All Our Futures
All Our Futures
All Our Futures
Report to
the Secretary of State for Education and Employment
the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
May 1999
Contents
Terms of Reference 2
2. Creative Education 28
3. Cultural Education 44
Appendices
A. Patterns of Provision 205
C. Acknowledgements 228
This report makes recommendations for provision in formal and informal education for
young people to the age of 16: that is, to the end of compulsory education. Our
inquiry coincides with the GovernmentÕs planned review of the National Curriculum.
This report includes specific recommendations on the National Curriculum. It also
includes recommendations for a wider national strategy for creative and cultural
education.
Sir Claus Moser KCB, CBE, FBA, Chairman, Basic Skills Agency
Research Officer
Mathilda Joubert
Administrative Officer
Lynn Green
If we are to prepare successfully for the twenty-first ...we cannot rely on a small Žlite, no
century we will have to do more than just improve matter how highly educated or highly
paid. Instead we need the creativity,
literacy and numeracy skills. We need a broad,
enterprise and scholarship of all our
flexible and motivating education that recognises people.
the different talents of all children and delivers
Rt. Hon David Blunkett MP,
excellence for everyone.
Secretary of State for Education and
Employment
It emphasised the urgent need to unlock the potential of every
young person and argued that BritainÕs economic prosperity
and social cohesion depend on this.
ii. This report argues that a national strategy for creative and We must change the concept of
cultural education is essential to that process. We put the case creativity from being something that
is Ôadded onÕ to education, skills,
for developing creative and cultural education; we consider
training and management and make
what is involved; we look at current provision and assess the sure it becomes intrinsic to all of
opportunities and obstacles; and we set out a national strategy. these.
By creative education we mean forms of education that
Rt. Hon Chris Smith MP, Secretary
develop young peopleÕs capacities for original ideas and action: of State for Culture, Media and
by cultural education we mean forms of education that enable Sport
them to engage positively with the growing complexity and
diversity of social values and ways of life. We argue that there
are important relationships between creative and cultural
education, and significant implications for methods of teaching
and assessment, the balance of the school curriculum and for
partnerships between schools and the wider world.
Creative Potential
Cultural Understanding
A Systemic Approach
Above all, our aim is to urge the need for a national strategy
which engages the energies of all of these to provide the kind
of education, in substance and in style, that all young people
need now, and to enable them to face an uncertain and
demanding future.
Why Now?
v. There are great opportunities now to promote young
peopleÕs creative and cultural education:
2. Creative Development
3. Cultural Development
7. Raising Standards
Looking Forward
x. The issues we are dealing with in this report are essential to
the overall quality and standards of education. They are also
difficult in terms of definition, policy and practice. We have
found our own debates as a group exciting and enlightening.
We have had an opportunity which is all too rare to meet
across specialisms and to talk from a wide range of different
backgrounds. We continually found that ideas and values that
we thought particular to our own fields are common to us all.
Too often, our own education had taught us otherwise. In
what follows, we have tried to say as directly and clearly as
we can what we are concerned with and what we are
concerned about. We have tried to balance a discussion of
definitions and principles with recommendations that are
practical and feasible. We have not dealt in detail with all of
the issues we raise: we have not done justice to every
subtlety of argument on the way. Our task has been to
balance depth with breadth, theory with practice and detail
with brevity. In publishing this report we believe with even
more strength than we did at the outset, that the tasks we
identify are urgent and the arguments compelling; that the
benefits of success are enormous and the costs of inaction
profound.
NACCCE report 17
1. The Challenge for Education
Educating for the Future
1. Countries throughout the world are re-organising their A successful creative economy is one
education systems. Like us, they are engulfed in rapid of the governmentÕs priorities, and a
key source of jobs of the future. The
economic and social change. Everywhere, education is seen as
only way that we will compete in
the main way of enabling individuals and nations alike to meet these new sectors is through the
these changes. Schools have a complex task. We expect talents of our people.
education to prepare young people for the world of work and
The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon
for economic independence; to enable them to live Tony Blair MP
constructively in responsible communities; and to enable
them to live in a tolerant, culturally diverse and rapidly
changing society. Perhaps above all, we expect education to
help young people to build lives that have meaning and
purpose in a future we can scarcely predict. The burning
question, for everyone involved, and increasingly that is
everyone, is how is this to be done? What kind of education is
needed? In our view the answers involve much more than
increasing the amount of education that goes on: and more
than doing better what we have always done. They involve
reviewing some of the basic assumptions on which education
so far has been based. We need new approaches, because the
challenges we all face are unprecedented. What are these
challenges?
4. Whereas the dominant global companies used to be concerned The business world is in a turbulent
with industry and manufacturing, the key corporations today process of change from the old world
of steady-state mass production to
are increasingly in the fields of communications, information,
one of constant innovation and the
entertainment, science and technology. In the United States, pursuit of creativity in all forms and
the Ôintellectual propertyÕ sectors, those whose value on a global scale.
depends on their ability to generate new ideas rather than to
John Wybrew, Executive Director,
manufacture commodities, are now the most powerful Corporate Affairs, British Gas plc
element in the US economy. The Intellectual Property
Association in Washington has estimated these sectors to be
worth $360 billion a year, making them more valuable than
automobiles, agriculture or aerospace. They are growing at
twice the rate of the economy as a whole and generating jobs
at three times the underlying rate. The intellectual property
sector is more significant when patents from science and
technology are included: in pharmaceuticals, electronics,
biotechnology, and information systems among others. These
are all based on fundamental advances in the sciences and in
engineering and are creative fields of huge significance.
6. Most young people starting out can expect to change not just Every single person in business needs
jobs, but occupations, several times in their working lives. the ability to change, the self
confidence to learn new things and
There is a growing emphasis on freelance work, short
the capacity for overview. The idea
contracts, self employment and entrepreneurial ability. that we can win with brilliant
Trans-national companies now use workers from anywhere in scientists and technologists alone is
the world on the basis of available skills: including facilities nonsense. ItÕs breadth of vision, the
with information technologies and languages. These economic ability to understand all the
shifts are operating independently of national boundaries. influences at work, to flex between
Young people need to have high level skills for this complex them and not to be frightened of
totally different experiences and
new world of global markets and competition. They also need
viewpoints that holds the key. The
to be able to adapt to change and to new opportunities. specialist that cannot take a holistic
Raising standards of literacy and numeracy is essential: but it view in business is no use at all.
is not enough. Nor is raising standards of academic
Sir John Harvey-Jones
qualifications. All of these are important, but the
assumptions about human resources that education made in
1944 will not meet the challenges of 2004. Employers are
now looking for much more than academic ability.
Academic Inflation
8. Qualifications are a form of currency. Their value is related to We need an education system that
the prevailing exchange rate for employment or higher gives our children an edge, the ability
the Industrial Society has identified
education. Like all currencies, they can inflate when there are
to survive and prosper. We need to
too many in relation to the opportunities available. Two or equip our young people with powers
three A-levels once secured a university place: the baseline of innovation and creativity they need
for many courses is now much higher. A first degree once for the rapidly-changing economies of
guaranteed a job: the baseline is now a masters degree or even the future. The education system has
a PhD. This is a structural problem for all education systems, to develop a new emphasis on
and it may compound as the number of people in formal creativity and discovery to give
pupils the tools they will need to
education continues to increase. Whatever other issues it
cope with the fast and continuing
raises, one consequence is already clear. Academic changes in the nature of work,
qualifications alone are no longer enough. Increasingly, employment and growth in the world
employers and others emphasise the need for the qualities economy that lies ahead.
and aptitudes which academic qualifications are not designed Clive Jones, Chief Executive, Carlton
to produce Ñ powers of creativity, of communication, of Television
empathy and adaptability, and social skills.
10. New technologies in all their variety are having profound Like it or not, we are living in a time
consequences in all areas of our lives. Young people are often of immense technological change; the
more alert to the possibilities of new technologies than their world of education is being asked to
grapple with challenges and
teachers. Schools have been seen traditionally as points of
opportunities which almost boggle
entry to a wider world of information and knowledge. Young the imagination.
people now have direct access to more information than
Lord Puttnam of Queensgate
previous generations could guess of, and are often more
expert than adults in finding their way to it. Schools will need
to think through the implications of this for their own future
roles. New technologies offer unprecedented opportunities
for young people to broaden their horizons; to find new
modes of creativity and to deepen their understanding of the
world around them. Schools also have resources available
through these technologies to transform methods of teaching
and learning. There are benefits and there are risks.
14. Over the last three decades, the cultural profile of Britain has
widened enormously. There have been profound changes in
the food we eat, in how we speak and dress, and in how we
see ourselves in relation to other countries and cultural
communities. Many British families have links across several
continents. Many young people now live in a complex web
of interacting cultures and sub-cultures: of families, gender,
peer groups, ideological convictions, political communities
and of ethnic and local traditions. They also live in a global
culture which is driven by the interplay of commercial
interests, the creative energies of young people themselves,
and the enveloping influence of information technologies.
Information and communication technologies and the mass
media Ñ films, television, newspapers and magazines Ñ
All young people have different capacities, aptitudes and Life is more than work. If we give
biographies. They have different pasts and different futures. children the idea that they need high-
level skills only for work, we have
One of the roles of education is to help them find their future
got it all wrong. They are going to
and understand their pasts. This begins by helping them to need even higher-level skills to
discover their own strengths, passions and sensibilities. perform in a democratic society. We
Young people spend their most formative and impressionable have got to get this absolutely right:
years at school. There needs are not only academic. They are the issue is not technology, but what
social, spiritual and emotional. All young people need an it means to be human, what kind of
education that helps them to find meaning and to make sense future we want for the human race.
of themselves and their lives. For some the need is acute. In a John Abbott, Why Good Schools
recent report the Mental Health Foundation (1999) found Alone Will Never Be Enough
that growing numbers of young people are experiencing
emotional problems and disturbances. The report argues that
schools must find ways of enabling young people to explore
and express their own emotions and feelings in positive and
constructive ways. The conventional academic curriculum is
not designed nor intended to do this. Yet the need for action
is obvious.
17. The rising tide of drug use, of gang culture and street violence
is harsh evidence of the pressures and tensions that young
people face. A growing number are less and less convinced of
Back To Basics
21. In all of these ways the tasks of education are complex and
difficult. They include raising academic standards. These
alone will not answer the questions that education now faces.
A motif of educational debate over the last ten years has been
the need to get back to basics. The transformational changes
we have outlined here are enough to raise questions about
what these basics are. Many developed countries are now
asking how education can:
· communication;
· application of number;
· use of information technology;
· working with others; Now more than ever, it is vital to
encourage all areas of young peopleÕs
· problem-solving; intellectual and personal capabilities
and to recognise that doing this is
· improving oneÕs own learning and performance.
not at odds with their academic
We endorse these priorities and we want to add to them. We development. The greatest
disincentives to achievements are low
are living in times of enormous opportunity. Our education
self-esteem and lack of motivation.
system has been largely shaped by the needs of an industrial Creative and cultural programmes are
economy and by particular views of ability and intelligence. powerful ways of revitalising the
In our view the result has been that many areas of young sense of community in a school and
peopleÕs potential Ñ of their real resources Ñ are untapped engaging the whole school with the
and neglected. Among them are powers and talents that will wider community.
be of fundamental importance to them and to society in Professor Ken Robinson
meeting the challenges we have described. A commitment to
developing human resources must involve a fundamental
review of what these resources are; of the types of teaching
that are needed to develop them; and of who should be
involved in education. The strategy we propose for creative
and cultural education is intended to contribute to this. The
starting point is to say what we mean by creative and cultural
education, why they are so important, and how they are
related.
Defining Creativity
24. Creativity is obviously to do with producing something
original. But there are different views of what is involved in
this process and about how common the capacity for
creativity is.
Sectoral Definition
25. Many people associate creativity primarily with the arts2. There are few areas of life where the
Music, drama, art, dance, literature, and the rest, are often nationÕs priorities for education,
health, employment and industry are
called Ôthe creative artsÕ. As we said in Chapter One, the
not dependent on the development
professional arts and associated fields are now known as the and application of creative practical
Ôcreative industriesÕ. The Ôcreative artsÕ are often contrasted skills.
with the sciences, which tend to be thought of as uncreative.
Crafts Council, Learning through
One of our aims in this report is to emphasise the importance Making
of the arts and their essential place in creative development.
But creativity is not unique to the arts. It is equally
fundamental to advances in the sciences, in mathematics,
technology, in politics, business and in all areas of everyday
life.
ƒlite Definition
Democratic Definition
27. In our view, all people are capable of creative achievement in
some area of activity, provided the conditions are right and
they have acquired the relevant knowledge and skills.
Moreover, a democratic society should provide opportunities
for everyone to succeed according to their own strengths and
abilities. Meeting the various challenges we have described,
economic, technological, social, and personal, involves
realising the capacities of all young people, and not only
those with obviously exceptional ability. There is no doubt
that some highly creative individuals do thrive in adversity Ñ
we have such people on this committee. But others do not.
There is no way of knowing the current scale of frustration or
waste of creative capacities in our schools. In our view:
b. creative activity is also pervasive: many people who Scottish Consultative Council on the
are being creative do not recognise that this is what Curriculum, Teaching for Effective
Learning
they are doing;
c. creativity can be expressed in collaborative and
collective as well as individual activities, in
teamwork and in organisations, in communities and
in governments.
Pursuing Purposes
30. Creativity carries with it the idea of action and purpose. It is, Creative ÔplayÕ Ñ seeking to see the
in a sense, applied imagination. The imaginative activity is world afresh Ñ is at times a fight
against the fascination which familiar
fashioned, and often refashioned, in pursuit of an objective.
associations and directions of thought
To speak of somebody being creative is to suggest that they exert on us. Young people need to be
are actively engaged in making or producing something in a encouraged to understand the
deliberate way. This is not to say that creative insights or importance of this kind of ÔplayÕ.
breakthroughs may not occur unexpectedly along the way, for Professor Lewis Minkin
example by intuition or non-directed thought, but they occur
on the way to something: to meeting the overall objective, or
to solving the central problem. This can be a highly dynamic
process, whose eventual outcomes can be quite different than
from those anticipated at the outset. Sometimes the objective
changes as new ideas and possibilities come into view:
sometimes, as with inventions and discoveries, new purposes
are found when an initial product or idea has emerged.
· Relative
It may be original in relation to their peer group: to
other young people of the same age, for example.
36. Creative processes in all disciplines normally involve an initial Nine out of ten of my experiments
phase of drafting: of giving an idea a rough shape or outline. fail, and that is considered a pretty
good record amongst scientists.
