It is a pleasure and a privilege to write my first editorial as Editor of the Journal of Classics Teaching. I follow in the footsteps of Steve Hunt, whose editorial leadership since 2012 shaped the journal into the UK’s flagship publication for classical pedagogy. Under Steve’s care, the journal has become a vibrant forum for sharing ideas, challenges, and creativity among those teaching Classics at all levels and in all contexts.

In his final editorial, Steve generously described me as someone he was confident would be the journal’s “highly effective custodian.” I am grateful for this trust. I am also here to build: to extend the journal’s reach, energy, and ambition. My vision is to support and promote pedagogic research at the cutting edge of Classics and Ancient History, and also to make JCT a forum for celebrating exciting classical teaching wherever it takes place.

As part of this vision, I hope to grow our coverage of news and reports, reflecting the rich and varied activities taking place across the Classics teaching community. Whether showcasing local initiatives, national collaborations, or global innovations, these reports offer a window into the living culture of the subject, and into the vibrant community that sustains it.

The present issue, like those to come, also features articles focused on pedagogy. These reflect the journal’s core focus and ongoing commitment to research-informed, reflective practice. Each piece speaks to the realities of teaching and learning today, connecting scholarship, classroom experience, and a desire to make Classics meaningful and accessible.

The issue also includes a wide-ranging selection of book reviews, covering publications on classical cultures and their legacies, history, literature, mythology, pedagogy, languages, and language teaching. These titles have been reviewed from the perspective of their usefulness to teachers and their students, and have been chosen from the rich range of reviews published in advance online. Reviews will remain a central part of the journal, offering insight into the resources shaping Classics.

I am keen to ensure that JCT continues to be relevant to educators across, and beyond, the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors by publishing scholarship that is timely, rigorous, and connected to teaching practice. As a teacher, communicator, and editor whose work spans multiple sectors, I aim to realise the journal’s potential not only as the UK’s leading teaching journal for Classics, but also as one with a growing international presence.

To that end, I will work to continue broadening our community of contributors and readers through widely disseminated calls for submissions, active digital and social media engagement, and a visible online profile. I will also continue to prioritise efficiency and clarity in the editorial process, with the goal that authors experience the publication journey as supportive and rewarding.

Collaboration will be key. I look forward to working with colleagues in the UK and internationally to share and celebrate Classics teaching practices across, and beyond, traditional institutional boundaries. My current portfolio of roles in editing, research, teaching, and training enables me to bring flexibility, a broad perspective, and a commitment to facilitating dialogue within and between teaching communities.

The contributions to this first issue under my editorship were each commissioned or accepted by Steve, and it has been my honour to see them through to publication. JCT is, and will remain, a space where pedagogy is celebrated, and where the potential of classical learning to be inclusive, creative, and globally relevant is supported.

Thank you, Steve, for your outstanding editorship and your generous confidence as I begin this journey ahead.