Dear all,
There is now a petition that has been set up on the Downing Street website
asking the Prime Minister to intervene to prevent the abolition of the
Ancient History A level (he does not strictly speaking, I imagine, have
the power to tell OCR what to do, but any political pressure from above
might move QCA to prevent it). Signing the petition is very easy - just
go to this webpage
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/AncientHistory
fill in the few details asked for and then you receive an email and click
on a link and it's done... Do pass it on as widely as you can - you never
know, it may help.
In case any of you think this is a fuss about nothing, I paste below this
an (anonymised) email reporting one of a no. of similar calls into the
JACT office. Some have said to me that universities get good students in
AH who have never done the A level - of course true, but not the point:
the no. of people who will be able to do AH and the range of areas that
classics in general reaches will be reduced by OCR's plans. Schools will
(quite shortly) decide that they cannot offer the subject, and that will
be that - it is very difficult for subjects like ours to grow back.
best wishes,
Tom Harrison
Professor Thomas Harrison
Head of School
School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE)
University of Liverpool
12-14 Abercromby Square
Liverpool L69 7WZ
* * * * *
I’ve just had a telephone call from a woman called XXX, who works at XXX
College near XXX. They have been setting up a new AH A Level course to
start in September and already had 40 people signed up to it – hence she
rang to ask whether a campaign to save the A Level had been started and
was asking what she could do as she felt very strongly about it. She
tells me XXX College nearby in XXX this present year had 88 signed up for
the same course.
She tells me her college serves what people used to describe as
the ‘biggest council estate in Europe’ and has just come back from a trip
to Pompeii with some of these kids whose background has never afforded
them anything like it. Feels very strongly we must fight to keep the
provision there as there is an obvious demand.
She says she fears her Head will very shortly call her in to discuss what
is to be done re the planned course and the 40 people awaiting it – and we
will need to know what advice to give people in that position.
Archive of list messages may be found at:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/classicsgrads
Visit the same site to change your subscription settings.
All queries regarding the list should be directed to:
[log in to unmask]
|