New campaign calls on government to save provision of arts subjects

The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) and the Edge Foundation have launched a new campaign calling on the government to review and reform school accountability measures, including Progress 8.

Coined the #SaveOurSubjects campaign, the movement targets the dramatic fall in those taking arts and technology GCSE and A Levels. GCSE Music entries saw a fall of 27 per cent since 2010, and in the same period there has been a 23 per cent drop in the number of arts teachers.

The movement

The group calls on the government to conduct a review into the impact of accountability measures on arts and technology subjects; to reform Progress 8 to provide students greater freedom of choice at GCSE; and to deliver the Arts Pupil Premium in full, which was promised in the 2019 Conservative manifesto.

There is a growing list of partners and teaching unions that have backed the campaign, including ParentKind, the National Society for Education in Arts and Design, the Design & Technology Association and the Foundation for Education Development.

ISM

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said, ‘The rate at which music and arts subjects are disappearing from our schools is both staggering and frightening.’

Annetts states that research from the ISM and others leads them to believe that the subject decline is largely due to the EBacc and Progress 8 accountability measures. She adds: ‘Students deserve to be taught a truly broad and balanced curriculum that gives them the skills for the 21st-century workplace.’

Annetts and the ISM call for the government to help the sector and boost economic growth, alongside increasing access to a strong arts education in schools.

Edge Foundation

Alice Barnard, CEO Edge Foundation, says: ‘Edge has long been calling for a broader and more balanced curriculum that develops the skills young people need to become well-rounded individuals and productive members of society. But this is not just an economic imperative.

‘The arts and creative subjects have the potential to positively impact mental health and wellbeing, as well as providing young people with a sense of purpose. A broad curriculum is the best approach to develop well-rounded learners, to unlock opportunity for young people and to create a more equitable society all round.’

saveoursubjects.org