The Iris Project is an educational charity which was started in 2006 by Dr Lorna Robinson in order to bring ancient languages and culture to inner city state schools and communities. Saying that the decline in the study of classics was "a real concern" and that the study of classics should not be confined to pupils at independent schools, she launched the project to considerable media interest.

The project began by offering a magazine, Iris, free for state schools and weekend/lunchtime classes, and soon expanded across London and Oxford to many state schools as a part of the literacy curriculum.

Iris Magazine

In September 2006, the first issue of Iris magazine was published, a new Classics magazine which aimed to present Classical topics in a fun, accessible, light-hearted, modern and unusual way. The first issue featured articles such as the academic Dylan Evan's quest to re-establish Plato's Academy, a mock report on the ancient Olympian messenger system, a look at the prevalence of melting women in Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

, amongst others. Later issues have included an article by Sarah Annes Brown on modern re-interpretations of the Classics, a piece on the more gruesome elements of ancient medicine by Professor Helen King and interviews with prominent Classicists.

As well as serious articles by enthusiasts and academics on Classical topics, the magazine set out to have a quirky and gently irreverent approach to the ancient world, and therefore included a fashion page, quizzes, a myth debunk page, advice from ancient deities and even a soap-opera inspired by the BBC's Life on Mars

Life on Mars

Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Fictional Martians have been a recurring feature of popular entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, but it remains an open question whether life currently exists on...

 series.

All of these things were intended to make the subjects fun and accessible to school students and adults who may not have had any access to the subjects before.

From issue two, Alex Williams joined Iris as co-editor and since then has written the myth pages and advice column, amongst other things.

The fifteenth issue of Iris is out in May 2011.

The magazine is published three times a year to coincide with school terms, is free to state schools, and available by subscription to everyone else.

Notable issues include:

Issue One (Autumn 2006) “If Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

 and Horace

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...

 were alive today, they would be the biggest paid executives in Hollywood ”: Iris chats to Colin Dexter

Colin Dexter

Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...

 about Classics and the modern world"

Issue Two (January 2007) A chat with Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...

Issue Three (Summer 2007) An interview with Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes...

, TV historian

Issue Six (Summer 2008) A chat with Ian Hislop

Ian Hislop

Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...

, Editor of Private Eye

Private Eye

Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...

Issue Thirteen (Autumn 2010) An interview with Jonathan Evans

Jonathan Evans

Jonathan Peter Evans FRSA is a Welsh solicitor and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Cardiff North since winning the seat at the 2010 general election....

, Director General of MI5

MI5

The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...

The London Latin Project

In September 2006, Lorna started piloting Latin on the KS2 literacy curriculum to large mixed-ability classes in inner city schools. She used a course which she developed specifically for this pilot scheme, that delivered Latin using activities and the myths of Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

. The lesson plans were designed to support and enhance the national curriculum literacy strategies, and to provide an exciting, original and accessible introduction to Latin. Activities were varied and lively, examples including the use of jigsaw pieces to teach inflection, making spider webs to display how Latin and English words were connected, making road signs to teach imperatives, and inventing ancient menus to introduce vocabulary and aspects of ancient culture. The course also encouraged children to explore ancient myths in a variety of ways, from drama and story tellings to artistic reinterpretations.

The pilot proved to be very popular and successful, and as a result, from September 2007, twenty state primary and secondary schools started classes in Latin using the same course.
From September 2008, state primary and secondary schools became involved in a range of inner London boroughs including Lambeth, Southwark, Brent, Tower Hamlets, Islington, Camden and Newham, as well as the schools continuing in Hackney. At this time The Iris Project began to run the scheme in conjunction with University College London and King's College London, and arranged for the students to received training from the King's College London Classics PGCE Department as part of the project.The participating schools expressed the importance of the role of Latin in helping support and enhance literacy skills.

