The Labour Government's commitment to placing creativity at the centre of the school curriculum has generally been welcomed by the profession. Seeking to review the national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England, the new review will consider children and young people's education and experiences from ages five to 19, ensuring the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people.
The review's chair Becky Francis hit the ground running appointing her expert panel, which sadly doesn't include any arts education specialists. She has conducted an online call for evidence and hosted two online webinars and nine events across England in October and November 2024.
After more than a decade of decline in arts in schools, it's refreshing to see that the panel will seek to deliver ‘a broader curriculum, with improved access to music, art, sport and drama’ and ‘a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people are represented.’
Many will welcome the review but those expecting revolution of the current system will be disappointed as one of the key principles is ‘evolution not revolution’.
I hope the review recognises the following principles:
- The current assessment system is not fit for purpose and too much emphasis is placed on written work in examinations in arts subjects.
- The EBacc and Progress 8 have had a negative impact on the take-up of arts subjects at GCSE and A Level and should be changed or abolished.
- There is a need for greater flexibility to provide the space for teachers to develop and adapt content, especially in arts subjects.
- Exam boards should place greater emphasis on ensuring that set texts are relevant to the lives and aspirations of learners in contemporary Britain, and exam boards should include texts and plays by writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
- Schools should work more closely with theatres to ensure that their cultural offer is more closely aligned to the school curriculum.
- We need a long-term workforce development programme which includes careers education, increased work experience opportunities and clearly defined pathways into the creative industries.
The review will publish an interim report in early 2025 which will set out their interim findings and confirm key areas for further work. This will be our opportunity to provide feedback and ensure that our voices are heard prior to their final report and recommendations this autumn.