The Arts in Schools - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The Arts in Schools - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Arts in Schools - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The issues1 Reasons for In the widespread discussions which have been taking placethe report about the school curriculum, the arts — dance, drama, music,visual arts, literature — have been given little attention. Themajor reports and statements from the Secretaries of State,from HMI and from the Schools Council, for one reason oranother, have included only brief references to them. We considerany neglect of the arts in education to be a seriousmatter. The arts have an essential place in the balancededucation of our children and young people. This is truewhatever the social and economic circumstances of the day.In our opening chapters we will argue the educational casefor this. We are mindful, however, that any contemporarydiscussion of education has to be set against the backgroundof three main issues. These give an added urgency to ourarguments:a the profound and long-term changes in the patterns ofemployment and of unemployment, especially amongyoung peopleb the changing relationships between education andsociety as a whole which must result from thise the rate of cultural change in BritainExisting levels of provision for the arts in education areactually being threatened due to:a the effects of falling schools rollsb cuts in public expendituree some of the demands of educational accountabilityThe case for the arts in schools does not amount to specialpleading. It derives from the need for a system of educationwhich takes account both of contemporary social circum-
stances and of the perennial and varied needs of children andyoung people, for a broad-based curriculum rather than onewhich is too occupied with academic learning.We have a general concern for the kinds of curricula nowneeded in schools. We have a specific concern with thearts. What benefits can the arts confer on the school curriculumand what steps can be taken to realise them? We seethese general and specific concerns as intimately related in anumber of ways.2 Education The roles of schools in preparing children for employmentandhave been emphasised repeatedly in the current discussionsemployment on the curriculum. In the secondary school a premium isoften placed on examination courses and academic qualifications.We believe this emphasis to be misplaced for threereasons.a Living in the presentTo see education only as a preparation for somethingthat happens later, risks overlooking the needs andopportunities of the moment. Children do not hatchinto adults after a secluded incubation at school. Theyare living their lives now. Helping them towards anindependent and worthwhile life in the adult world ofthe future pre-supposes helping them to make sense ofand deal with the experiences which they suffer orenjoy in the present. The roles they adopt later andthe employment they will seek will partly depend onwhat they become as individuals — what capacitiesand capabilities are developed or neglected — duringthe formative years of education. It follows that schoolsshould enrich and broaden children's experiencesthrough a broad and balanced curriculum. Literacy andnumeracy are an important part of education. Theyshould not be mistaken for the whole of it.b Structural unemploymentWe face a future in which opportunities in many acceptedareas of employment will continue to decline. Levels ofunemployment are especially high among young peopleand school leavers. 1 This is not a passing feature ofthe recession. It is the result of long-term structuralchanges in the industrial economies. One aspect of thisis the development of new technologies. These threatenvery much higher levels of unemployment and redundancyin future, not only in industry but also in commerceand in the professions. 2 All this indicates profoundchanges in the established patterns of working life and
- Page 1 and 2: THEARTSSCHOOLSPrinciples, practice
- Page 3 and 4: © 1982 Calouste Gulbenkian Foundat
- Page 5 and 6: Chapter 4 Provision: the arts in pr
- Page 7 and 8: The Advisory CommitteeChairmanMembe
- Page 9 and 10: Foreword by the Chairman of the Inq
- Page 11 and 12: Introduction—1989This is not a re
- Page 13 and 14: and many others have done so since.
- Page 15 and 16: politicians on all sides were compe
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- Page 19: REFERENCESArts in Schools Project (
- Page 23 and 24: significant than at present.4 The n
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- Page 27 and 28: seem to improve when taught as part
- Page 29 and 30: world around them.e In understandin
- Page 31 and 32: ence essential to education? Why th
- Page 33 and 34: 10 The artsare notoptions11 Notwith
- Page 35 and 36: 1 Education, schooling and the arts
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- Page 49 and 50: 38 Quality Quantity by itself is in
- Page 51 and 52: 43 Freedom Two further points must
- Page 53 and 54: 3 Arts education and the cultural h
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- Page 61 and 62: their cultural identity'. Haley's b
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<strong>The</strong> issues1 Reasons for In the widespread discussions which have been tak<strong>in</strong>g placethe report about the school curriculum, the arts — dance, drama, music,visual arts, literature — have been given little attention. <strong>The</strong>major reports and statements from the Secretaries of State,from HMI and from the <strong>Schools</strong> Council, for one reason oranother, have <strong>in</strong>cluded only brief references to them. We considerany neglect of the arts <strong>in</strong> education to be a seriousmatter. <strong>The</strong> arts have an essential place <strong>in</strong> the balancededucation of our children and young people. This is truewhatever the social and economic circumstances of the day.In our open<strong>in</strong>g chapters we will argue the educational casefor this. We are m<strong>in</strong>dful, however, that any contemporarydiscussion of education has to be set aga<strong>in</strong>st the backgroundof three ma<strong>in</strong> issues. <strong>The</strong>se give an added urgency to ourarguments:a the profound and long-term changes <strong>in</strong> the patterns ofemployment and of unemployment, especially amongyoung peopleb the chang<strong>in</strong>g relationships between education andsociety as a whole which must result from thise the rate of cultural change <strong>in</strong> Brita<strong>in</strong>Exist<strong>in</strong>g levels of provision for the arts <strong>in</strong> education areactually be<strong>in</strong>g threatened due to:a the effects of fall<strong>in</strong>g schools rollsb cuts <strong>in</strong> public expendituree some of the demands of educational accountability<strong>The</strong> case for the arts <strong>in</strong> schools does not amount to specialplead<strong>in</strong>g. It derives from the need for a system of educationwhich takes account both of contemporary social circum-
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