The Oxford Latin Project

The Oxford Latin project was piloted in 2007/8 with a handful of primary schools in Oxford city, focussing particularly on schools in the east of the city, including some of the more deprived estates including Barton and Blackbird Leys . The project continues to this day, and pupils receive year long Latin courses as part of the literacy curriculum, following the same course as outlined above in the London Latin Project.

The Hackney Schools Greek Drama Project

In 2007, playwright Graham Kirby joined The Iris Project as the co-originator (alongside Dr Robinson) of a new pilot project funded by University College London

University College London

University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

  and run with the help of student volunteers.

The project started in 2008, running in two schools in the London Borough of Hackney with a series of workshops that introduced Greek mythologies and history to Year 6 and Year 7 pupils.

The culmination of the year-long Project was on 7 July 2008 with a free performance at the Bloomsbury Theatre of Aristophanes

Aristophanes

Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...

' Frogs and Peace, translated and adapted by Graham Kirby. The project was viewed as a success by academics and seen as an important contribution to widening access to Classics.
Professor Chris Carey commented: "These plays are an ideal vehicle because they are enormous fun and can be appreciated by a wide audience. The children did a very good job; I was impressed that they were never intimidated by the scale of the theatre. They put a lot of work into learning their lines and getting into character." .

Latin in the Parks

In summer 2008, Dr Lorna Robinson set up a new project for adults who had never had the opportunity to study Latin. Running twice-weekly in Oxford with occasional sessions in London, the project ran throughout May,June and July and will continue in 2009. The sessions are held in local parks, and have met with enthusiastic success.. They involve a mixture of an introduction to Latin through translating adapted versions of the myths of Greece and Rome, and informal talks on various aspects of the ancient world, such as Roman religion, roles of women, a history of the Roman republic, exploring the representation of various mythical figures in ancient literature and art, amongst many other topics.

Early Day Motion

In July 2008 an Early Day Motion

Early day motion

An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...

 was tabled by Tom Brake

Tom Brake

Thomas Anthony Brake, known as Tom Brake, British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington.-Early life:Tom Brake was born in Melton Mowbray, moving to France when he was eight...

 MP who praised the Iris Project:

"That this House welcomes the initiative of the Iris Project, Latin in the Park, as an excellent opportunity for people from all backgrounds to learn Latin and about ancient culture free of charge in a friendly and relaxed setting; recognises that the project enables adults and families to explore various aspects of ancient culture, such as women in the ancient world, religion, the history of the Roman Republic and other subjects; further recognises that Latin may be viewed as an elite area of study discouraging wider participation; and draws attention to the fact that this initiative promotes access to the classics amongst all and any local communities."

EDM 2016 was signed by 31 other MPs. They were:
Angus McNeil,
Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Islington North since 1983.-Early and personal life:...

,
David Lepper

David Lepper

David Lepper is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion from 1997 to 2010.-Non-political life:...

,
Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore

Andrew Hartley Dismore is a British Labour Party politician and a Vice-Chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group who was the Member of Parliament for Hendon from 1997 until 2010 when he was beaten by Conservative Party candidate Matthew Offord.-Early life:Dismore was born in Bridlington,...

,
Gordon Marsden

Gordon Marsden

Gordon Marsden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blackpool South since 1997.-Early life:...

,
Lynne Jones

Lynne Jones

Lynne Mary Jones is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Selly Oak from 1992 until the dissolution of parliament in April 2010.-Early life:...

,
Edward Davey

Edward Davey

Edward Jonathan "Ed" Davey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, and in May 2010 was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...

,
Peter Bottomley

Peter Bottomley

Sir Peter James Bottomley is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Worthing West...

,
Stephen Williams

Stephen Williams (politician)

Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...

,
Kelvin Hopkins

Kelvin Hopkins

Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...

,
Joan Humble

Joan Humble

Jovanka Humble is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Fleetwood from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...

,
Alan Simpson,
Brian Jenkins

Brian Jenkins (politician)

Brian David Jenkins is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Tamworth from 1997 until 2010, and has lived in the constituency for over 50 years...