This may be the first notes of a melody; a first image or
metaphor; the first sketch of a problem in mathematics. The Professor Sir Harold Kroto, Nobel
process of development is commonly one of Ôsuccessive prize-winning chemist
approximationsÕ in which the idea is shaped and clarified in
the process of exploring it. The final phases are often to do
with refining the detail of the expression: with producing the
neat copy, so to speak. The classical division of stages in
creative thought - preparation-incubation-illumination then
verification4 - is contested in various ways by different
scholars but it does alert us to the common pattern of focus,
withdrawal and then breakthrough and to the key point that
creativity is a process, not an event. The form of this
withdrawal from thinking about a problem, and the best
circumstances for its success, are personal to the individual
but often involves waking/sleeping moments, or a Ômoving
meditationÕ as we do other things. Creative activity involves a
complex combination of controlled and non-controlled
elements, unconscious as well as conscious mental processes,
non-directed as well as directed thought, intuitive as well as
rational calculation.
40. The creative process of the arts involves developing forms of This expression is unique. If you
expression which embody the artistÕs perceptions. This is block it, it will never exist through
any other medium and will be lost.
not a matter of identifying an idea and then finding a form in
which to express it. It is through shaping the individual work Martha Graham
that the ideas and feelings are given form. Often it is only
through developing the dance, image or music that the
perception itself is clarified. The meaning is uniquely
available in the form in which it is expressed. It is in these
forms that we express our most human perceptions and
feelings. The creative processes of the arts centre on the
shaping and refining of a work in which its aesthetic qualities
are central to its meaning. The look, sound and feel of work in
the arts is inseparable not only from what it means, but from
how it means.
Problem-Solving
42. Problem-solving is now a key skill in education. Developing Whether you think you can, or
young peopleÕs abilities to solve problems is fundamental to whether you think you canÕt, youÕre
probably right.
preparing them for an independent life. Creative education
can contribute directly to problem-solving abilities in all Henry Ford
disciplines and fields of work. But creativity and problem-
solving are not the same thing. Not all problems call for
creative solutions or original thinking. Some can be solved
routinely and logically. And not all creative thinking is
directed to solving problems, in the conventional sense.
Composing poetry, painting pictures or ÔplayingÕ with
abstract ideas in science or mathematics are not always
problem-solving as normally understood. The value of
creative thinkers is not only that they solve problems we
know we have, but that they find problems we hadnÕt
imagined and lead us on to new horizons. More opportunities
should be given to young people to sense and define
problems for themselves, as well as identifying solutions to
given problems. More opportunities should be given to the
generation of ideas; looking at the world in different ways and
playing with different possibilities and alternative solutions.
Familiarity with a wide range of problem-solving activities
can lead to greater competence in seeing underlying patterns
and analogies.
46. Most children spend most of their time in school reading, The creative artist is an observer
writing and thinking in words or numbers. In higher whose brain works in new ways
making it possible to convey
education, essay writing and note taking are the principal
information about matters that were
forms of study. Using words and numbers are among the not a subject for communication
highest achievements of human intelligence, but if it were before. The discoveries of the artist
limited to these, most of personal experience would be and the scientist are exactly alike in
incommunicable and most of human culture would not have this respect. Artists have discovered
happened. The worlds we live in are as rich and various as new aspects of space with one
they are because our minds are so complex and diverse. symbolism just as physicists had
with another.
Philosophers, psychologists and educationalists have long
recognised this diversity of human intelligence. A recent J. Z. Young, Philosophy and the
formulation is Howard GardnerÕs theory of multiple Brain
intelligences (Gardner 1993). Gardner identifies seven forms
of intelligence: linguistic, mathematical, spatial, kinaesthetic,
47. First, the tendency now is to think of children as ÔableÕ or There is no such thing as a single
Ôless ableÕ, primarily on the basis of academic performance. general intelligence, which we all
Academic ability consists primarily a facility for possess to a greater or lesser degree.
We all have a unique combination of
propositional knowledge and linear forms of reasoning. All
different kinds of abilities, which can
children have such abilities to varying degrees and it is and do change throughout our lives.
essential that they should be developed. But it is neither
Scottish Consultative Council on the
accurate nor responsible to judge childrenÕs intellectual
Curriculum, Teaching for Effective
abilities in general on the basis of these abilities alone. It Learning
would be more accurate to think of all children having a
profile of abilities across a wide range of intelligences. Second,
children who perform poorly in conventional academic tests
may have strong abilities in other areas. Children with high
academic ability may be highly able in other areas too. A child
with poor spatial abilities may have high linguistic or aural
intelligence. Some children have particular capacities for
mathematics, for music, for dance, for languages, or for
several of these. When children discover their real strengths,
there can be a dramatic change in their overall motivation in
education. Judging children against a single standard of ability
can misrepresent their own individual strengths. Discovering
them can enormously increase self-esteem, confidence and
achievement as a whole. A commitment to developing
childrenÕs human resources must begin from a recognition of
how wide, rich and diverse these resources really are.
Developing Creativity
50. There is considerable debate about, and a growing body of
research into the idea of transferable skills: that is, skills of
creative thought and production that apply in different
domains of creative activity. The literature and many of the
practical programmes on creative thinking certainly suggest
that there are general skills that can be used across many
different fields. It is also the case that some people are
creative in many areas. The following themes are suggested
by experience and research and are important in planning
policies and strategies for creative education.
Conclusion
53. In this section we have defined what we mean by creativity
and said what we see as its main features. In our view,
creativity is possible in all fields of human intelligence; and
this is diverse and multifaceted. Genuine creative achievement
involves knowledge, control and discipline combined with the
freedom and confidence to experiment. In the next chapter we
relate these arguments to our conception of cultural
education.
Defining Culture
55. Like creativity, culture is a term that is used in many ways in Human life depends upon language,
art and all the complications of
different contexts. It is a term with a complicated history and culture as much as on food Ñ it
with a range of different, sometimes conflicting meanings. would ultimately collapse without
Like creativity, culture is strongly associated with the arts them.
and letters. While accepting the importance of this particular J. Z. Young, Philosophy and the
sense of culture, we want to adopt a more general definition Brain
which includes, but goes beyond, it. The exclusive association
of culture with the arts overlook many other aspects of
human culture, including, not least, science and technology.
Sectoral Definition
56. Since the late eighteenth century, culture in one sense, has
meant a general process of intellectual or social refinement.
This is the sense in which a person might be described as
ÔculturedÕ. This process has been linked particularly with an
appreciation of the arts. By extension, culture has also come
to mean the general field of artistic and intellectual activity
through which this process of refinement was promoted. It is
this meaning of culture that is implied in describing the arts
and related fields as the Ôcultural industriesÕ. Ministries of
culture throughout the world, and national cultural policies
often focus specifically on the development of the arts,
including music, cinema, literature, dance, visual art and also
traditional and folk culture, especially traditional music and
dance.
ƒlite Definition
59. There is, then, in the sense set out above, a strong association
between the arts and culture. Practising and understanding the
arts in all their forms are essential elements of creative and
cultural education. But the definition of culture must, in our
view, go beyond an exclusive association with the arts in
general and high art in particular. The importance of these can
only be fully recognised in educational terms within a more
general social definition of culture: a definition which
embraces the importance of other significant fields of creative
activity.
Social Definition
60. ÔCultureÕ as we have said has a long association with the arts. Culture is where we live our shared
mental lives. We need a way of
But in this century particularly, the term ÔcultureÕ has also understanding this habitat, of treating
been used in a more general sense to mean a communityÕs it with the respect and care it
overall way of life. This definition of culture has been deserves.
developed particularly in anthropology and sociology. It Brian Eno
67. Through technology, science has also directly changed the Science is the dominant culture of the
practical circumstances of human life and culture. From 20th Century and is set to become even
more dominant in the 21st. However, as
harnessing electricity to the new frontiers of bio-genetics;
we become even more dependent on
from the steam engine and motor cars to nuclear fission; scientific and engineering advances,
from antibiotics to birth control; from railways to the society appears to become less and less
Internet, science and technology have changed how we think, aware of it and how they have freed the
what we think about, what we do and what we are able to human race from the slavery of existing
do. For example, developments in contraceptive techniques, merely to survive. As the next century
notably the Pill, have revolutionised patterns of sexual approaches, the need thus becomes even
more urgent that everyone should have
morality and behaviour and deeply affected roles and
some deeper understanding of the way
Many of the art forms listed here in the early 1980s were
inconceivable in the 1780s. Film, photography and television
are among the dominant art forms of the twentieth century:
they did not exist in the eighteenth. It was not only
impossible to make films then, it was probably inconceivable.
The technology of the moving image not only made film
possible, it made the idea of film possible. Shakespeare did
not read nor write novels. There were none in the sixteenth
century. The evolution of the novel, now one of the most
popular art forms of our time, was only possible in the
cultural circumstances that followed the invention of the
printing press.
71. Equally, art forms that have their deepest roots in popular
culture Ñ contemporary dance, cinema, jazz, rap and rock
music Ñ have produced work of intense power and
eloquence. Artists of every sort live within, not outside the
social culture Ñ and they draw deeply from it in their ideas,
themes, and forms of expression. A great deal of classical
music is rooted in popular and ÔfolkÕ music. Jazz draws from
the themes of classical music as much as from the rhythms of
popular song. Developments in contemporary dance, through
Rudolf Laban and Martha Graham, were deeply influenced
by the patterns and rhythms of ordinary human movement at
work and play. These processes of influence and inspiration,
borrowing and conversion are at the heart of creativity in the
arts in all cultures and also across them. For example, some of
the key figures of Modern Art, including Picasso were
inspired and influenced in their work by African art and
imagery. Increasingly in contemporary cultures, the use of
new technologies and the free access to many different
cultural forms they provide, is generating dynamic fusions of
forms within and across different cultural genres and
traditions - between Asian, European, African and American
cultures - and at all levels, from the concert hall to the street.
74. Since the 1950s there has been a marked change in patterns of
population in some cities following the settlement of families
from India, Bangladesh, Bengal, Pakistan, Africa the
Caribbean and from other former colonies and dependencies.
Britain is also home for large numbers of communities whose
cultural roots are in many different parts of Europe, in the
Middle and Far East: and to many faith communities
including Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim as well as Christian. In
some of our large city schools there are literally dozens of
languages spoken by the pupils: and in some there is a
majority for whom English itself is a second language.
80. These two core values, and the practices and attitudes they
give rise to lie at the heart of our national culture. They are
not negotiable if individual fulfilment and open enquiry are to
continue to characterise our way of life. It is because these are
core values that our national culture is so diverse and creative.
Benefiting from this diversity and promoting our creative
resources is precisely what is at issue on our arguing for a
more systematic and sustained approach to creative and
cultural education. What does cultural education entail?
Cultural Education
81. Against this background, we see four central roles for
education in the cultural development of young people.
84. To enable young people to embrace and understand cultural If you only understand one culture it is
diversity by bringing them into contact with the attitudes, like seeing with one eye only, but if
values and traditions of other cultures. you add the dimension of other
cultures, you become binocular and
things can be seen in perspective. It
Cultural education is a complex field with many dimensions
allows you to appreciate much more.
and difficulties. It involves teaching for a diverse society: an
education that enables young people to live in a multi-ethnic Dame Tamsyn Imison, Head teacher,
Hampstead School.
and multicultural Britain. The need for multicultural education
has long been recognised in schools, particularly at the level
of policy. It is essential now to go beyond statements of
policy to forms of practice and provision which encourage
cultural understanding and promote a positive sense of
cultural inclusion.
91. Second, human culture is as rich, complex and diverse as it is We need to demand from our education
because of the richness, complexity and diversity of human system and the curriculum that
underpins it, pupils that do not pursue
creativity. Culture is shaped by, and is the product of, human
facts for their own sake, but make use
creativity: it is generated by our different responses to the of facts for the purposes of
problems of meaning and practicality with which we are understanding.
confronted. How we see events is deeply affected by the
Professor Susan Greenfield, University
ideas and values we bring to them. History is marked by the of Oxford; Director, Royal Institution
often profound changes in consciousness, in ways of seeing
the world which came about through the constant interaction
of ideas and events: between science, religion, morality,
politics and the arts, and between tradition and innovation.
Education must recognise these intimate relations and
promote them throughout the school curriculum. To do so we
need to promote three principles of balance in schools.
Conclusion
95. In this chapter we have outlined our understanding of cultural
education and its relations to creative education. In Chapter
One, we said that creative and cultural education are essential
Young people are living through times of immense change. In any self-organising system there is
This can be profoundly exhilarating: it can also be disorienting an absolute mathematical necessity
and a source of deep anxiety. Education must help young for creativity.
people to develop the intellectual and emotional resources to Edward de Bono
deal with change positively and critically. Creative and
cultural education provide direct ways of engaging with issues
of change: as it affects others and as it affects the life and
feelings of the individual. We noted in Chapter One the
profound effects of economic change on communities and
ways of life. Creative and cultural education have particular
roles in developing the skills and aptitudes which are needed
for new and rapidly changing forms of work. They can also
be vital elements in developing a sense of community
purpose and of social coherence, both in schools and beyond,
through a wide network of partnerships and shared
enterprise. There are now many examples of initiatives in
social regeneration which set out specifically to build on the
creative strengths and cultural resources of communities
through initiatives in the arts, technology and the sciences.
Such initiatives can mitigate the economic problems of
changing patterns of work while, and by, restoring confidence
and community spirit through shared creative projects.
101. Many reports and analyses have pointed to the positive The Arts Council is already working
opportunities of cultural diversity Ñ and the problems that on how best the arts can play a
meaningful role in taking young and
arise when intercultural understanding breaks down. The
long-term unemployed people off
Macpherson report is the most recent of these, and the most benefits as part of the GovernmentÕs
compelling. For all young people, one of the most difficult New Deal programme, and how best
tasks is to forge a sense of personal identity and belonging. they can contribute to policies
Among the complex effects of economic and social change are alongside Government departments
those of exclusion: of a sense of being alienated from aimed at tackling social exclusion.
mainstream society by unemployment, culture or personal Gerry Robinson, Chairman of the
loss of motivation. Schools must address these issues with Arts Council of England
passion and determination.
Motivation and self-esteem are crucial factors in raising There are people in the world who
standards of achievement. All young people tend to be have to create to live Ð itÕs just
considered as able or less-able in education, primarily on the something they have to do. There are
basis of academic performance. But many of these less-able others who live to create Éand then
there are people (most of us I think)
children may have significant abilities in areas which are
who are creative, but donÕt know
overlooked by schools. This can be a powerful source of what to do with it Ð how to use it. I
disaffection and under-achievement. This is not a new think these people could be nudged
problem. Many adults have negative feelings about their in the right direction by teachers!
education. Some think of themselves as educational failures, Lenny Henry
even when they have had great success since leaving school.
