Arts Education

Arts Education for Children and Young People

I know this is not a new story, but its on my radar now because my daughter starts school this September. Both my wife and I are in the creative industries and we really enjoy spending time with our daughter drawing and making things.

At schools art, craft and design has decreased in allocated time over the last 5 years*. Doesn't sound like good news to me.

Is there undue pressure on schools to get results in other areas and that creativity is deemed less important? Or is it that its not seen as a useful skill for children of a young age?

I used to love drawing and making things throughout my childhood and it certainly moulded me to the person I am today. 

Some areas of the country do not have the opportunity to visit cultural spaces such as museums and galleries, so I feel its imperative that they continue to teach it. 

Working with on ELCEP has opened our eyes to the need to re-introduce cultural education back into system and recently I have seen a pilot scheme the Government are trialling for free access to the arts for School children. Both are great news and desperately needed, but how has it got to this? 

As a nation we are world renowned for our art and creativity. The system has worked in the past, so why change it? 

The devil in me thinks its to line someones pockets, probably the schools for getting better results. The angel thinks its entirely for the benefit of the kids.

* http://www.nsead.org/news/news.aspx?id=695