DCMS Minister: EBacc partly to blame for decline in music at GCSE

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07 Dec 2018

Digital Minister Margot James’s comments to a parliamentary inquiry are in marked contrast to previous comments from Government ministers.

MPs to assess ‘class ceiling’ in the arts

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30 Nov 2018

A new parliamentary inquiry will report on the barriers to social mobility and identify practical action that can be taken by charities and the Government to address them.

Is there a music education crisis?

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22 Nov 2018

Secondary schools have been subject to cutbacks in music education, but we shouldn't lose sight of the many recent successes and advances in this area, argues Carol Reid.

Measure breadth of curriculum to protect arts education, MPs urged

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16 Nov 2018

An acclaimed headteacher said that ringfenced funding for arts subjects will amount to ‘throwing money down the hole’ unless schools are also encouraged to value wider curriculums.

Advice on arts A Levels is not Government’s business, says minister

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26 Oct 2018

Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education Lord Agnew said that arguments for  music to be viewed as a ‘facilitating subject’ should be taken to the universities.

Report calls for ‘arts premium’ for schools

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19 Oct 2018

6,000 students from across England shared why and how they engage in cultural activity, with a quarter saying that their school introduced them to the arts.

The value of creative thinking

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18 Oct 2018

What exactly do we mean by creativity, and how will the UK measure up when the world education league tables start assessing it in 2021? Bill Lucas examines the evidence.

Ofsted to refocus on ‘broad curriculum’

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12 Oct 2018

Campaigners against the EBacc have welcomed the move, but say it will not be enough on its own to save arts subjects.

Letter: Recognition where it’s due

26 Sep 2018

English teachers are arts teachers too – and should be recognised and supported as such, says Amanda Rigali.

EBacc blamed for growing gender imbalance in GCSE choices

21 Sep 2018

Female entries for GCSE music outnumbered those from males by almost 4,000 in 2017/18, compared to just 764 five years ago.

Arts in schools: the end of an era

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04 Sep 2018

As performance targets squeeze the arts to the margins of the curriculum, only the most courageous of state schools are continuing to provide the bedrock of ongoing opportunities that were available to previous generations. Pauline Tambling charts the decline.

 

GCSE results confirm continued collapse of arts in schools

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23 Aug 2018

The number of exams sat in arts subjects was down 10% on last year despite an increase in overall entries, and a faster increase still in EBacc subjects.

Music A-level “in danger of disappearing from state schools”

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17 Aug 2018

The sharp warning from the Association of School and College Leaders comes as A-level data reveals the decline in entries for arts subjects has doubled in speed since last year.

First encounters with opera

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12 Jul 2018

Many children steer well clear of opera, but the artform has allowed primary school pupils in Norfolk to discover new heights of confidence and creativity. Genevieve Raghu explains how.

A role for the commercial sector

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12 Jul 2018

Clare Edwards argues that commercial organisations can extend access to music education - without compromising on quality.

Putting the arts back into the classroom

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10 Jul 2018

A new cultural curriculum in Bristol aims to reverse the decline in arts education. Phil Castang explains how the creative arts can enrich the teaching of STEM subjects.

Russell Group universities urged to revise A level subject advice

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06 Jul 2018

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts told peers the current selection of ‘facilitating subjects’ was not based on evidence and had skewed students’ A level choices.

Arts teacher numbers plummet by almost a quarter

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05 Jul 2018

9,000 secondary school arts teachers have left their jobs in England since 2011.

EXCLUSIVE: Collapse in GCSE arts subjects gathers pace

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29 May 2018

The fall in entry numbers for GCSE arts subjects has reached record levels, but an Ofqual report understates dramatic losses in design and technology.

Ofsted culture lead: ‘I’ve not seen arts side-lined in schools’

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11 May 2018

The newly appointed National Lead for Visual and Performing Arts said she would wait to hear the views of inspectors from across the country before drawing conclusions about the national state of arts education.

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