OpenLearn’s HeadStart Classical Studies hits half a million views

The Open University’s Classical Studies team recently celebrated two key milestones in making our free online study materials accessible to as many learners as possible. February saw the launch of the fifth HeadStart Classical Studies OpenLearn course, Exploring Ovid’s Big Ideas, written by Dr Chella Ward. Then in March the total number of visits for the whole HeadStart suite hit an impressive half a million, with the number of people accessing these courses still continuing to rise.

The concept for HeadStart was devised by Professor James Robson who, along with Dr Emma Bridges, oversaw its development. All five courses, each of which comprises around six hours of guided self-study, are written by Open University Classical Studies experts who share exciting and accessible insights based on their own research into the topics covered.

The suite now comprises:

• Exploring Homer’s Odyssey by Emma Bridges
• Exploring Ancient Greek Religion by Alexandra Wilding
• The Many Guises of the Emperor Augustus by Ursula Rothe
• Herodotus and the Invention of History by Elton Barker
• Exploring Ovid’s Big Ideas by Marchella Ward

As the HeadStart landing page declares, these courses are “designed for anyone and everyone who is interested in finding out more about ancient Greece and Rome”; they assume no prior knowledge and, like all OpenLearn resources, are free to access. While they have particular appeal for school students (the chosen topics tie in with aspects of UK school Classical Studies curricula) we’ve found that our audiences come from all backgrounds and age groups: users have described the courses as “really fascinating and accessible” as well as “simple to understand and informative”.

HeadStart has already proved to be a winning formula: in 2025 the national charity Classics for All recognised the impact of our work by awarding the Classical Studies team the inaugural Dr Stephanie West University Outreach Award; HeadStart, along with our other outreach and widening participation initiatives (including our OpenLearn ancient language resources) was cited as an example of the way in which we are “actively expanding access to classical subjects, breaking down barriers, and inspiring new and diverse audiences”.

OpenLearn provides a team like ours with a fantastic and far-reaching platform from which to connect with audiences who may otherwise have little or no access to Classical Studies. As Dr Chella Ward, author of the newest HeadStart course, recently observed, “Half a million visitors is the equivalent of visiting a full classroom every day for 45 years!”