Lydia Ashman surveys the mood among arts education campaigners battling “one of the most toxic things” to have happened to the arts: the English Baccalaureate.
Lesley Butterworth, general secretary of the National Society for Education in Art and Design, doesn’t mess about in her damning appraisal of the English Baccalaureate. “It’s one of the most toxic things to have happened to art, craft and design in my professional lifetime,” she says.
The EBacc – a defined set of GCSEs, from which all creative subjects are excluded – was first conceived in 2010 by former secretary of state for education, Michael Gove. Since then, it has been an ominous presence for art departments across England. As one London-based art teacher states, speaking anonymously: “We are increasingly having to justify our existence on the curriculum." Keep reading on a-n
Lesley Butterworth, general secretary of the National Society for Education in Art and Design, doesn’t mess about in her damning appraisal of the English Baccalaureate. “It’s one of the most toxic things to have happened to art, craft and design in my professional lifetime,” she says.
The EBacc – a defined set of GCSEs, from which all creative subjects are excluded – was first conceived in 2010 by former secretary of state for education, Michael Gove. Since then, it has been an ominous presence for art departments across England. As one London-based art teacher states, speaking anonymously: “We are increasingly having to justify our existence on the curriculum." Keep reading on a-n