (DfEE), with OFSTED and with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), and with the examination boards, all with the aim of promoting the teaching of Classics.

In December 1999, JACT was informed that money would be forthcoming from the DfEE for developing a web site for teachers of Classics. This site is the result of six months work: obviously no web site is ever 'finished' - and we hope that there will be a massive and continuous input from members and other visitors to the site.

JACT works in close association with the Classical Association (CA) and the Association for Latin Teaching (ARLT) - which has its own associated web site (link below) -, the learned societies and the Bristish Schools in Athens and Rome. It maintains links with the Department of Education and Employment (DfEE), with OFSTED and with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), and with the examination boards, all with the aim of promoting the teaching of Classics.

• ARLT website
• CA website

Contacts

The first point of contact for JACT members and the general public is the JACT Administrator:

JACT
Senate House
Malet St, London
WC1E 7HU
UK

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7862 8719
Fax: +44 (0)20 7255 2297
Email: office@jact.org

Under its constitution the Association is administered by a Council which meets twice a year in March and November. Some of the Council's work is delegated to the Association's Officers and Committees:

Chairman of JACT Council: Prof Thomas Harrison
Honorary Secretary: Mr Alan Clague, Ms Katharine Radice
Honorary Consultant Secretary: Mr Alan Beale
Honorary Treasurer: Mr Graham Shaw

President: Boris Johnson, MP

Visit the Subjects and Publications pages for contact details of JACT's Subject Committees and Publications.

How to join

JACT exists to promote the interest of the Classics in schools and colleges, and to support teachers. It has a world-wide membership. Members receive the Journal of Classics Teaching and Omnibus (see the Publications page). We need to maintain the largest and most representative membership possible, so that we can speak for Classics teachers with authority and credibility We offer members the support of a strong subject association, and access to a network of contacts.

Full membership of the Association is currently £40.00 per annum. PGCE students or classics post-graduate students can join for the first year free. Other students or those in the first year of teaching may subscribe for £16.00 per annum. Those who wish to include membership of the Classical Association with their subscription should add £12.00 per annum.

The subscription is for a calendar year, renewable on January 1st, except that new members may join at the beginning of the academic year, in September/October and have membership for four terms, until the end of the next calendar year. We welcome non-teaching members as well - JACT membership is open to all.

Note that JACT is recognised as a professional body by the Inland Revenue, and the subscription amount can be set aginst tax. To see what JACT Membership offers please click here.

For a New Member form click here. Existing JACT Members:  for 2009 Renewal Form click here.