This is particularly true of those who failed the 11-plus, by
definition a majority of those who took it. Some of the
brightest, most accomplished people of our times feel this
stigma, no matter what they have achieved since. It may be
that they failed because schools were not looking at what
they really had to offer. At the same time as raising standards
in literacy and numeracy, we must provide opportunities
for achievement in other equally important areas of ability.
· all young people have a wide range of abilities; The most important thing is the
good questioning brain which can be
· these abilities are dynamically related and interactive; developed in the arts or in maths.
· all children have strengths in different areas of Clare Lorenz, architect, OFSTED
ability; lay inspector, and Vice-Chairman of
Children with High Intelligence
· success in one area can stimulate self-esteem and
encourage success in others.
Extending Opportunities
Cloughwood is a successful residential special school for 65 boys who
have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Our belief is that every pupil
must be presented with an outstanding 24-hour curriculum. Twenty years
ago, this philosophy was out of step with most other special schools, but
it is now accepted as the most effective methodology for meeting these
pupilsÕ needs. Our pupils achieve outstanding GCSE examination
results, specifically in art. The average points score in GCSE for our
pupils is above average for comprehensive schools in the country. Pupils
on entry to the school tend to have a low self-esteem. Our creative
education programme is an excellent means of boosting their confidence
and helping them to develop pride in themselves and their work. There
are regular theatre visits and cultural experiences that make an impression
on them for life. Our pupils seek out opportunities to perform in a range
of creative activities. Our extended education programmes place
significant emphasis on creative and cultural activities. OFSTED has
identified Cloughwood as one of a number of good special schools across
the country. Inspectors said that: Òmany opportunities exist which enable
pupils to appreciate their own culture. The school also succeeds in
ensuring that pupils appreciate the diversity and richness of other cultures.
[...] Art makes a major contribution to the life of the school. The quality
of work on display throughout the building is magnificentÓ. It has been
recognised that Òpupils live and learn in a rich and stimulating
environmentÓ.
Information provided by Cloughwood School
A New Balance
NACCCE report 71
5. Developing the Curriculum
Introduction
108. In this chapter we look at the implications of our arguments for
the structure and balance of the school curriculum. We make
proposals for the development of the National Curriculum for
2000. We also propose a more fundamental review after 2000
to take account of the principles of provision we have
identified. Education consists of three related areas: curriculum
Ñ what is to be learnt; pedagogy Ñ how it is to be taught and
assessment Ñ how progress and attainment are judged. Our
arguments have implications for all three. In Chapter Three we
suggested that effective approaches to creative and cultural
education need to be based on three principles of balance: a
balance in the curriculum between different fields of creative
and cultural education, a balance within the teaching of all
disciplines between tradition and innovation and a balance
between the teaching of different cultural values and traditions.
Rationale
114. The QCA consultation on the aims and priorities of the
National Curriculum identified a widespread view that the
revised National Curriculum should be based on a clear
rationale. We strongly support this view. The 1988 Education
Reform Act requires schools to provide a curriculum which:
The Act did not explain what preparation for adult life Children learn best through a broad
meant at the end of the twentieth century, nor how these based curriculum. I have welcomed
objectives were met by the ten subject structure which it the National Curriculum especially
since the Dearing Review with level
introduced. The content of the National Curriculum was
descriptions. I think it is still far too
developed by ten subject working groups, each of which prescriptive and overloaded. A lot of
set out its own aims and objectives. For the last ten years the creativity of the teacher is taken
the National Curriculum has been revised and reviewed away because of this. The emphasis
without any further discussion or agreement on its should be more on the skills and
basic rationale. processes of the subject and the
creative teacher can decide the
115. One of the original requirements of the Act was that schools content. The Government has to trust
teachers, especially having the
should provide a curriculum that is broad and balanced.
OFSTED inspection process and
However, it is widely accepted that the National Curriculum Statement of Attainment Tests at the
has been too congested. Since 1988 there has been a succession end of Key Stages to monitor that
of measures to thin out the content of the National Curriculum. schools do their job.
For reasons we come to, we welcome attempts to reduce the Carol Traynor, Head, St. Boniface
amount of detailed prescription in the National Curriculum and RC Primary School, Salford
suggest that these should continue. But the effect of the
measures taken so far has been principally to reduce the
requirements for the foundation subjects. The result has been
to reduce the breadth and to tilt the balance of the National
Curriculum. If schools are to meet the challenges they face, and
to promote young peopleÕs creative and cultural development,
both trends must be reversed. The starting point is a clear and
agreed rationale.
In our view this list of objectives can only be realised through Art is not a diversion or a side issue.
forms of teaching and learning that promote the creative It is the most educational of human
abilities and cultural understanding of young people in the activities and a place in which the
nature of morality can be seen.
way we have described. In all events, the new rationale must
make explicit reference to the importance of creative and Dame Iris Murdoch, writer
cultural education and help to create the conditions in which
it can be realised in practice.
Structure
117. The National Curriculum in England is divided into three It is nonsense to say there are only 10
core subjects; English, mathematics, science; and seven subjects. By saying this we
immediately exclude 90 per cent of
foundation subjects Ñ technology (information technology
the Higher Education experience.
and design and technology), history, geography, art,
music, physical education and modern foreign languages. An Professor Tim Brighouse, Chief
Education Officer, Birmingham City
obvious but important problem in this approach is that
Council
there are more than ten subjects in the world. In a ten
subject structure, some subjects of the National Curriculum
had to be included in others: for example, drama in English
and dance within physical education. Beyond education,
dance is not normally grouped with sport, games and
athletics; drama is not only a verbal art form. In terms of the
knowledge and skills they promote, both disciplines have
121. Science comprises three related areas: first, the store of We will need to do better than we
existing scientific knowledge; second, the methods and have done in recent years to convey
processes of scientific discovery and inquiry; and third, the excitement of science, to use it to
help young people develop a sense of
how this knowledge is applied, and in particular the
wonder about the world, and
relations of science and technology. Science education has encourage them to see its relevance to
key roles in the creative and cultural development of their lives and how it involves moral
young people. First, to provide an essential grounding in issues on which they, as citizens in a
gathering and respecting evidence and in intellectual skills democracy, ought to have views.
of analysis. Second, to provide access to the rich store of Dr. Nick Tate, Chief executive, QCA
existing scientific understanding of the processes of nature
and the laws that govern them. Third, to provide
essential opportunities for practical and theoretical
inquiry by which received knowledge can be verified,
challenged or extended. Fourth, in each of these ways,
science education can and must promote higher standards
of scientific literacy. By this we mean an understanding of
how science has shaped the modern world; of the concepts,
ideas and achievements that have driven these changes, and of
their significance and limitations. A population that is
uneducated in science will simply be unable in future to deal
intelligently and responsibly with its proposals and
consequences.
122. The humanities are those fields of academic study that are
concerned with understanding human culture. These include
history, the study of languages, religious education
and aspects of geography and social studies. The humanities
have key roles in creative and cultural education. First,
by broadening and deepening young peopleÕs understanding
of the world around them: its diversity, complexity
and traditions. Second, by enlarging their knowledge of
what they share with other human beings including
those removed in time and culture from themselves. Third,
by developing a critical awareness of the society and times
in which they live. The humanities overlap in several ways
with the sciences and the arts. What they have in
common with the arts is a primary concern with
understanding the human dimension of experience.
They differ in the modes of knowledge they generate and in
the forms of study they use.
123. The arts are concerned with understanding, and expressing, The arts are other ways of expressing
the qualities of human experiences. Through music, dance, and communicating experiences,
feelings and ideas. Various materials,
visual arts, drama and the rest, we try to give form to the
instruments, tools, techniques and
feelings and perceptions that move us most as human beings: skills are used to express and
our experiences of love, grief, belonging, and isolation, and communicate those feelings and ideas
all the currents of feeling that constitute our experience of in a creative form. In the creative arts
ourselves and of others. It is through the arts in all their we are training children to look, see
forms that young people experiment with and try to and know. To observe fine detail and
articulate their deepest feelings and their own sense of to develop sensitivity, which remains
with them forever, can have a
cultural identity and belonging. A balanced arts education has
profound effect on the way they view
essential roles in the creative and cultural development of the world and in some cases cause a
young people. First, the arts are essential to intellectual change in attitude. The creative arts
development. We argued in Chapter Two that intelligence is develop thinking and problem-
multifaceted. The arts illustrate this diversity and provide solving strategies in an enjoyable
practical ways of promoting it in all children. Second, the arts way. This can enhance all other areas
of the curriculum.
provide the most natural processes for exploring and giving
form to personal feelings and emotions. The arts engage Carol Traynor, Head, St. Boniface
feelings directly. There is a tendency to think of intellect and RC Primary School, Salford
emotion as distinct and separate. In many important ways
they are closely related. Work in the arts is not about
emotions in isolation from the intellect, but about how they To communicate through the arts is
connect. Third, the arts are among the most vivid expressions to convey an experience to others in
of human culture. To understand other cultures and ways of such a form that the experience is
seeing, we need to engage with their music, visual art, verbal actively recreated actively lived
Making Connections
Cross-curricular Teaching
Stoke Newington School (SNS) is a co-educational comprehensive school
in the London Borough of Hackney. The school is committed to a broad
and balanced curriculum. All students follow an arts subject at Key Stage
4. The examination results are good and the school has developed a
reputation for the performing arts as an area of excellence. The arts are an
essential part of every studentÕs educational experience, which enhances
every aspect of the curriculum, through the development of skills, self-
esteem and motivation. Almost all subjects have their own artistic,
design, aesthetic and critical aspect. PSHCE can build upon the
promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyle begun in Dance.
Drama role-play is also a teaching method relevant to PSHCE as well as
many other subjects. The science National Curriculum specifically
mentions music in the teaching of sound. Aesthetic and design principles
from visual art are intrinsic to the fundamental aspects of technology.
Empathy and cultural education in the humanities is greatly informed by
the arts. The arts subjects can enhance levels of literacy in the students at
SNS in a variety of unique and exciting ways. Discussion skills and the
development of oral literacy, often stimulated by visual images, body
language, sound, etc. play an important role within the curriculum.
Independent research, critical analysis and enquiry play a fundamental role
within the arts disciplines. Independent thought and action, alongside the
development of team and group work leads to oral negotiation and
discussion in the arts. Careers guidance in the performing and visual arts
gives weight and credence to a varied range of modes of employment in
the expanding arts and leisure industries.
Information provided by Stoke Newington School
Hierarchy
132. In the existing National Curriculum there is an explicit
hierarchy of subjects. From the outset, the foundation
subjects were by definition of lower status than the core
subjects. In the revisions to the National Curriculum since
1988, the requirements for the arts and humanities have been
progressively reduced. Since the National Curriculum is also a
framework for managing resources, there have been
implications for the whole pattern of related funding. The
message to schools is that they are less important than the
core subjects. A longitudinal study (Pollard et al, 1994) on
the effects of the introduction of the National Curriculum
indicates that primary schools have reduced the provision for
art, while increasing time for science and technology. Heads
and teachers involved in the study expressed concerns about
the impact of the National Curriculum on creative activities
for young children. These concerns have come through clearly
in our own consultations.
133. The real effect of the existing distinction between the core and There are different routes of entry into
foundation subjects now needs to be carefully assessed in the each childÕs mind. It is amazing how
much can be taught when subject
light of ten yearsÕ experience. It appears to have reduced the
boundaries are taken away.
status of the arts and humanities and their effective impact in
the school curriculum. Moreover there is no clear evidence Professor Helen Storey
that the current distinction between core and foundation
subjects has increased the number and quality of our young
science students or the level of scientific awareness of the
general population. We accept the case for a priority to be
given to the teaching of literacy and numeracy in the primary
school. Beyond that, it is not clear that the present
distinction between core and foundation subjects, and the
implications which have followed for the allocation of time
134. The vast majority of children learn the basics of literacy and Creativity is not only an outcome of
numeracy by the end of primary education. A significant a good education, but a means of
minority of children do need additional help with literacy and achieving a good education.
numeracy beyond this stage, but the needs of the few should Professor Michael Barber, Standards
not shape the curriculum for everybody. All pupils should and Effectiveness Unit
study English and mathematics throughout secondary school.
This should not mean that English and mathematics are set
apart from the rest of the curriculum, nor that their roles in
the whole curriculum should be dominated by the need to
establish basic skills in the primary school.
135. We have emphasised the necessity of science education as one Science is continually bringing forth
of the key learning areas for all children. Within the case we new technologies... but science also
brings forth new thinking.
have presented for creative and cultural education, we see no
basis for distinguishing in value between sciences, arts, Lord Stone of Blackheath
humanities and physical education. Education in each of these
has fundamental roles in meeting the challenges we have
identified. In our view, the curriculum should be restructured
to raise the esteem of the non-sciences and promote cultural
parity between them. This restructuring should include
reconsidering the present distinctions between core and
foundation subjects in the National Curriculum. Science
education has vital roles in meeting the challenges of the
future. But it will not fulfil them in isolation.
138. The second argument is that there is no need to change The core and foundation distinction
because under the present arrangements individual schools are is wrong Ñ you either have areas that
free, if they want to, to increase provision for the arts and you value or not.
humanities. This is not the point. One of the purposes of a Lindsey Wharmby, Teacher,
National Curriculum is to identify core values and priorities Lawnswood School
in state education. The existing orders for the National
Curriculum do allow schools to promote and maintain the
non-core subjects. But in the view of many of those we have
consulted, the general ethos of policy militates against this.
Implicitly and explicitly, the message of the current National
Curriculum is that the arts and humanities are lower priority.
This message conflicts with the purposes that the National
Curriculum is intended to promote. Either the aims or the
structure of the National Curriculum should be changed so
that the present contradiction can be resolved. If a balanced
education is important, the message should be clear, and the
provision consistent.
