Should we stop teaching creative subjects at secondary schools?

The government are reforming GCSE's to the Ebacc ( English Baccalaureate), it has already started, but by 2015 Michael Gove wants the curriculum to consists of five pillars, where creative subjects are not included. The creative industry and colleges are campaigning to include a sixth pillar, which includes the creative subjects.

If you think we should be including creative subjects, please get involved and spread the word.

http://includedesign.org/press-and-events/#6minutes

A quote from a Guardian article "A recent poll by Ipsos Mori shows that over the last year alone 27% of schools cut courses as a direct result of the Ebacc measure. The previous year the figure was even higher at 45%. Of the courses cut, drama, performing arts, art and design, and design and technology are the worst hit."

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-pro...)

I would be really interested in people's views regarding this.

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Thompson on January 12, 2013 at 9:38am

I agree it's up to all of us to actively encourage creativity within education and following that through to the work place, developing and giving it the freedom it needs, not marginalising and devaluing its worth. When we have an abundance of creativity here, to lose this will have an affect on us all.

"When it comes to design, the UK is home to some of the world's biggest talent."

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/sep/01/design)

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Permalink Reply by Tracy brookes on January 15, 2013 at 9:01am

Of course we should teach it!! That's why there is a demand for it, we are all creative in many different ways, and as a nation do we not have some of the most iconic fashion houses, designers or artists in this country??
For many learners being creative is their passion, it's a release, why should we quash a dream of someone's?
Teaching is changing all the time as is the way we teach it, if our teachers were not creative, learners would not enjoy it, from learning inspires passion, passion inspires creation, creation inspires further learning....

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Thompson on January 15, 2013 at 12:22pm

I love that last line Tracy "from learning inspires passion, passion inspires creation, creation inspires further learning" that should be the mantra for every place of education.

The creative subjects are a way of communicating so I do think they should be embraced as much as the more traditional subjects of communication are, such as English and foreign language.

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Permalink Reply by Tracy brookes on January 19, 2013 at 7:25am

Hi Andrea,
Thank you for your comment. There will always be a place for creative subjects in this and the next generation and agree that they should be embraced in equal quantities.
T x

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Permalink Reply by Lucy Curle on January 19, 2013 at 11:30am

Hi

Given that creative subjects currently seem to be in the process of being squeezed out of school timetables and lots of creative students are likely to find their time at school frustrating and unstimulating as a result, does anyone have any ideas on how those students can be given more scope to express themselves creatively in other lessons (I teach sociology but it might be of interest to teachers of other subjects) in the interest of promoting inclusion and diversity? There should of course be time set aside for art and music etc as they are valuable subjects in their own right which need to be studied properly, but given that they are being pushed aside by the government I would be interested in any ideas on how those subjects and the students who have an interest in them could be partially supported in other subject areas until they do get full recognition and suitable amounts of time devoted to them in schools.