Opinion with Liam Harris

On results day this year, I said goodbye to one of the most inspiring groups of young people I have ever encountered. As a class we debated Marxism, the neo-liberal agenda, Foucault, liberalism in Ancient Greek society, Thatcher's Britain, evolutionary theory and Freud's Oedipus Complex among other fundamentals in human thinking. All of this occurred in my A Level Drama class.

It is no secret that the number of young people choosing to study arts subjects at GCSE and A Level is declining. Since 2010, there has been a 38% drop in those studying an arts subject at GCSE and a 29% drop at A Level during the same period. A large portion of this decline can be attributed to the prominent position given to the EBacc, where arts subjects are forced into an options pot and made to compete against each other for students (along with a plethora of other subjects). It is here where Drama often falls foul, as the old rumour mills around our subject keep turning: there are no secure jobs in Drama; Drama isn't respected by universities; where is a qualification in Drama going to get you? As Drama teachers, we have heard all of this so many times before.

One of the ways in which Drama teachers have come to protect themselves and their subject in recent years has been to cite the contributions the entertainment industry has made to the UK economy. And it is true: the entertainment industry is one of the largest contributors and it continues to grow. Among so much discussion around the importance of STEM subjects to the future of the British economy, it has felt important to legitimise creative subjects in the same way.

And we can. But it doesn't mean that we should. Because to do so is to ‘marketise’ the education system, placing the needs of young people as developing human beings beneath the needs of our economy.

I am not denying that preparing young people for the world of work is a good thing. Instead, I am arguing the case for a child-centred, humanising curriculum that allows young people unfettered access to the full range of human experience. Education should not follow the whims of the economy, but the needs of the young people we teach.

We must continue to fight for our subject. But we must also not lose sight of the fight for a humanising education as a whole. Out of the 16 extraordinary young people who studied A Level Drama at my school this year, less than half of them are pursuing a career in the arts. I am not training actors, designers and directors – I'm using my subject to develop well-rounded, thoughtful human beings who are able to be critical about the world around them.