Development
139. The original conception of Key Stages was to mark points of
assessment between children of the same age, ie. at seven,
eleven, fourteen and sixteen. In practice they have come to
refer the periods between them: ie. as key phases. The
Early Years
141. In January 1998 the Secretary of State for Education and I want to emphasise this
Employment announced that for two years schools would GovernmentÕs belief that the arts play
a vitally important part in our
not be required to teach the full National Curriculum in the
education system... time spent on the
foundation subjects. This announcement was intended to ease arts is not peripheral, it is absolutely
the pressure on schools and allow them to concentrate on fundamental to all that we are trying
raising standards in literacy and numeracy. We accept the to achieve.
need for a sustained strategy for literacy and numeracy, but it Rt. Hon Chris Smith MP, Secretary
is vital that this emphasis in Key Stages 1 and 2 should not of State for Culture, Media and
marginalise other areas of intellectual and personal Sport
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4
145. We are concerned too that children in Key Stage 4 are able to
drop subjects such as arts and humanities, and then sacrifice
breadth in favour of specialisation. There is a need to increase
depth of study as young people develop, but at present they
specialise too much and too soon. More time at Key Stage 4
would increase opportunities to consolidate basic skills; to
provide extension activities for gifted students; and to
provide time for studentsÕ choices of study areas and more
integrated work experience, without reducing breadth and
balance. There would also be valuable opportunities to extend
the base of creative activities. On this basis, we believe that
all seven curriculum areas we have discussed should be
available to all pupils throughout key stages 1-4 as a matter
of entitlement.
Prescription
146. In her analysis of over 1,000 lessons, Diane Montgomery
found that 70 per cent of periods was taken up by the
teacher talking, while only 1 per cent involved cognitive
challenges where pupils worked things out for themselves.
She believes that this is partly the fault of an overloaded
curriculum which leaves little time for creative thought.
During the last ten years there have been repeated efforts
to thin it out, but the pressures of over-prescription
remain. These problems are greatest in primary schools.
Consequently, many primary schools welcomed the
Secretary of State for Education and EmploymentÕs
announcement in January 1998, relaxing the full requirements
of the National Curriculum, partly, we suspect, from a
sense of relief.
· an agreed rationale and targets for the performance of The more prescriptive a curriculum,
schools; the greater the need to be explicit
about creativity and not leave it to
· a systematic framework for comparing standards of chance.
achievement between pupils;
Design Council
· a systematic framework of inspection which
supports schools in meeting targets and which
ensures that they are accountable in doing so.
· Breadth
The National Curriculum for each pupil should be
broad as a whole and in its various parts.
· Balance
Each area of the curriculum should have the time and
resources to enable it to make its specific
contribution, but should not squeeze out other
essential areas. This balance need not be the same
throughout the 5 to 16 years age range.
There should be parity of esteem between the Professor Tim Brighouse, Chief
different components of the National Curriculum. Education Officer, Birmingham City
Council
While, at different stages of a pupilÕs development,
some components might be more important than
others, it should not be necessary for any area to be
dropped from the curriculum or become optional for
individuals or groups of pupils.
· Entitlement
All children are entitled to an education in schools,
which addresses fully and appropriately the
declarations of the National Curriculum. This
entitlement should not be contingent on geographical
or social factors.
· Access
All children should have access to the experiences,
people and resources necessary to realise their
potential in education.
Summer Schools
156. Currently, the long summer holidays are filled by a wide
range of summer schools. Many of these focus on the
improvement of literacy and numeracy skills. There would be
value in extending the range and type of summer schools to
include opportunities for creative and cultural development.
These opportunities could be hosted in collaboration with
cultural organisations and businesses. We say more about
such partnership initiatives in Chapter Eight.
Conclusion
157. The changes we propose to the curriculum are intended to
create the conditions in which creative abilities and cultural
understanding can be formed more effectively. Changes to the
curriculum in themselves will not do this. Nonetheless, we
believe that the changes we propose here to the priorities,
structure and organisation of the National Curriculum are
essential to creating the circumstances in which the creative
and cultural education of young people can flourish. Within
each curriculum area, teachers will need to:
· require young people to think creatively by setting We cannot afford poverty of vision,
appropriate assignments; let alone poverty of aspiration. There
are always risks in changing, but the
· offer practical support and guidance in the processes risk of failing to change is much
of creativity; greater.
· promote the four roles of cultural education we Valerie Bayliss, 1998, Redefining
identified in Chapter Three. Schooling, RSA
ÔOnly ConnectÕ
160. We want to make some preliminary points. First we began The most important developments in
this report by arguing that developing creative and cultural civilisation have come through the
creative process, but ironically, most
education raised systemic issues: that it involves all aspects of
people have not been taught to create.
education including styles of teaching and assessment and the
ethos and values of individual schools and of more general Robert Frotz, The Path of Least
Resistance, 1994
educational provision. We believe this is true and in later
sections we look at these wider issues. But the heart of
education is the relationship between teachers and learners,
and by extension the relationships that also develop between
learners - young people themselves. Creative and cultural
education require and make possible particularly rewarding
relationships between all of them.
161. Second, creative and cultural education are not subjects in the
curriculum: they are general functions of education. They
can and should be promoted in all areas of the curriculum and
not just through so called Ôcreative subjectsÕ. Different areas
of the curriculum do contribute to creative and cultural
education in different ways. The opportunities and the focus
in the arts, for example, are not identical with those of the
sciences and humanities, nor with physical education. Each of
these broad areas contributes in different ways to a balanced
education as we suggested in the last Chapter. But there is
also considerable overlap and potential synergy between
different curriculum areas as we implied in discussing the
dynamics of intelligence and of culture in Chapters Two and
Three. Not least, there are similarities in the processes of
teaching and learning.
162. There is a further point to emphasise. There is much debate A creative approach to teaching
about methods of teaching in schools, and in particular about should improve academic results, not
detract from them.
the effectiveness of ÔprogressiveÕ teaching methods. These
include methods that encourage exploratory learning Dawn French
activities; group work and Ôlearning from experienceÕ. These
methods are often associated with promoting creativity,
The Present
Capturing young childrenÕs attention, making an activity attractive and
exciting, takes imagination and creativity on the part of the teacher. Some
aspects of the curriculum appear difficult to introduce in an imaginative
way: for example, that living things need air (oxygen), water and food. In
this approach the teacher captured the childrenÕs interest and challenged
them to think and make sense of the experience. Children sat on the
carpet area and watched as the teacher brought out a box covered in
brightly coloured paper with a big bow on top. The teacher explained:
ÒA friend of mine has sent me a present, doesnÕt it look lovely? She says
that it is a very important present and I couldnÕt live without it. I wonder
what is inside?Ó; she gave the box a gentle shake, but the children
couldnÕt hear anything and wondered if there was anything inside. When
the box was opened, it was empty and the children gasped. ÒOh dear!Ó
said the teacher, ÒThereÕs nothing in the box. Why would my friend say
there was something in the box which I needed to be able to live?Ó The
children offered ideas until one child made the connection and exclaimed:
ÒItÕs air, itÕs air in the box!Ó
Information provided by Julia Kelly, Dudley Infant School, Hastings
Encouraging
Identifying
167. All young people have different creative capacities. A creative Each child has a spark in him/her. It
musician is not necessarily a creative scientist, a creative is the responsibility of the people and
institutions around each child to find
writer is not necessarily a creative mathematician. An
what would ignite that spark.
essential task for education is to help young people to
discover their own creative strengths. Creative achievement is Howard Gardner
often driven by a personÕs love of a particular instrument, for
the feel of the material, for the excitement of a style of work
that catches the imagination. Identifying young peopleÕs
creative abilities includes helping them to find their creative
strengths Ñ to be in their element. This too has implications
for the range and balance of the curriculum.
Fostering
Self-directed Learning
171. Encouraging self-monitoring, reflection upon their own The ability to think about your own
performance and progress, and thinking about their own thinking (metacognition) is essential in a
thinking - metacognition - can enhance young peopleÕs control world of continuous change.
over creative activity and the development of their best John Abbott
4
practice . In these ways the aim is to encourage the
development of the self-directed learner. Teaching for creativity
encourages a sense of responsibility for learning. It aims at a
growing autonomy involving goal-setting and planning, and the
capacity for self-monitoring self-assessment and self-
management. In principle, the earlier self-directed learning is
internalised, the better, but again this aspect of teaching for
creativity must be sensitive to the appropriate stage of the
learnerÕs development. It must be recognised that it will be in
the secondary school where self-directed learning is more likely
to move in tune with the development of young peopleÕs
growing maturity, the flow of their need for independence, and
their growing proficiency in forms of information technology.
Creative Teachers
176. Teaching with creativity and teaching for creativity include all Teaching is not to be regarded as a
the characteristics of good teaching. These include strong static accomplishment like riding a
bicycle or keeping a ledger: it is, like
motivation, high expectations, the ability to communicate and
all arts of high ambition, a strategy in
listen and the ability to interest and to inspire. Creative the face of an impossible task.
teachers need expertise in their particular fields. Creative
Lawrence Stenhouse, Authority,
teaching in mathematics involves a command of mathematical
Education and Emancipation
ideas and principles: creative teaching in music involves a
knowledge of musical forms and possibilities. But creative
What If?
One of the most powerful prompts to creative thinking is the asking of
open-ended questions. Some answers will be better than others, but none
is likely to be ÔwrongÕ. Set out an odd number of counters on a table.
Explain that you will need four volunteers, forming two teams of two: the
rest of the group choose to support one or other team. Ask the teams and
their supporters to gather at either side of the table. Stand between the
two teams and explain that youÕll ask a What If? question. Immediately
the two teams will begin having answers. The team to your right may
speak at normal volume into your right ear; the team to your left at
normal volume into your left ear, simultaneously. Team supporters must
not speak to you directly, but can relay their answers by whispering them
to their team members. For each reasonable answer you receive, that team
will get a point in the form of a counter. When all the counters have been
distributed, the game has thirty seconds left to run. During that time,
good answers will win points from the opposing teamÕs store of
counters. After thirty seconds blow a whistle to signal the end of the
round. Take care to explain that although one of the teams has
accumulated more points than the other, theyÕve all won because:
YouÕve proved that everyone can have lots of ideas if the circumstances
are right (and you need to have lots of ideas in order to have good ideas).
You now have lots of ideas, and therefore some good ones you can look
at in more detail.
From Imagine That by Stephen Bowkett
Cultural Education
180. Teaching for creativity is not a single method or technique. It
can involve a wide range of methods and approaches. It is
possible and we think desirable to teach for creativity in all
areas of the curriculum. Throughout this report we link
together creative and cultural education. First, creative
processes draw from the cultural contexts in which they take
place; second, human culture is the outcome of human
creativity in all of its forms. Different areas of the curriculum
lead young people into different forms of enquiry and
provide different opportunities to develop their cultural
knowledge and understanding.
a. Auditing Provision
A necessary first step is to take stock of existing
provision and opportunities for creative and cultural
Conclusion
195. In this chapter we have looked at what is involved in teaching
for creativity and cultural development. In the next chapter
we look at what is involved in assessing these processes of
teaching and training. Appropriate forms of assessment and
accountability are essential to raising standards in schools and
to sustaining the strategy for improvement that we propose.
Inappropriate forms of both will have the opposite effects.
Recommendations
196. We recommend that:
199. The problem for creative and cultural education is not the The present assessment arrangements
need for assessment, but the nature of it. In principle, need to be scrutinised to determine
the extent to which they support the
assessment should support children's learning and report on
teaching of science as a creative and
their achievements. In practice, the process of assessment imaginative activity. There is a
itself can determine the priorities of education in general. Our growing body of evidence, for
consultations suggest four related problems: first, a growing example, that the teacher-conducted
emphasis on summative assessment; second, the related assessment of Ôscientific
emphasis on measurable outcomes; third, the difficulties of investigationsÕ at Key Stage 4
assessing creativity; fourth, the growing pressures of national reduces science to little more than an
algorithmic variable-handling
assessment on teachers and schools. Each of these need to be
exercise.
addressed if national assessment is to support rather than
inhibit creative and cultural education. Professor Edgar Jenkins
· Diagnostic
To analyse pupilsÕ capabilities and aptitudes as a
basis for planning.
· Formative
To gather evidence about the pupilsÕ progress to
influence teaching methods and priorities.
· Summative
To judge pupilsÕ achievements at the end of a
programme of work.
Measurable Outcomes
202. The comparative use of summative assessments to rank Although assessment on its own
pupils, schools and local education authorities, puts cannot change approaches to learning,
we know that assessment is a
considerable emphasis on ÔobjectiveÕ testing and on
powerful device to help gear teaching
Ômeasurable outcomesÕ. Such testing tends to concentrate on and curriculum. In order to encourage
testing pupilsÕ recall of factual knowledge and skills which the teaching and development of
can be measured comparatively. It generally takes little higher-order skills, thinking
account of experimentation, original thinking and innovation: processes and problem-solving, we
processes which are essential to creative and cultural must use assessment which directly
development. A QCA report recently found that national reflects these processes.
testing of 11-year olds has changed the way nearly eight out Professor Caroline Gipps, Kingston
of ten primary schools teach. Out of 400 primary schools University
surveyed, the majority reported that national testing had
changed their focus of curriculum delivery and that quality of
teaching was being lost as they were forced to cover more
curriculum content in less depth. Almost one in four primary
schools said they Ôtaught to the testsÕ while fewer than half
said it was possible to cover the curriculum satisfactorily in
the teaching time allowed. Only 47 per cent of schools said
they had time to teach outside the National Curriculum.
Three out of five schools said geography had lost the most
teaching time, while 60 per cent of teachers said five to seven-
year-olds were losing out on time for art. A survey of 370
secondary schools revealed that Key Stage 3 tests had had a
similar impact on teaching strategies.
212. The amount of compulsory recording currently required of Teachers are caught up in a culture of
teachers is considerable. The DfEE has started to address this diligence. The recording of
issue in the report ÔReducing BureaucracyÕ and asked the assessment data has become a burden
because teachers do it so well.
QCA to produce guidance to schools on the recording of
assessment information. TeachersÕ own diligence makes the Carol Adams, Chief Education
recording of assessment data an even heavier load to bear. The Officer, Shropshire County
Education Office
teaching profession feels that it is sometimes the amount of
assessment and recording that causes subjects to crystallise as
separate entities, rather than the structure of the National
Curriculum. In our view, teacher judgements should be
trusted without having to show every detail of their
workings. Confident teachers should then be allowed to take
creative risks, without adding to the burden of other teachers.
School Inspection
213. The national system of school inspection is an essential
element of national educational provision. It makes
fundamental contributions to the processes of:
Flexibility
214. OFSTEDÕs inspections are now delegated to teams of It is the nature of this kind of
independent inspectors. These teams necessarily have varied inspection that teachers will over-
prepare because the outcome has such
experience in different areas of the school curriculum. To
high stakes.
ensure comparability and reliability in the findings of its
many inspection teams, OFSTED has had to develop a John Bangs, Secretary, National
Union of Teachers
framework for inspection that can be applied in all
circumstances. As a check list for all that the school should
consider about itself, the framework is better than average.
But it has significant shortcomings in relation to our concerns.
