Report calls for mandatory arts and culture education
Art subjects should be compulsory to the age of 16, report says
A report commissioned by the Department of Education has recommended that arts subjects should become part of the basic curriculum for pupils aged between 14 and 16.
The report by the panel for the national curriculum review proposes that a wider range of subjects should be compulsory to the age of 16, including arts subjects.
“Bearing in mind the influence that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is having on the provision of academic courses in Key Stage 4 for a larger proportion of pupils, we are concerned, as in primary education, that the role of art and music in a broad, balanced and effective education should not be lost,” the report states.
The EBacc was introduced last January and rewards secondary schools for good GCSE grades in maths, English, science, a language and either history or geography. This has led to many schools switching resources to these subjects, and cutting the option to study the arts.
But the report argues that teaching pupils about their cultural heritage benefits individuals, their communities and the nation. Evidence also suggests that these subjects are important to the economic health of a country and benefit “pupil engagement, cognitive development and achievement, including in mathematics and reading”.
The national curriculum review examines the curricula used at primary and secondary levels, and how these compare to education systems around the world.
An overhaul of the national curriculum was due in 2013, but education secretary Michael Gove has now delayed this until autumn 2014 to allow for “further debate”.
The Cultural Learning Alliance welcomed the recommendations made in the report.
“We are delighted that the expert panel has built on this groundswell of support as well as its own extensive research to robustly recommend that arts subjects retain their place in the national curriculum,” it said in a statement. “This is a fantastic recognition of the value and importance of arts disciplines to our education and learning system.”
The report was published a month after the publication of the Henley report into cultural education was delayed.
Link
National Curriculum Review update
The report by the panel for the national curriculum review proposes that a wider range of subjects should be compulsory to the age of 16, including arts subjects.
“Bearing in mind the influence that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is having on the provision of academic courses in Key Stage 4 for a larger proportion of pupils, we are concerned, as in primary education, that the role of art and music in a broad, balanced and effective education should not be lost,” the report states.
The EBacc was introduced last January and rewards secondary schools for good GCSE grades in maths, English, science, a language and either history or geography. This has led to many schools switching resources to these subjects, and cutting the option to study the arts.
But the report argues that teaching pupils about their cultural heritage benefits individuals, their communities and the nation. Evidence also suggests that these subjects are important to the economic health of a country and benefit “pupil engagement, cognitive development and achievement, including in mathematics and reading”.
The national curriculum review examines the curricula used at primary and secondary levels, and how these compare to education systems around the world.
An overhaul of the national curriculum was due in 2013, but education secretary Michael Gove has now delayed this until autumn 2014 to allow for “further debate”.
The Cultural Learning Alliance welcomed the recommendations made in the report.
“We are delighted that the expert panel has built on this groundswell of support as well as its own extensive research to robustly recommend that arts subjects retain their place in the national curriculum,” it said in a statement. “This is a fantastic recognition of the value and importance of arts disciplines to our education and learning system.”
The report was published a month after the publication of the Henley report into cultural education was delayed.
Link
National Curriculum Review update