CULTURAL EDUCATION


schools, some children will miss out on this chance to broaden their horizons, see themselves and the world in a new light and explore who they are and what they might become. Another area highlighted by the research is the


relationship between arts subjects and experiences and student well-being. Respondents in the Time to Listen study talked overwhelmingly about the importance of arts subjects as a release valve for some of the pressures they experience at school and at home. Every day we hear about the increasing burdens being placed on children and young people and the impact that this is having on their long-term well-being and mental health. Our study revealed that many young people value the arts as a crucial outlet to release some of that pressure and a way of processing some of the difficult emotions that they experience as teenagers. We know that teachers and schools agree that


these things are important, but we also know that it is becoming harder for them to access and give priority to arts and cultural education.


What the research clearly shows is that the


unintended consequence of: emphasising the importance of STEM subjects; focusing school performance measurements around progress in some subjects and not others; Russell Group universities defining a list of subjects that keep student options open but exclude arts subjects; is that young people and teachers feel that arts and cultural education is less valued, and therefore less valuable. We are unintentionally telling our young people


that arts and cultural education don’t count. In practical terms, the result of all this is a sharp decline in the number of arts teachers and hours spent teaching arts subjects in state-funded schools and less students opting for arts subjects. Time to Listen makes five recommendations to


Government and policy makers that it hopes could encourage a shift in attitudes (see box below) and prompt change before it’s too late. At the same time the report seeks to address and promote a better understanding of some of the difficulties that state-funded schools are facing in


giving students access and priority to arts and cultural education. The work of Tate, the RSC and many other


cultural organisations in schools all over the UK show time and time again how the arts can have a dramatic effect on a child’s confidence, written and spoken language skills, attitude to learning and ultimately their life chances. As practitioners we have no doubt that arts and cultural education should be an entitlement for every child – and our research brings into even sharper focus the impact that a continued decline in arts and cultural provision in schools will have on generations to come. In these turbulent times we owe it to the next


generation to listen and to give them every chance to navigate those choppy waters successfully. It’s Time to Listen and it’s time to make a


change.


uRead the full report here: www.taleresearch.net


What needs to change?


1 All secondary schools should be able to: a) ensure that at KS3 the arts have parity with other subjects b) offer a full range of arts subjects at KS4 (GCSE) c) confidently talk to students and their families about the value of studying arts subjects.


2 The Ofsted process should ensure the breadth and balance of the school curriculum by specifying in the inspection framework the minimum proportion of curriculum time to be spent studying arts subjects at KS3, and the range of arts subjects which should be offered at KS4.


3 There should be an Arts and Culture Premium for all children in schools.


4 Russell Group universities should review their approach to Facilitating Subjects, recognising that studying arts subjects can provide young people with an essential foundation for further study.


5 There should be acknowledgement and appropriate reward in both pay scale and job title for the work of teachers who take on the essential role of ‘arts broker.’


December 2018 www.education-today.co.uk 33


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