OFSTED inspection has to do more than work to an a priori
inspection framework. Given the inspectorate it has available,
there are limitations on the flexibility that OFSTED can allow
them if reliability and credibility are not to suffer. Without
flexibility, inspection teams can become insensitive to the
qualities and nuances of work in individual schools. School
inspections need to be nationally comparable, but in our view
they must ease up somewhat to allow inspections to reflect
particular strengths and characteristics, and to pick up early
signs of promising developments or concerns. That might
mean pre-inspection work, identifying what, if any, special
characteristics of a school should be reflected in the make-up
of the inspection team. A framework which is too rigid, or
which is applied too rigidly will not allow the unique
characteristics of individual schools to emerge.
Specialist Knowledge
215. We have heard many concerns about the ability of inspection In Nottinghamshire, out of 170
teams to provide authoritative judgements about specialist OFSTED reports in 1996, only three
primary schools and no secondary
subjects, such as the arts, and about particular aspects of
school reports mention dance.
educational provision. Inspection teams do not necessarily OFSTED inspectors do not always
include inspectors who are specialists in all the subjects report on everything happening in
taught in the school. In consequence it is difficult to gauge the schools (eg. dance activities). Non-
soundness of the judgements that are put forward. Specialist specialist inspectors always comment
inspectors are essential to ensure the reliability of inspection positively on dance classes where
findings, and to contribute in expert ways to raising standards they are found, even if it is bad
teaching. This is because they do not
in all areas of the curriculum. The reduction in the number of
Policy Inspection
216. Inspectors can only comment on what is going on in the
school at the time of their visit. While in many ways this is
wholly defensible, it does mean that what is inspected can be
unrepresentative. OFSTED has come to have an important
influence on national educational policy. Yet the national
programme of school inspection is not now designed to
provide a broad base of evidence on how particular policy
initiatives are working out in practice. The absence of such
advice can create an information vacuum for policy-makers.
Inspection should be able to inform policy-makers, schools
and teachers about the state of the education service so as to
point to what needs to be done by whom to speed good
practice and minimise shortcomings. That requires more
iterative inspections, carried out by expert inspectors in
relation to specific themes and issues. A particular case is the
effect of the current emphasis on the core curriculum on
provision for non-core subjects, and the impact on the
broader curriculum of the literacy and numeracy hours..
Conclusion
218. Pupil assessment and school inspection have essential roles in
raising standards throughout the school curriculum. Current
priorities, methods and criteria now need to be sophisticated
to take account of the nature and roles of creative and cultural
education in raising standards. Doing so will help to create a
virtuous circle in which the benefits of creative and cultural
education will be more effectively realised by being more
publicly recognised.
Recommendations
219. We recommend that:
222. At the beginning of this report, we noted the rapid growth in It is important that partnerships
the UK of the creative industries. There is a second area of between schools, artists and galleries
give access to and act as a catalyst for
development which in our view is of equal significance. This
creative learning for young people in
is the work of artists and of other creative organisations in their transition from school to further
education and the community. This sector includes artist-in- and higher education and into
residence schemes, childrenÕs theatre, theatre in education, independent life.
education liaison programmes of major cultural organisations Lindsey Fryer, Arnolfini Gallery,
and community-led projects which are based in the arts and Bristol
cultural activities. The UK has a leading international
reputation for such work and its significance is now
Life Options
Opt for Art is the flagship project of Engage, the National Association for
Gallery Education. Whereas art galleries had succeeded in attracting large
numbers of primary schools to visit exhibitions, very few pupils at Key
Stage 3 were visiting galleries as an organised part of the curriculum in
secondary schools. A pilot scheme was organised in eight schools in
1995 that aimed to give pupils in Year 9 an inspirational experience of art
to coincide with discussions they would be having with parents and
teachers about their option choices at Key Stage 4 and GCSE. The
experience of art was to include a visit to an art gallery and work with an
artist. Between 1998 and 2000 it will work with pupils in Year 8 and
Year 9 in ninety schools. The project hopes to generate special, hopefully
inspirational, experiences of real art and artists outside of school and, in
doing so, promote art as a valuable life option for young teenagers.
Possibly as many as 18,000 pupils will benefit directly from Opt for Art
in the current phase of work. The project has thus far been developed in
Wales, but is now being extended to England.
Information provided by Opt for Art
Benefits to Schools
Curriculum Development
225. Effective partnerships can: I used to think that todayÕs art was
just an excuse not to do any serious
· raise school morale by bringing staff together to work, but now I believe it forces the
work to shared goals, promoting collaboration in person to try to understand by using
curriculum development; their imagination.
Pupil after Opt for Art project
· promote and develop innovative working methods;
· provide an opportunity for cross-curricular links
throughout the school which demonstrate that each
specialism can affect the development of others;
· strengthen the schoolÕs relationship with its School life is enriched by working
community through sharing skills, expertise and with these artists, who are practising
resources; in their own right, and bring a
different focus. Expectations are raised
· strengthen the relationships between schools in the and they bring tremendous energy to
same area through cross-phase or cross-disciplinary the work.
projects; Kathy Halpenny, Headteacher, Blue
Gate Fields Junior School
· raise the profile of the school and the part it plays in
the social, cultural and economic life within the
community;
· develop the school itself as a community by building
strong and supportive relationships between
students, staff, parents and governors.
Staff Development
Science Fair
Robert Smyth School, at Market Harborough, held a Science Fair in
1997 Ñ it developed into a large event. The fair was described in the
local paper, which carried a four-page supplement. This was sponsored by
advertising from a number of local companies, many with a scientific
basis to their operations. After seeing it in the paper, companies that did
not take part at the first fair immediately asked to sign up for the next one
in 1998! Judith Green, a teacher at the school and one of the prime
movers for the fairs writes: ÒWhat a week! You could buy minerals or a
gyroscope in the science shop, you might bump into Marie Curie or Isaac
Newton, you could make slime or a hot air balloon, visit the science road
show, try on the fire brigadeÕs full protective clothing or have a go at
particle physics with Leicester University. As if all that wasnÕt enough,
how about a visit to the Science Museum, an in-house lecture on Light
and Luminosity full of spectacular demonstrations Ñ and the double-page
pull-out in the local paper?Ó
Information obtained from the August 1997 issue of Prism.
For Pupils
· develop their understanding of the wider community, When I first had a try, my very first
and their roles within it; one, I was rubbish, but I got a lot
better. Thank you for showing me I
· develop skills and techniques for creative work can play a xylophone.
through contact with skilled adults;
Tracy at All SoulsÕ School
· deepen their understanding of different disciplines
and their practical application;
· develop their understanding of the key skills and
how they apply to Ôreal-lifeÕ situations;
· deepen their understanding of, and practical
experience in the creative process, including
imaginative thought, problem-solving, research,
234. This should cover all areas of the curriculum and a variety of
schemes, including one-off performances and workshops to
longer-term projects and residencies. The register could be co-
Central Government
238. The creative and cultural development of young people is of
concern to several government departments. The DfEE,
DCMS, Home Office, the Social Exclusion Unit and other
Government departments or agencies all include in their remit
cultural activities by young people. The Department for
Trade and Industry has a particular role to play, in
collaboration with the DfEE, in promoting the creative and
cultural development of young people through science
activities. There is a need for greater co-ordination between
these departments in order to promote a more coherent
pattern of provision, and a more strategic use of existing
resources.
Cultural Organisations
241. We noted earlier the extraordinary growth of interest in cultural Science centres across the globe aim to
organisations over the past twenty years or so in developing mix entertainment and education. The
messages behind all of them are
work with education. In recent years, national and regional
Ôscience is funÕ combined with
funding policies in the arts have strongly encouraged this need. Ôdiscover a principle of science and
According to a survey by the Arts Council of England, 78 per how it relates to everyday lifeÕ.
cent of all publicly funded arts organisations are involved
Talking Points, Chemistry in Britain,
with education work and 63 per cent have a dedicated October 1995
education officer. There is a wide variety of models of
organisation and of types of practice. These range from
dedicated arts education organisations, such as Theatre in
Education, to the appointment of a single Ôeducation officerÕ to
an established arts organisation. At best education is fully
integrated into the life and work of arts organisations, and is
seen as a core function. At worst it is a reluctant add-on: a
minimal provision to meet funding requirements. As often
ÔeducationÕ is seen as important but peripheral to the main
business of the organisation.
242. The term ÔeducationÕ itself is sometimes unhelpful in these The 2,500 museums in the United
contexts. It can carry with it connotations of worthiness and Kingdom are a resource for public
learning of exceptional educational,
civic duty which feels at odds for some artists with the
social, economic and spiritual value Ð a
excitement that drives them. This is a pity and if the term common wealth. This wealth is held in
ÔeducationÕ itself prompts a listless commitment it should be trust by museums for the public good,
dropped. The fact is that arts organisations do not need two not just for our own time and society
separate policies Ñ an artistic policy and an educational but for all times and people.
policy. They need one: a co-ordinated and unified Ôcultural David Anderson, Head of Education at
policyÕ. That is, they need to find ways to engage people in the Victoria and Albert Museum,
their work, to deepen their understanding of it; and to promote London
the creative response and potential of others. This is what
ÔeducationÕ programmes should be for. These are core
243. As partners in the creative and cultural development of young Promoting the Ôpublic understanding of
people, arts organisations that are publicly funded should scienceÕ has become big business.
integrate their artistic and educational policies. The policy and Across the world traditional science
museums are reducing their historic
development plan should clearly state what the relationships
curatorial function and vying for
are between artists, artistic programmes, formal and informal custom with the newer science centres
education work with and for young people. The plan should set up to engage paying members of the
also set targets for developing these relationships and for the public in a variety of investigative and
development of partnerships with others including schools and Ôhands-onÕ science-based activities.
colleges, youth and community agencies, training agencies and Professor Edgar Jenkins
funding partners in the locality. All organisations in receipt of
public funds, whatever the source, should be held accountable
to deliver their educational objectives.
244. Sports clubs and organisations too have important roles in the
creative and cultural education of young people. The diversity
and range of physical activity and sport provides pupils with
many opportunities to develop a variety of skills. PE and
sport are inextricably linked to cultural values and traditions.
Sport also provides challenging opportunities for pupils to
develop their problem-solving abilities, creative thinking,
social skills, and physical prowess as part of their continued
development within society. Sport clubs and organisations
can support schools in promoting these particular skills in
children and should be regarded as important allies in
promoting the creative and cultural development of all young
people in schools.
247. The organisation Arts and Business (formerly ABSA) has long
experience of promoting partnerships between business and
the arts in all of their forms. It has now established the
Creative Forum for Culture and the Economy. This is an
initiative which brings together key figures from some of the
UKÕs leading businesses to explore ways of unlocking the
latent creativity in British business. The forum in particular,
and Arts and Business more generally, has important roles in
Visiting Professionals
248. Visiting professionals in all subject areas should be encouraged
to visit schools to share their experience of the world of work
and to enthuse children about their chosen fields. There are
many examples of professional artists visiting schools. These
are important but people from many other areas of work have
much to offer too. Pupils should be offered the opportunity
for work experience placements within the creative industries.
Aiming High
In 1995, Stoke-on-Trent Community Partnership initiated a major project
to raise the aspirations and ambitions of young people in North
Staffordshire. The project, called Aiming High, has involved over 5,000
students each year in a series of inspirational activities with the hope of
encouraging them to achieve their full potential, whatever their abilities.
The project targets Year 9 students and involves approximately thirty
schools in a cross-curricular programme of events, centred around talks by
inspirational speakers and a combined music and visual arts project in
association with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Previous speakers in
the project have included Helen Sharman, BritainÕs first astronaut,
astronomer Patrick Moore, polar explorer Dr. Mike Stroud, explorer and
author Benedict Allen, and BritainÕs first woman to climb Mount
Everest, Rebecca Stephens. The aim of these speakers is to enthuse and
motivate young people to achieve their ambitions whatever their
background or social upbringing. The raising of personal aspirations is
considered to be of major importance in achieving a significant change to
the social and cultural environment of North Staffordshire, thus
contributing to long-term economic regeneration in an area that has
suffered from a sharp decline in traditional industry and low staying-on
rates in schools. Furthermore, bringing together local businesses and
schools in a major campaign to raise awareness of the potential of young
people, is aimed towards the restoration of a new pride in the city of
Stoke-on-Trent.
Information provided by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
250. The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the 100 Black Men is an organisation of
Arts (NESTA) was established by the Department for black businessmen in the
Culture, Media and Sport in 1998. It will be involved in three Birmingham area who go into
schools to act as mentors to black
broad activities:
youths with behavioural problems.
a. helping talented individuals in the fields of science, The opportunity for these children to
identify with successful black role
technology and the arts to achieve their full
models help improve their attitudes,
potential; behaviour and expectations in life.
b. helping turn inventions and ideas into products and
services which can be effectively exploited;
c. contributing to public knowledge and awareness of
science, technology and the arts.
Successful Mentoring
While some primary schools see mentoring as the routine responsibility
of the class teacher and, quite rightly, as an aspect of pastoral care, others
have developed specific schemes. Two schools, for example, have
developed paired reading schemes, one using adults from local businesses
as part of a business partnership project, the other using pupils from local
secondary schools. The latter was particularly successful because it
brought white British teenagers into contact with Pakistani pupils in an
area where racial tensions are sometimes high. Clearly the quality of
mentoring is important. In both cases the mentors were trained and there
were measurable gains in progress in the pupilsÕ reading skills.
Successful mentoring schemes in secondary schools include those run by
education business partnerships and the mentoring of younger pupils by
their older peers. In one school sixth formers support pupils recently
arrived from overseas needing help with English. This is particularly
effective where pupils share the same first language. In one Bangladeshi
school the mentoring of Year 11 pupils was particularly successful. This
school, where there had been considerable underachievement, made clear
to groups of pupils the high but realistic expectations held for them,
backed by a programme of interviews with a member of the senior
management team or form tutor.
Information from Ofsted 1999.
Professional Associations
253. Many professional teacher and subject associations also play
key roles in supporting and enriching the school curriculum
and teacher training across a range of subjects and disciplines.
In art and design, for example, the National Society for
Education in Art and Design is the largest provider of
continuing professional development to teachers. We are
encouraged by such initiatives. Professional teacher
associations and subject associations also have key roles to
play in disseminating this report and in promoting creative
and cultural development actively through the partnerships
we recommend.
Parents as Partners
As part of an initiative to promote careers education among people from
varying ethnic backgrounds in Manchester, the Progress Trust publicises
career opportunities at public events in a variety of locations. Action
Factory conducted interviews at a careers convention at the Manchester G-
Mex centre in October 1997 which were edited to create a resource for use
with parents from Asian, African-Caribbean and Chinese communities. As
it is considered that the biggest influence on young peopleÕs career
choices comes from their parents, the Careers Service was interested to
record the thoughts of parents who are struggling to make sense of the
increasing variety of training and education options that are now available
to young people. Parents were asked talk about what they find difficult,
what support they and their children need and to say something about the
difference between their experience of choosing a career and that of their
children. The resulting video, translated into Chinese by the Manchester
Translation Service, was shown at an event held for members of the
Chinese community. A short booklet has also been written to accompany
the video.
