The Guardian view on music and drama education: reversing elitism starts at school | Editorial
The number of students taking creative subjects at A-level and GCSE is at a record low. The arts must not become the preserve of the most privilegedHow many of the...
By Editorial · The Guardian Opinion
The number of students taking creative subjects at A-level and GCSE is at a record low. The arts must not become the preserve of the most privileged How many of the young people who attended Reading and Leeds festival or a Prom this summer will be picking up a guitar or clarinet when they return to school? New figures suggest not many. The number of students taking A-level music is at a record low : under 5,000, a drop of nearly half from 15 years ago. “We are facing the worst-case scenario prospect of A-level music disappearing from English state schools entirely,” warned Deborah Annetts, the chief executive of the Independent Society of Musicians. Music GCSE entries have also fallen . It has the widest attainment gap for disadvantaged students of any subject. Private violin lessons are beyond the purse strings of most parents. The statistics for drama are similarly bleak. A-level drama entries have almost halved in 10 years, with by far the biggest drop in state schools. Forty per cent of state schools no longer even offer music or drama GCSEs. Leading universities have been forced to close music departments and arts courses. The number of teachers training in creative subjects has also declined sharply over the past 15 years. It is no coincidence that the Ebacc, which prioritised core academic subjects at the expense of the arts, was introduced by the Conservatives in 2010. No wonder the worlds of music, theatre and television have become so privileged. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...