,
Edward O'Hara

Edward O'Hara

Edward O'Hara is a British Labour Party politician who became the Member of Parliament for Knowsley South following the death of Sean Hughes. He held the seat from 1990 until 2010 when the constituency was abolished. During this period his seat was considered the safest Labour seat in the country...

,
Michael Fallon

Michael Fallon

For the American Physician / Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives see Mike FallonMichael Cathel Fallon is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Sevenoaks, and as of September 2010 the deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.-Early life:Michael Fallon...

,
John Battle

John Battle (politician)

John Dominic Battle, KC*SG is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...

,
Andy Slaughter,
Greg Pope

Greg Pope

Gregory James "Greg" Pope is a former British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament for Hyndburn from 1992 until retiring at the 2010 general election. He was a government whip until the reshuffle following the 2001 general election.-Early life:He went to St Marys College R.C...

,
Richard Shepherd

Richard Shepherd

Richard Charles Scrimgeour Shepherd is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He is currently a Member of Parliament, having represented the constituency of Aldridge-Brownhills since 1979....

,
John McDonnell

John McDonnell (politician)

John Martin McDonnell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997; he serves as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Labour Representation Committee, and the "Public Services Not Private Profit Group"...

,
Malcolm Bruce

Malcolm Bruce

Malcolm Gray Bruce, MP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Gordon. He has been the chairman of the International Development Select Committee since 2005.-Early life:...

,
Ann Cryer

Ann Cryer

Constance Ann Cryer JP is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Keighley from the 1997 general election up until she stood down at the 2010 general election...

,
Bill Etherington

Bill Etherington

William "Bill" Etherington is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Sunderland North from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...

,
Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central from 1983 to 2010 and Minister for the Arts between 1997-98.-Early life:...

,
Don Foster,
Ian Taylor,
Philip Davies

Philip Davies

Philip Andrew Davies is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Shipley in West Yorkshire.-Early life:...

,
Mark Hunter

Mark Hunter (politician)

Mark James Hunter is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Cheadle.-Education and background:...

,
Vincent Cable

Vincent Cable

Dr. John Vincent "Vince" Cable is a British Liberal Democrat politician and economist who is currently the Business Secretary in the coalition cabinet of David Cameron. He has been Member of Parliament for Twickenham since 1997....

,
Martin Horwood

Martin Horwood

Martin Charles Horwood is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Cheltenham constituency. He is the founder and current Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tribal Peoples.-Early life:He was born in St. Paul’s, Cheltenham, in 1962. His parents...

, and
Susan Kramer

Susan Kramer

Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....

 

The Iris Festival of Greek Drama

In June 2009 the Iris Project launched a new Classics festival, run by Kirby, at The Scoop

The Scoop

The Scoop is an outdoor amphitheatre situated on the south side of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in London, located underneath City Hall, providing seating for approximately 800 people...

 in central London. The Iris Festival of Greek Drama took place on 17 - 19 June 2009 with a double bill of Greek comedy performed by inner London state schools, an afternoon of activities and workshops, and an evening performance of Euripides

Euripides

Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...

' The Bacchae

The Bacchae

The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumously at the Theatre of Dionysus in 405 BC as part of a tetralogy that also included Iphigeneia at Aulis, and which...

, translated by Graham Kirby.

Over three days two hundred and fifty children took part in the afternoon performances from four different schools, performing adapations of two abridged Greek plays, Birds and Clouds.

The festival was officially opened by London mayor Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...

 and was free to members of the public.

The Oxford Greek Project

A new project was launched in Autumn 2010, which involves teaching ancient Greek in east Oxford primary schools during the academic year to see if this will enhance and enrich the children’s learning of English and other connected subjects in year six. Project leader Lorna Robinson stated that learning ancient Greek as part of the English KS2 curriculum would provide a fascinating basis for grasping the complexities of English grammar; and that it would also provide a fascinating framework within which to locate English learning, introducing them to an hugely influential culture and explaining how this culture and its language has shaped English and English cultural norms.