Information provided by the Progress Trust
Conclusion
255. Schools need no longer be sole traders in education. We all
have an interest in the quality of education and many people
can contribute from different fields of expertise. We see these
partnerships in education not as luxuries but as essential to
the kind of education all young people now need. They do
not happen without planning, and they often have
implications for resources. In the next chapter we look at the
different ways in which resources can be found.
iv. The DCMS in collaboration with the Arts Council and the
QCA should develop:
LEA Services
258. In the past, local education authorities had wide-ranging roles
in the promotion and support of young peopleÕs creative and
cultural activities. The provisions of LMS have all but
eliminated the key services in these fields that LEAs once
provided. Advisory services have all but disappeared in many
local education authorities; peripatetic music and instrumental
services have been dismantled; and provision for a wide range
of essential cultural activities has gone, including support for
youth theatres, orchestras and dance companies. Many LEAs
have only one, if any, specialist providing educational
leadership in the arts. According to a survey conducted by
the Royal Society of Arts in 1995 one third of arts advisory
posts had been abolished since 1990. While posts were
reduced in all curriculum areas, there was a disproportionate
loss of advisors in music, PE and art. At the time of the
survey, nearly a third of LEAs had no specialist advisers for
music and a quarter had none for PE or art.
259. The fourth survey of LEA Advisory and Inspection Service Curriculum work in music, dance and
by NFER in 1998 showed that the majority of the remaining drama has been devastated by
delegation of monies to schools and
advisory staff now have a general brief, with subject
is a shadow of its former self.
specialists becoming Ôan increasingly rare breedÕ. Of 87 LEAs
responding, about one third indicated that specialist support Peter Baker, Head of Arts in
Education Service for Leicestershire
for arts and performing arts was Ôpoor or barely adequateÕ.
and Leicester LEA
Co-ordinated action is needed to establish new structures of
funding and resources to provide these services in new and
imaginative ways. An essential starting point is to create new
patterns of partnership between the government departments
and funding agencies with an interest in creative and cultural
education, so as to make more effective use of resources in
the long term.
261. There is currently widespread uncertainty about the exact This partnership with LEAs should
extent of available services within LEAs. An audit should be see the return to a level of provision
undertaken by OFSTED to address this problem. The DfEE where every child has access to the
support they need.
should enable LEAs to employ co-ordinators or curriculum
advisers for creative and cultural education, to work with David Blunkett MP Secretary of State
schools, to ensure access to specialist advice; liaison with for Education and Employment
community groups; and co-ordination with other services
provided by local government through other departments.
These co-ordinators should be accountable to head teacher
boards. This provision should enable active participation in
creative and cultural activities as well as the opportunity to
see performances, exhibitions and events and support for
theatre in education and youth music groups.
Music Services
262. It is important to distinguish provision for general music
education within the school curriculum from provision for
specialist instrumental and vocal teaching. Every child should
have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument as
a basic entitlement. Peripatetic music teachers are vital in the
265. The 1988 Education Reform Act ruled that schools could Even as a middle-class kid, I could
charge parents for individual lessons. The 1993 Education not have become a musician without
Act adjusted the situation by allowing schools to charge the huge, varied infrastructure of
music services provided by Liverpool
parents for group instrumental lessons, providing the group
in the 1960s.
was not more than four in number. The result was that some
schools absorbed the full cost and continued to offer Sir Simon Rattle
instrumental teaching free to all pupils; others passed on part
of the charge, while a few expected parents to pay the full
cost. The evidence is that the trend is growing for schools to
pass on a substantial part of the cost. We welcome the steps
that Government is taking to address this situation. The
DfEE has made £150 million available and the DCMS has
offered £30 million towards the improvement of music
services. Through new arrangements announced in January
1999, existing music services are to be protected, and new
music services encouraged by the availability of grants
through the Standards Fund. This acknowledgement of the
importance of instrumental music education is very
important, as is the recognition that delegation to schools is
not the solution.
266. The arrangements introduced in 1999 have been welcomed 75 per cent of orchestral players
with relief by the music education community. But some would not be playing today if there
wasnÕt free instrumental provision.
serious problems remain. First, in areas where music services
have not been financed by local education authorities, grants Sir Simon Rattle
will only be available if the authority can find 50 per cent
matched funding. Second, there will remain marked disparities
across the country. According to the DfEE (1999), 88 per
267. In addition to the action taken by the DfEE, the DCMS has Music is a vital part of every childÕs
established the Youth Music Trust, using money from the education and plays an important role
National Lottery. The purpose of the Trust is to assist areas in this countryÕs culture. Years of
underfunding have left some children
where music services do not exist or need to be built up. To
without access to musical
ensure the continued survival of music services, all these instruments or the tuition they
strands should be brought together. Government has at last desperately need to develop their
given the lead by affirming the importance of musical talents. The Government is
education. This is a tremendous step forward. What is now determined to reverse that decline.
needed is a vision of how disparate funding strands, uneven David Blunkett MP Secretary of State
geographical coverage and standards, and differing fee for Education and Employment
structures can be made coherent and fair. We believe that in
the longer term, these two departmental initiatives should be
unified to create a co-ordinated, coherent system of
supported musical education across the country. This could
involve the formation of a national body, solely charged with
the administration and funding of music services. The desire
to play an instrument or sing is as strong as ever. Music has
always been the pride of our nation. We need to establish
firm foundations for its growth.
Funding Opportunities
269. There is currently a variety of funding opportunities available
to support creative and cultural education in schools and
other organisations. However, these opportunities are not co-
ordinated and can cause widespread inequality of access
270. The opportunity to visit cultural organisations (like I am sure my parents are thankful too
museums, science centres or galleries) or to bring professional that it was music and the youth
organisations or individuals in to school should be part of the orchestra which helped steer us
through our teenage years so
basic entitlement of all children. A strong creative and cultural
enthusiastically and safely.
life is the key to a healthy society. Youth Orchestras, Youth
Theatres and other creative activities play a vital role in the Ex-youth orchestra player
wider community, but it is often difficult to find funding for
such projects. A survey by the National Campaign for the
Arts found that the average subsidy for theatre in education
companies had fallen by 22 per cent in real terms over the last
10 years. 10 per cent of companies had closed. A further 20
per cent of the companies surveyed had closed by the time
the research was published in 1997. Funding is required for a
variety of services, including access to specialist advice,
liaison with community groups, co-ordination with other
services in local government, artist or scientist in residence
schemes, visits to or from cultural organisations or merely for
the busses to transport children to and from an event.
National Lottery
272. The Government has secured reform to the National Lottery
and put significant amounts of new public money into the
arts. We commend these actions. There is still scope for
further action. It is still much easier to secure funding for
specific projects that for longer-term developmental work. A
lot of time and resources are wasted on repetitive bidding
processes. A coherent system that will improve
sustainability and development within schools and funded
organisations. The funding system should ensure that cultural
organisations allocate core funds to the development of
partnerships with the formal and informal education sectors
and that the use of funding allocated for education work is
monitored. There are many examples of successful funding
schemes and strategies involving partnerships with education.
These need to be widely disseminated and made accessible to
other cultural organisations.
273. Many arts organisations now only receive their grants in No arts funding system can be
return for added educational components. Many feel that complete, or even credible, without a
clear line on education and training
they are constantly being asked to produce more with less
and clear ideas about how they can
support. For those companies who see education as part of deliver.
their fundamental purpose, there is a real problem. Without
Professor Christopher Frayling, Arts
exception, these educational components came from idealistic
Council member
impulses within the companies, provided on a shoestring out
of concern for the long-term health of the arts. Whatever
funds could be put aside are. But it all still costs money. Now
that even the present insufficient grants will be predicated on
an increased educational output, often the original function of
the company can be lost sight of. In an orchestra, for
instance, 75 per cent of the turnover goes on salaries Ñ the
only way to make meaningful savings is to sack the
musicians, who provide the raison dÕ•tre of the orchestra,
and who are also the in-built educational team. They cannot
perform fewer concerts, without losing more revenue. The
arts need to grow, not merely struggle to survive Ñ the
amount of energy spent in simply trying to survive is now
the major factor in an arts organisationÕs life. There is a
noticeable drift towards safety, the mediocre middle-road
which can be a death-knell for arts. If this happens, or the
central activities are weakened, badly-prepared or simply
shelved, how can the educational activities supply the
necessary vitamins for our children?
274. The New Opportunities Fund is investing £180 million for It is a great irony that, at the moment
out-of-school-hours activities and £20 million for combined and from my perspective, much of the
exciting thinking about children and
out-of-school-hours activities/childcare. The NOF is not able
creativity is being channelled
to enter into long-term funding arrangements, like all Lottery towards study support clubs and out-
New Technologies
278. Schools have to be in a position to access fully the new
interactive television services that will become available this
year on all three digital television platforms and the internet.
The DfEE are about to award a major contract to a
broadcaster to deliver around 1,000 hours of GCSE-linked
programming from September. Pupils and teachers will need
the digital equipment, television and computer, to access this
new channel and the BBC Learning Channel. The BBC has
developed the Learning Channel as a broad-based learning
service which would embrace life-long learning, skills training
and some schoolsÕ programming. The corporation has said
that if it were successful, it could incorporate programmes on
English, French, mathematics, geography, science and history
within existing plans. In the very near future, convergence
will offer teachers a genuine opportunity to harness the
information revolution to both inform and inspire pupils. We
want to encourage all schools to take full advantage of these
280. Growing numbers of children now have access to a computer Technology is a bridge to content,
at home; our schools must not lag behind. Computer literacy not a destination.
is vital for anyone now entering the world of work and Lord Puttnam of Queensgate
preparing for individual life. Lack of basic computer skills
will condemn young people to be deprived, both of vital
information and of new forms of art and entertainment that
will, in future, be delivered by television and the internet. We
commend the partnership initiative between schools and
business recently announced by the Tools for Schools charity
and hope that this work will be taken forward. This new
organisation plans to supply thousands of new and
refurbished PCs to all state schools at a nominal price. All
computers will be Year 2000 compatible.
Recommendations
281. We recommend that:
v. The DfEE and the DCMS should take action to ensure long-
term provision of a single national system of music services
after the interim arrangements of the Standards Fund. This
system should provide:
National Standards
284. In 1997, the Government introduced national standards for Problems exist where teachers are not
initial teacher training. These standards relate to new course educated in the cultural and creative
arts. The potential of the child is
requirements for teacher training and, for the first time, to a
overlooked. ChildrenÕs abilities are
prescribed National Curriculum for initial teacher training in underestimated.
English, mathematics, science and information technology.
Mildred Dodds, teacher
Trainee teachers are now required to cover, in detail, the
287. The national picture is mixed, both by region and by Any course option which gives a
discipline. The problems are more acute in primary training high priority or profile to the arts is
likely to run against the grain of the
than in secondary, since secondary training is based more on
national prescription and will require
subject specialisms. According to the RSA study, students on an act of commitment by the
primary teaching courses often receive little or no experience university to see it through.
of the arts. Nine out of ten surveyed felt that they spend too
Departmental head at HEI
little time on the arts during training. Over half the student
teachers do not teach dance during their school placements,
over a third do not teach music. The majority of students feel
the teachers they work with in schools lack experience,
subject knowledge and confidence in teaching the arts. Many
newly qualified primary teachers have little confidence in
teaching the arts, especially in drama and music. A declining
minority of institutions offer specialist training in one or
more of the art subjects Ñ art, music, dance and drama. On
current Government plans, only 14 per cent of newly
qualified primary teachers will have specialised in an arts
subject. Provision for arts teaching is thus facing severe
adversity.
288. Like schools, teacher training institutions are free to provide After defining the Key Stage 1 and 2
more comprehensive programmes in the arts and humanities if art and music curriculum to the staff
of the primary school, one of the
they wish. But they are faced with a complex equation of
teachers of 10 year olds said she
providing for the existing standards, teaching the National ÒwasnÕt a bit musicalÓ. Eventually
Curriculum for the core subjects, and preparing the students she proudly presented results of her
for school experience in 50 per cent of the course time class history topic on the Romans in
available. Moreover, if the institutions are judged by which her class composed sentences,
OFSTED inspections not to be meeting the standards, they rhythms, chants and rounds. She still
risk being de-accredited. In these circumstances, as in schools, says ÒI canÕt teach musicÓ, but it
shows that a little encouragement can
the pressure is to play safe: to do what is required but no
go a long way.
more. As with the National Curriculum, the standards focus
on the core subjects. There must be compatibility between Mildred Dodds, teacher
the two National Curricula if the one is not to frustrate the
other. It can also not be reasonably expected of newly
qualified teachers to teach the arts and humanities with
insufficient training in these areas. Many generalist teachers
shy away from teaching arts subjects like music, because of a
lack of confidence. Appropriate modules in these subject
areas during teacher training could bolster teachersÕ
confidence to teach all areas of the curriculum well.
School-Based Work
289. All programmes of initial teacher training are now conducted
in close partnership with schools and involve classroom
teachers as mentors to students in training. Almost half of the
initial teacher training programme now takes place in school.
There are benefits in this process. But not all schools have
the subject expertise nor the skills in enabling creative
development that students need if they are to become
competent in these areas. Primary schools in particular often
lack subject expertise in arts disciplines. This problem is
likely to be compounded under the new arrangements. There
is no requirement for the higher education institutions to
provide courses in arts and humanities: many students will
find themselves in schools where mentors feel inexpert in
these disciplines. We anticipate a spiral of decline in arts and
humanities teaching, driven by the combined effects of the
current National Curriculum and the new teacher training
standards.
Inspection Framework
290. The new framework for inspecting standards in teacher training
relates closely to the structure of the national standards for
300. The TTA has £21.1 million of funds available for in-service
teacher training which is award-bearing. The TTA lists ten
priorities for its INSET funding, four of which are general
301. Just as schools have a responsibility towards their pupils to It seems crucial that initial teacher
provide a broad and balanced school curriculum, headteachers training for all teachers includes a
and senior management teams have a responsibility towards focus on education in a multi-ethnic
society, and that all teachers receive
their teachers to provide a broad and balanced programme of
training that equips them to teach in
CPD. We need a teaching force which recognises and a context of linguistic diversity, able
promotes creative and cultural education. Earmarked funding to use basic strategies for developing
through the standards fund for training courses in thinking English as an additional language
skills, creative thinking and creative teaching in all subjects across the curriculum.
would ensure that the importance of creative and cultural Blair et al 1998
education will not be overlooked in the continued
professional development of teachers. It is equally essential
that initial training and CPD provides fully for training
teachers to address issues of multiculturalism and of anti-
racism in all disciplines. The arts, in particular, are regularly
absent from the categories eligible for grant aid that embraces
the professional development of teachers through the
Standards Fund and the TTA INSET funds. They therefore
have to operate by stealth through other areas.
