The Arts in Schools - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

NotesThe Issues1 For a description of the trends in, and underlying causes of, youthunemployment, see Youth Unemployment: A Background PaperYouthaid, 19802 See for example Large, P The Micro Revolution, 19803 Reports on Education. No 92: School Population in the 1980's DBS,19784 This was the fourth annual report prepared by the Inspectorate for theExpenditure Steering Group on Education. It was the first of its kindto be made public.5 As Patrick Nuttgens has argued the decision taken by the Governmentin 1917 to make the Universities responsible for conducting schoolleaving examinations has had far-reaching educational effects. Foralthough the examinations were supposed to be school leaving examinationsthey inevitably became qualifying examinations for entry to theuniversities:'And that had a profound effect upon the whole orientation ofstudies and teaching. It made entry to the universities the highestaspiration for teachers and pupils and thus had a profound bearingupon the subjects which could be taught, their nature and scope,and the character of the educational experience of the pupils.'(Nuttgens, 1977, p7)6 See Primary Education in England DBS, 1978, paras 8.17, 8.23, and8.28.7 Further information is available from The Education Officer, TheCrafts Council, 12 Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 4AU.8 The need to develop pupils' 'aesthetic awareness and creative ability'was emphasised by the Confederation of British Industry in a statementissued in March 1980. This came as a response to the DBS consultativepaper A Framework for the School Curriculum, DBS, 1980162