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‘Urgent action’ needed as arts A Level entries drop by a third since 2010

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As students across the UK receive their A Level results, new research has found that 31% drop in entries for arts subjects since 2010, with a 3% drop in the last year alone.
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Arts subjects now account for the smallest proportion of A Level entries since 2010, new research from Campaign for the Arts reveals. 

Jack Gamble, the charity’s director has called for ‘urgent action’, warning that the decrease in A Level uptake represents ‘wasted potential’. He added that this particularly impacts students from lower income backgrounds. 

Campaign for the Arts found that performing arts suffered the largest decrease in 2023, with Drama A Level entries falling by 8% in a single year. 

This decrease is in line with a steady decline in A Level Drama uptake: entries in England have dropped by 45% between 2010 and 2023, from 15,144 students to 8,340.

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