303. It is estimated that 80 per cent of all music conservatoire Artists working, or wishing to work
students are involved in education work within two years of in education, need to learn a lot more
graduating, yet their training still does not prepare them about the ways that schools work,
how subjects are organised and their
sufficiently for this challenge. If a scheme was introduced for
teaching and structured evaluation
artists to spend one year of their training in a variety of processes.
educational settings, this problem could be addressed.
Kate Burnett, artist
Participation in such a scheme should be by application and
should carry a stipend and exemption from tuition fees for
that year. This will also serve to raise the profile of education
work within the arts sector. Some successful schemes are
currently in place for linking music conservatoires and teacher
training institutions, eg. the link between Manchester
Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of
Music and that between the Institute of Education (London)
and Trinity College London. These initiatives should be
closely monitored and expanded.
Youth Workers
307. Creative and cultural activity seldom features in the training
of youth workers. It is assumed that those entering training
bring with them interests and enthusiasms to which the
theory of practice of youth work can then be added. There
is considerable scope to develop a more secure training
curriculum for youth workers, introducing them to the roles
and benefits of creative and cultural activities. Resources
could also be shared, by hosting joint training sessions
on creative and cultural education for teachers and
youth workers.
Education Officers
309. The increasing involvement of cultural organisations in
education has given rise to the need for training in education.
There is some training for museum and gallery educators
provided through masters courses such as at the University
of Leicester, but there is currently no undergraduate training
for education officers or managers in cultural organisations.
At present, people either come from an arts background or an
educational background. Once in the job, they then have to
learn about the other dimension of their work. The work of
education managers is multi-dimensional, and there is an
urgent need for accredited training that gives equal weight to
cultural and educational issues. We are encouraged by the
actions that the DfEE has taken to start addressing this issue,
by giving grants for training opportunities in this area. The
scale of this initiative should be extended.
Conclusion
310. The new provisions in initial teacher training pose serious
threats to the future development of creative and cultural
education in general, and of the arts and humanities in
particular. Urgent action is needed to secure a continuing
supply of trained teachers in these fields and to raise the
standards of expertise among all teachers, both in initial and in
service training. New strategies are also needed to draw on the
Recommendations
311. We recommend that:
iii. The DfEE should take urgent action to assess and remedy the
decline in the numbers of teacher training institutions offering
specialisms in the arts and humanities in the training of
primary school teachers.
viii. The DfEE through the Standards Fund, and the TTA through
its funds should ensure earmarked funding for continued
professional development in the following areas by
identifying them as priorities for support:
A National Strategy
314. In the future, far more than in the past, education will be a
shared enterprise. It will not stop at 16, or 18 or 21, as it has
done for the majority, but will be continuous and open-ended.
It will be provided not only by schools and colleges, but by
businesses, commercial organisations, new technologies, by
artists, scientists, other professionals and the community at
large. The Government has a pivotal role in creating a vision
for education and in setting a course. For this reason, many of
our recommendations are addressed directly to the
Government. But education is a collaborative enterprise, and
many others must lend their resources and expertise. For that
reason, our recommendations are addressed to many other
agencies and organisations. Clearly, these proposals cannot all
be implemented at once. In relation to the National
Curriculum we have indicated those that call for immediate
action and those to be implemented in the medium term. But
we believe that the case for change is strong, and the need for
Rationale
Flexibility
Assessment
Curriculum Development
Assessment
Action by OFSTED
Action by Government
Joint Action
38. The DfEE should enable LEAs through the Standards Fund to
employ co-ordinators /curriculum advisers for creative and
cultural education, accountable to head teacher boards, to
work with schools, to ensure access to specialist advice;
liaison with community groups; and co-ordination with other
services provided by local government through other
departments.
41. The DfEE and the DCMS should take action to ensure long-
term provision of a single national system of music services
after the interim arrangements of the Standards Fund. This
system should provide:
Action by OFSTED
Developing Partnerships
Action by Government
51. The DCMS in collaboration with the Arts Council and the
QCA should develop:
53. The DCMS should extend the funding programmes for the
development of the creative industries to support
partnerships and joint projects with education.
Action by Schools
New Technologies
Action by Government
The Arts
a.2. Art
a. Art is a statutory subject to all pupils in Key Stages 1-3, although from
September 1998 the details of the Programmes of Study are not statutory and
could be locally determined.
b. According to OFSTED, progress in art is good or very good in one third of
primary schools. In secondary schools, progress improves through Key Stage
3 and 4, and post-16 pupils make better progress in art than in any other
subject. However, assessment is weak in art compared with most other
subjects, and only a small proportion of schools use the end of key stage
descriptors.
c. There are concerns about the definition of the subject. Visual arts specialists
generally argue that the subject should be named art and design, and include
craft activities. Currently, art teaching has a strong fine art emphasis, and
design and technology a strong manufacturing one. The National Curriculum
has imposed a prescriptive model of art education which emphasises technical
skill at the expense of creative and conceptual innovation. In art, especially at
Key Stages 3 and 4, there is very little craft and design. The curriculum
focuses predominantly on drawing and painting. Cutbacks in specialist trained
staff, increased student-staff ratios and timetabling constraints are placing a
strain on art and design teachers.
a.3. Drama
a. Drama is not a separate subject, but subsumed within the English curriculum,
which is compulsory for all pupils in Key Stages 1-4.
b. OFSTED inspections suggest that too few schools teach drama. Drama receives
little attention in primary school inspection reports, but such references as there
are confirm its importance. In Key Stages 1-3 provision for drama is poor
a.4. Dance
a.5. Music
Technology
a.7. Design and Technology
a.9. Science
a. Science is a statutory subject for Key Stages 1-4 with compulsory testing at
the end of Key Stages 1-3.
b. OFSTED reports show that pupilsÕ achievement in science is better than in
most other subjects. Progression between Key Stage 1 and 2 and between
Key Stage 3 and 4 is often not well co-ordinated: tasks set for children often
fail to build on previous learning and little new knowledge is encountered.
c. The National Curriculum does not support approaches which see science as a
creative and imaginative activity. The curriculum is content based and does
not encourage creativity; neither does it provide sufficient opportunities for
children to develop an understanding of the history of science and the role of
different cultures. It does not sufficiently acknowledge the approaches, or
roles of different cultures in science. Primary schools have few problems in
linking the arts and science in spite of the National Curriculum. For example,
children have an opportunity to watch theatre groups introduce science
through drama, often helping to make difficult scientific concepts more
accessible to them. Science based theatre is an approach which teachers know
about and are willing to use, even with restricted school budgets. Science is
sometimes recorded creatively, through painting, poetry and role-play. Where
children and young people are offered opportunities to link science with the
creative arts the results can be very positive and offer pupils the opportunity
to view science from different and often unique perspectives. At secondary
level, the divide between science and the arts still remains. In the past
students were either arts or science. Students who combine science and arts
subjects are still the exception rather than the norm, although there is evidence
that these barriers are being broken down.
a.10. Humanities
a. Both history and geography are statutory foundation subjects from Key
Stages 1-3.
b. PupilsÕ progress in geography does not compare well with other subjects, but
in history, in more than one quarter of schools pupilsÕ progress is good or
very good and the proportion of schools where pupils underachieve is lower
for history than for almost all other subjects.
c. There are grave concerns about the impact of the relaxation of the National
Curriculum on humanities subjects at GCSE and A Level. The contribution of
the humanities to creative and cultural development is not sufficiently
recognised. Most people can see how the humanities can link with creativity,
but too few think of them as creative. Yet, for all the strictness of the
b Teacher Education
b.1. The information in this section mainly represents the official OFSTED and TTA
views on teacher training. Comments from the RSA report on teacher training in the
arts is also included, as well as some additional information from the consultation. As
indicated in Chapter Ten, current provision in teacher training can have far-reaching
effects on creative and cultural education. It is therefore important and helpful to know
what this current provision entails in each subject area.
Art
b.2. There are 30 providers of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in art in England.
There are currently about 1000 trainees, of whom about 70-80 per cent go into full-
time employment as teachers. Most courses recruit a high calibre of trainee; many are
mature students who have engaged in a range of different, but relevant, experiences of
the subject, including a number who have previously worked professionally as
designers and in various capacities as community artists. Completion rates are good
but statistical monitoring is of variable quality.
b.3. Training in art is predominantly of good or very low quality. The proportion of
courses with serious weaknesses (3.7%) is very low. Strengths in the training are the
b.4. No significant weaknesses were found in the subject knowledge and understanding of
the trainees. A high proportion of art courses have good or very good grades in this
area of the standards. In planning, teaching and class management, the majority of the
art trainees at one course in four are very good and very few courses have a significant
minority of only adequate trainees. Planning for progression is a particular strength,
though in a few courses progression from Key Stage 2 could be better understood.
Trainees show imagination in recognising the needs of individual pupils. The teaching
is very often sensitive, confident and challenging. Time and physical resources are
managed well, but trainees have limited access to ICT facilities for art in partner
schools. Standards are also unusually high in monitoring, assessment, recording,
reporting and accountability. The trainees know how to assess pupilsÕ work against
the National Curriculum and how to help pupils build up personal portfolios. They
provide comment and feedback to individuals, have a good understanding of reporting
procedures, and understand the external standards used to judge pupilsÕ work at
GCSE, A-level and in vocational courses.
Dance
b.5. Physical illiteracy is a problem in both schools and teacher education. Too many
pupils, and consequently too many of those entering the teaching profession, find
difficulty in achieving control and subtlety, moving with sensitivity, exploring,
exploiting and understanding the dynamic quality of the movement itself. They find
the control of tension and relaxation, clarity and precision in movement, difficult. Too
many prospective teachers have limited ability to observe and report intention and
meaning, cause and effect, in the movement of others. The circle of deprived physical
literacy is thus reinforced.
b.6. There is an acute lack of teacher training in dance education and a great need for trained
specialist teachers in primary schools. Many students are not allowed to do PGCE
courses with dance, so they have to do PE courses with a total of 6 hours dance
training. It is often difficult for dance PGCE students to find jobs, because schools
prefer PE specialists. PE should not be the only training route to dance education. The
short-term focus should be on INSET training for dance and the funding to resource it.
The opportunity of providing INSET training through ICT should be pursued, as there
is currently funding available for ICT development. The dance education sector should
not miss the opportunity to establish a place in the National Grid for Learning. Many
PE teachers, especially male, are nervous of teaching of dance. Although the PE link
Drama
b.7. There are 7 secondary PGCE courses offering specialist training in drama. All are being
inspected by OFSTED, but so far only one inspection has been completed. Evidence
from inspections conducted 4 or 5 years ago suggests that good provision is being
offered in at least some of them. From a training point of view, the picture is quite
encouraging. Furthermore, evidence suggests that newly qualified teachers (NQTs) are
getting jobs and there are sufficient specialist posts available to absorb the number of
NQTs available. The TTA is considering whether it should require PGCE drama
courses to cover the ITT NC (Initial Teacher Training National Curriculum) for English
as well as drama. While most, if not all, drama courses include some training in the
teaching of English (reflecting the statutory place of drama within the National
Curriculum Orders for English) there is anxiety amongst providers at the prospect of
delivering the full ITT National Curriculum for English as well as providing specialist
training in drama. Their concern is that this could lead to the demise of specialist drama
courses, and consequently have a major impact on the delivery of the subject in
schools
Music
b.8. There are 25 providers of PGCE secondary music training in England. The geographical
spread of provision leads to clusters (eg. London and South East), and deserts (eg. East
Anglia). There is a number of well-established, good courses with full-time tutors,
sometimes teams of tutors who provide ITT, in-service teacher training courses
(INSET), and also higher degrees in their institutions. However, there are other courses
where music is staffed by a part-time tutor who is only responsible for the secondary
PGCE and where staffing seems vulnerable and isolated from the institutionÕs overall
provision. There has been under-recruitment on almost all courses, perpetuated this
year. Music became a shortage subject in 1998-99. There are relatively few students
from conservatoires on PGCE courses. There are eight conservatoires nationally, and
only London, Manchester and Birmingham PGCE courses are attracting conservatoire
graduates.
b.9. Overall, students are well qualified, committed and strong candidates for teaching.
However, undergraduate courses are variable Ñ too variable Ñ in their ability to
provide a secure foundation for a career in music education. Graduates show an over-
emphasis on solo performance study, with a lack of versatility. In particular, many
have had little or no training in music technologies, vocal work, composition or world
music repertoire. These latter are essential as we approach the millennium. Where
students do have strengths in these, they adapt well and quickly to the demands of the
National Curriculum, particularly in Key Stage 3. Most students have done GCSE
themselves, but the newer elements have not yet penetrated A level or degree courses.
b.11. Training in music is good or very good in over four-fifths of courses, but a few courses
have significant or serious weaknesses. Those providers which audit musical
knowledge, but also provide opportunities to extend and apply it during the course
tend to provide training of good quality. Central training sessions, including those
involving visiting tutors and mentors, are almost always better than subject training
which takes place in schools. Mentors bring many strengths to courses, but most need
to have a clearer understanding of the standards as they relate specifically to planning,
teaching and managing the music curriculum. On about two-thirds of courses, traineesÕ
planning and teaching are good or very good. However, in one course in three, a
significant minority of trainees need to improve, particularly in their teaching in Key
Stage 3 when pupils are organised in groups and participating in complex practical
workshops.
b.13. The quality of D&T training is improving. Two-thirds of courses provide good or very
good quality training. However, the proportion of very good training courses is
comparatively low. In a third of the courses, significant improvements are required to
bring them up to a good standard. Significant weaknesses include low-quality training
in the school-based elements of courses, lack of sufficient subject enhancement, and a
lack of training in traineesÕ specialist D&T fields, particularly in food and textile
technology. In a minority of providers, some weaknesses in the training are found
where staff have not kept up with current developments in the subject, or lack rigour
and challenge in their teaching.
b.14. TraineesÕ knowledge and understanding are good in just under three-quarters of
providers, and, in one case, the majority of the trainees were very good. However, just
over a quarter of courses have a significant minority of trainees with only adequate
subject knowledge. Three-quarters of courses equip their trainees to plan, teach and
manage the D&T curriculum to a good standard, and in one course, the majority of the
trainees were very good in these respects. However, few trainees are outstanding, and a
quarter of providers produce trainees a significant minority of whom have only
adequate planning and teaching skills.