The lessons, which are freely available on The Iris Project website for schools to use, connect with other aspects of the school curriculum, from history and geography, through to science and maths, and also drama, art and sport. The curriculum includes introductions to ancient Greek philosophy, theatre, democracy, sport and more. Sessions have also included an artefact session, where pupils have had the opportunity to handle copies of ancient Greek objects and to explore what information they give about ancient Greek society.

Iota magazine

Iota is a new Classics magazine produced by The Iris Project for younger children. It aims to introduce Classics and Latin in a fun, informative and engaging way, and its content is designed and written to fit in with the key stage two material on the ancient Greeks and Romans. There are three editions published per year - one for each school term - and every issue is be themed around a different Classical myth. Through five exciting sections, children can learn about the way Romans and Greeks lived, as well as being introduced to the Latin language through activities and games.

Iris Online

Iris Online was launched in October 2011 by Robinson and Kirby, bring Iris magazine's content online as well as featuring more immediate news, polls and reviews. The early site featured articles about philosophy, slavery and Lucian

Lucian

Lucian of Samosata was a rhetorician and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.His ethnicity is disputed and is attributed as Assyrian according to Frye and Parpola, and Syrian according to Joseph....

 as well as interviews with Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes...

, Joan Smith

Joan Smith

Joan Alison Smith is an English novelist, journalist and human rights activist, who is a former chair of the Writers in Prison committee in the English section of International PEN.-Life and work:...

 and Martha Kearney

Martha Kearney

Martha Catherine Kearney is an Irish-born British broadcaster and journalist. She is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme The World at One.-Early life:...

.

Patrons

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...

 is a patron of the project. Other patrons are distinguished academic Professor Chris Carey

Chris Carey

Chris Carey is Professor of Greek at University College London . In April 2000 The Independent named him as one of the "stars of modern classical scholarship".-Biography:...

, journalist and arts correspondent of The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 Charlotte Higgins

Charlotte Higgins

Charlotte Higgins is a British writer.-Biography:She was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford. She is a blogger and The Guardians chief arts writer...

, broadcaster Martha Kearney

Martha Kearney

Martha Catherine Kearney is an Irish-born British broadcaster and journalist. She is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme The World at One.-Early life:...

, historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes...

, journalist Dr Peter Jones

Peter Jones (classicist)

Peter V. Jones is a Cambridge graduate with a doctorate on Homer. He is a former senior lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and co-founded with Jeannie Cohen the Friends of Classics charity...

, renowned educationalist and philosopher Mary Warnock, biographer Anthony Seldon

Anthony Seldon

Dr. Anthony F. Seldon MA, PhD, FRSA, MBA, FRHistS is a political commentator best known as Tony Blair's biographer and the Master of Wellington College...

, and campaigner and writer Joan Smith

Joan Smith

Joan Alison Smith is an English novelist, journalist and human rights activist, who is a former chair of the Writers in Prison committee in the English section of International PEN.-Life and work:...

.

External links

• http://www.irismagazine.org
• http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=36353&SESSION=891
• http://www.walkerbooks.com/books/catalog.php?key=751
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5041212.stm
• http://www.tes.co.uk/2241006
• http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article1294854.ece
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2007_07_fri.shtml
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6570171.stm
• http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1404149.0.actors_bring_%20dead_language_to_life.php
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6990848.stm
• http://www.theoxfordtimes.net/news/headlines/display.var.1730942.0.latin_lives_on.php
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-499492/Why-inner-city-youngsters-learning-Latin-again.html
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2224998,00.html
• http://www.nacell.org.uk/doing/latin.htm
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/education/2008/05/24/elatin24.xml
• http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0807/08071501
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2008/10/25/falatin125.xml
• http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6004258
• http://www.abc.net.au/rn/linguafranca/stories/2009/2501181.htm
• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/906272e6-fe60-11df-845b-00144feab49a,Authorised=true.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F2%2F906272e6-fe60-11df-845b-00144feab49a%2Cs01%3D1.html&_i_referer=#axzz178Wg2iwD