Spotlight on our 2025 School Teacher Fellow
The BSA’s School Teacher Fellowship is offered each year to enable a teacher to pursue a project in Greece designed to enhance their teaching (for example by researching a course, preparing teaching materials, visiting sites or using the Library). Priority is given to teachers from non-selective state schools, especially those working in schools with a high proportion of students from backgrounds which are traditionally under-represented in the teaching of classical subjects, e.g. those from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background and/or where a high percentage of pupils are eligible for Free School Meals. The BSA School Teacher Fellowship is kindly supported by the Gilbert Murray Trust.
In July 2025, Gary Watson (Bishopsgarth School, Stockton-on-Tees) spent a week in Athens as our School Teacher Fellow. Gary reports:
“The BSA Library was utilised to embed the latest research into lessons, which served as a quiet work space to develop, draw up and plan the lessons and scheme of work. Visiting sites like the National Archaeological Museum, the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, the Roman Agora and the Acropolis gave first hand experience of important evidence that could be used in lessons (with images taken on the spot). This included voting ballots and kleroteria, various items that indicate the way people lived in ancient Greece (including a baby cradle) and some jewellery and weaponry. Key architecture – the Parthenon, in particular – formed the centre piece to a lesson on the significance of ancient architecture and what it says about the values and way of life of the society that produced it.
Developing the series of lessons, I focused on the question ‘Why were the Ancients so Significant?’, which also subliminally answers a common question asked by pupils: ‘why should I learn this? Or, why do I need to know this?’. Covering the achievements of the Greeks and Romans, aspects of ancient life, how ancient empires were built, and the influences and advances that still influence the world today, by the end of the lesson series students are able to answer the question of what made Greek and Roman achievements significant. There are also several activities based around Latin and Ancient Greek, designed and adapted in an accessible way to give the students a taste of ancient languages and how they work.
By making available the facilities and environs of the BSA, the School Teacher Fellowship opens up opportunities for state school students in areas with low educational opportunities, outcomes and access to classical education. Since reading levels, cultural capital and knowledge of (but not interest in) classics and ancient history are minimal among students at Bishopsgarth School in Stockton-on-Tees, the planning and design of an introductory series of lessons was an appropriate way to approach a project that would produce meaningful outcomes. The lessons developed in Athens will be made available for the use of the teachers at the school for perpetuity. They can (and will) also be adapted for use at other secondary establishments in the North East of England and will likely be expanded upon in the future.”
The fellowship scheme is currently open for applications with a deadline of the 27th February 2026. Find out more.