English
b.16. There are currently 73 training courses for secondary English teachers across the
country. Most courses successfully meet the recruitment targets set for English by the
TTA and recruit high calibre trainees. Selection procedures are mostly good or very
good. Further improvements are required, in a minority of partnerships, in the rigour of
selection tasks, particularly to assess the quality and accuracy of applicantsÕ use of
English. The training provided by schools and tutors is good or very good in 80 per
cent of courses. Strengths exist in the range of approaches covered and training for
classroom management. However, training in planning needs sharpening in a significant
number of courses, as do arrangements for meeting the diverse range of training needs
of trainees. Insufficient time is given to preparation for teaching basic literacy skills on
a significant number of courses.
b.17. Trainees in most partnerships achieve good or very good standards in the subject
knowledge required to support effective English teaching. TraineesÕ planning, teaching
and class management are at least good in almost all courses. However, one important
area in which a significant minority of trainees have shortcomings is the clarity and
precision of their planning for pupilsÕ progress in relevant skills, knowledge and
concepts.
Geography
b.19. There are 42 geography teacher training courses across the country. Admissions
policies and selection procedures for geography courses are generally of very high
quality and a good number have several outstanding features. High calibre trainees are
recruited and there is a very high level of completion and award of teacher status.
However, geography is now a shortage subject and not all courses met their target
numbers for 1997-98.
b.20. The quality of training and assessment of trees is good or very good in seven out of ten
geography courses. However, in two courses, both training and assessment were poor.
A distinctive strength in the training is the outstanding quality of much of the teaching
by geography tutors. There are also some tutor partnerships where excellent co-
b.21. In nine out of ten geography courses, traineesÕ subject knowledge is good and in more
than a quarter it is outstanding. Areas of weakness in a minority of courses are the
traineesÕ understanding of progression from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3, and their
appreciation of the role that geography plays in vocational courses. In nine out of ten
geography courses, traineesÕ planning, teaching and class management are good. They
teach lively lessons, with clear exposition, effective questioning and a wide range of
teaching strategies and resources. Weaker trainees are not clear enough in identifying
geographical learning outcomes and do not plan sound assessment opportunities as
part of their lessons.
b.22. TraineesÕ standards in assessment are good in about seven courses out of ten.
Significant weaknesses were identified in just over a quarter of the providers.
Geography trainees often know the principles of assessment, but in practice rely too
much on written tests and miss opportunities to assess pupilsÕ progress through
observation and intervention. Few use assessment information systematically to adjust
their teaching.
History
b.23. There are 28 teacher training courses in history in England. On admissions policy,
history has a comparatively high proportion of very good grades and a relatively low
proportion of adequate grades. Few providers have any difficulty in meeting the
TTAÕs recruitment targets. Completion rates rarely fall below 90 per cent. Some well-
qualified trainees are not able to find a post because the demand for history specialists
is declining.
b.24. The quality of training in history is almost always good or very good, with a high
proportion which is very good. Centrally-provided training has good content, and is
taught effectively; feedback from tutors and mentors on class management and teaching
methods is often of high quality. The best courses audit, and where necessary, extend
traineesÕ subject knowledge. History trainees are predominantly good in subject
knowledge, and in one course in three the majority of the trainees are very good in their
grasp of the concepts and content they are teaching. They understand progression
through the Programme of Study. Almost all are familiar with examination syllabuses
and broader assessment requirements, but the degree of understanding of post-16
history and of ICT as applied in history classrooms varies a good deal between
courses.
b.25. In planning, teaching and class management, history trainees are mainly good, and a
very much lower proportion of history courses have only adequate standards in this
Mathematics
b.27. In England there are currently 75 training courses for mathematics teachers. The
recruitment of suitably qualified mathematicians to train as secondary teachers remains
a major problem. Despite strenuous efforts, the PGCE courses inspected in 1997-98
only recruited to just of 20 per cent of their TTA target. There is also a less well-
recognised problem in retaining trainees until the end of the course. In 1997-98, 26 per
cent of the trainees recruited failed to gain qualified teacher status. Around seven per
cent were encouraged to leave during the course because they were failing to meet the
required standards.
b.28. A fifth of the training courses are very good; a quarter are adequate, but need
significant improvement; the rest are good. Four-fifths of the centrally-provided
training sessions were good and over a third of these were outstanding. Trainees work
in schools with good mathematics mentors were also of good quality. Common
weaknesses are a lack of clarity and specificity in feedback to trainees on their teaching
and insufficient guidance on how to assess and record pupilsÕ progress. In a third of
the courses, there is also a lack of rigour in assessing and making good deficiencies in
traineesÕ own mathematical understanding.
b.29. There were two courses where standards of mathematical knowledge and
understanding were poor and a small minority of courses where very few of the
trainees reached a good standard. However, most trainees in most courses had a secure
understanding of the concepts and skills necessary to teach mathematics across the 11-
18 age-range. The main weaknesses were a shaky understanding of progression from
Key Stage 2 and of the level descriptions for mathematics.
b.30. Few mathematics courses achieve very good or good grades for planning, teaching and
class management. There is some excellent teaching by talented trainees, but a large
minority rely excessively for their planning on schoolsÕ schemes of work, and are not
b.32. There is some training of outstanding quality. Most partnerships are good at training
their modern linguists in classroom management and whole-class teaching. However,
one course in three needs to make significant improvements in assessing, monitoring
and enhancing traineesÕ own command of the languages they teach. One course in four
has significant weaknesses in showing trainees how to plan for progression, in training
them to assess and record pupilsÕ progress in the foreign language, and in applying the
new standards consistently to the assessment of trainees. These weaker courses are
predominantly small ones, and almost half are new providers. The main shortcoming
tend to be located in the school-based elements of the training.
b.33. In nine out of ten courses, the majority of the modern language trainees are good or
very good in their subject knowledge. In four out of five courses, the majority of the
trainees reach good levels of classroom management and subject teaching skill.
However, in the one course in five where trainees are only adequate in this area of the
standards, planning for progression constitutes the most common significant weakness.
In assessment and recording, very high standards are rare and, in one course in three,
trainees are significantly weaker in this aspect than in others. This almost always
relates to defects in the timing, content and delivery of the training.
Physical Education
b.34. There are 32 teacher training courses in PE across the country. The level of
applications is buoyant. Trainees are selected who are suitable for teaching, and many
are enthusiastic and committed games players. However, most applicants have first
degrees whose content is not closely related to the PE National Curriculum. Physical
education training sessions in the HEIs are consistently of good or very good quality.
However, too many physical education teachers in partner schools have yet to
b.35. TraineesÕ subject knowledge and understanding are good in four out of ten providers,
but in more than half the courses inspected, a substantial minority of the trainees have
significant weaknesses. This profile is below all other subjects and is a cause for
concern. TraineesÕ planning is conscientious in many aspects, but lacks precision in
defining what is to be learned. Half of the teaching is good and half adequate in quality.
Class management, organisation and control of pupils are predominantly good but
effective learning is not promoted consistently, as a result of weaknesses in initial
planning.
b.36. The weakest standards are in traineesÕ ability to assess, record and report on pupilsÕ
progress and achievement. Only in a quarter of the courses are standards
predominantly good. In the other courses, insecurity in defining what is to be learned
and the generally weak quality of assessment, recording and reporting in schools
undermine their ability to develop effective judgements of pupilsÕ progress and
achievement.
Religious Education
b.37. There are 42 RE teacher training courses offered by HEIs. Nearly half of providers fall
short of the TTA target because of shortages of suitable candidates, or, in some case,
insufficient good quality RE school placements. The quality of trainees varies widely.
Completion rates are variable but, on average, just under 90 per cent. Take-up of
teaching posts is high.
b.38. The great majority of the training in RE is good or very good but, at 28 per cent, the
proportion of only adequate training is comparatively high. One factor which impedes
trainees in achieving the standards for QTS is the weakness of statutory RE in some of
the placement schools. The majority of training sessions in the HEI providers are of
good quality. Good quality provision is characterised by partners having shared aims
and school-based tasks being jointly planned and integrated into school-based and HEI-
based provision. Weaknesses in subject knowledge are generally addressed well.
b.39. RE trainees invest much time in developing appropriate subject knowledge for teaching
their subject. As a consequence, they are good overall in subject knowledge. In one
course out of four, the majority of trainees are very good in their understanding of the
key concepts, skills and content to be taught. All trainees understand the statutory
requirements for teaching the subject to the 11-18 age-range according to a variety of
agreed syllabuses. Their understanding of examination courses and broader assessment
requirements is dependent largely upon the provision for RE in their placement
schools.
b.40. In planning, teaching and classroom management, RE trainees are good in two out of
three courses. The majority of trainees plan their work effectively to meet the
Science
b.41. There are 74 providers of science teacher training courses across the country. Science
remains a shortage subject. The main shortfall is in physics and, to a lesser extent,
chemistry, which leads to science groups in which biologists predominate. Failure to
reach the target number set by the TTA is widespread, though some providers meet or
come close to the target through intensive recruitment efforts. Courses do not attract
science graduates of the highest calibre.
b.42. Training is good or very good in just under three-quarters of providers, leaving a
quarter with a need for significant improvement. Almost half of the centrally-provided
training sessions are outstanding. Mentors make an increasingly systematic
contribution to the training and four-fifths of school-based sessions are of good
quality. Key areas for improvement are the monitoring and extension of traineesÕ
subject knowledge and the consistency of support from science mentors in schools.
b.43. In four out of five science courses, standards in subject knowledge and understanding
are good, and in a small minority, they are very good. Standards in planning, teaching
and class management are markedly less good. The breadth of knowledge and expertise
required in teaching both National Curriculum science and a science specialism may
contribute to this. In about one course in three, the standards are met adequately and
few courses achieve the highest grade. Nevertheless, the majority of courses are good.
b.44. In monitoring, assessment, recording, reporting and accountability, the science grades
are significantly worse than in other areas, with slightly more than two-fifths of
courses graded adequate against this set of standards. These findings reflect the higher-
order assessment skills needed by science trainees and the lack of well-planned
opportunities in school science departments that many trainees experience during the
PGCE course.
Notes
1. The Challenge for Education
1. Digital media, the industry responsible for designing and creating content for the internet
and other digital formats, such as CD-ROMs, could create up to 80,000 jobs over the next
eight years. Some 20,750 people in the UK are employed in digital media, a sector that
barely existed a decade ago, according to a study commissioned by the Digital Media
Alliance, a consortium of companies involved with the industry. There are 2,750 digital
media companies in the UK with combined annual revenue of £687.5m. Roughly 2,000
freelances, mustering combined annual income of £50m, work in the digital media sector.
The study estimates that 500 specialist digital subsidiaries of traditional media groups
produce annual turnover of about £187.5m. The work of these companies and individuals
has given the UK an international reputation as having Òrecognised indigenous talent for
creative ideas and cultural innovationÓ. The UKÕs digital media industry has the potential
to grow by at least 20 per cent per year over the next decade, more than double the rate of
traditional creative sectors, such as film and advertising. It could then employ 100,000
people and generate annual revenues of £5bn by 2007. The education system needs to be
2. Creative Development
1. Ford & Harris III 1992; Taylor 1988: 118-119. Calvin Taylor and associates have traced
Òsome 50 or 60 definitionsÓ of creativity.
2. A survey of teachers and lectures found that there was Òa pervasive view that creativity
is only relevant to the artsÓ. Fryer (1996:79).
4. The description of these stages has a long history but is primarily associated with Wallas
(1926:80).
2. On the beneficial effect of the directive to Òbe creativeÓ see Datta (1963), Cummings,
Hinton & Bobdel (1975) and Fontenot (1993) cited in Ford & Gioia (1995:35).
Disposition has been judged to be very important in creative behaviour (Craft et al
1997:79 citing Perkins, Jay & Tishman 1993).
7. Raising Standards
1. For a full description of Project 1000 see Fryer, Creative Teaching and Learning,
Chapman, London, 1996; p111-118. We are grateful to Marilyn Fryer for helpful advice
on the assessment of creativity.
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We are also grateful to the following people for commenting on drafts of the text:
We are grateful to all the schools and organisations that have supplied examples for
this report and to everyone who has contributed to our work.
D. DATA
Barrie Day
Deafsite
Derby City Council
Derbyshire County Council
Derby Playhouse
Design Council
Design Museum
Discovery, London Symphony Orchestra
Mildred Dobbs
Dorman Museum
Dorset County Council, Expressive Arts Team
Dorset County Council Music Service
Dudley LEA
Dudley MBC Leisure Services
Dudley Music Services
Karen Dust
The Dyslexia Institute
G. Mr Oliver Gill
Caroline Gipps, Institute of Education, University of London
Global Innovation Network
Glyndebourne Opera
Gavin Graveson, Choral Animation Projects
Judith M Graydon, Headteacher, Parish C of E Primary School
Green Candle Dance Company
J. Jabadao
Prof Robert Jackson, Director of Religions & Educational Research Unit, Institute of
Education, University of Warwick
Sarah Jackson, Stoke Park School, Coventry
Prof Edgar Jenkins, Science & Education Policy Unit, University of Leeds,
Gay Jessop, Head of Art & Design, Harrytown RC High School
Jiving Lindy Hoppers
M. M6 Theatre Company
mac, Birmingham
Maharishi School
Malbank School & Sixth Form Centre
MEC
Prof Peter Medway, School of Linguistics, Carleton University, Canada
Medway Council, Medway ChildrenÕs University
METIER
Middlesborough Borough Council, Education & Leisure Dept & Dorman Museum
The Midi Music Company, Music House Too
Millennium Appeal
Millennium Challenge
Prof Arthur Miller, Dept of Sciency & Technology Studies, University College of
London
Margaret Mills
Mind the Gap Performing Arts
The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
Museums Association
Museums & Galleries Commission
R. Craig Randolph
Reading Borough Council Museum Service
Caroline Redmond
Religious Education Council of England & Wales
Remembering Education
Dr Malcolm Rigler
Rick Rogers
Royal College of Art, Centre for Drawing Research
Royal College of Music
Royal Institution of Great Britain
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
Royal National Institute for the Blind
Royal National Theatre
Royal Opera House
Royal School of Church Music
Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Society of the Arts
Royal West of England Academy
U. Unicorn Theatre
United Biscuits (UK) Ltd
Y. Young Writer
City of York Council, Schools Advisory & Support Services
Yorkshire & Humberside Arts Board
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre & Pied Piper Theatre Company