arts in the primary curriculum

[themonalisa]

I am worried to read that the Arts may not have to be compulsory in the new curriculum proposed by Michael Gove. How on earth can children thrive without these opportunities ? What can we do to influence the debate on this ?

Lots of things may not be compulsory in the new curriculum

Where did you read this? Arts are something which we will be doing at home/out of school, anyway ... but there will be many children whose parents can't/don't/won't.

Just because they may not be statutory doesn't mean they won't be taught in school. At this point no one really knows what the new curriculum will contain.

I think you are right - there may well be fewer subjects in the curriculum (KS1-3) if Gove gets his way. I once taught a girl who did no art and design in Year 6 - her SATs took centre stage. She was diagnosed with depression during this year and in her SATs assessment she fell way below average. By the end of Yr 11, in a school which allowed her creativity and talent to thrive, she gained 12 GCSE passes all A and A*. When the arts take a back seat so can the confidence which allowed this young person to shine in all areas of the curriculum. It would be a great loss if we see the arts taking a back seat.

New curriculum? I should really listen to the news more.

mrz: perhaps they need to be statutory to ensure that all children get the same entitlement ?

soph365: I fully sympathise with this story, we have to let our children thrive in a curriculum which offers something for everyone. This new government seem obsessed with bringing back the school of Mr Gradgrind in Dicken's "Hard Times".

Yes, or they may be statutory subjects with a non-statutory curriculum.

I think unlikely a primary school would not offer any art. having been to school before nc - I remember doing lots.

themonalisa that is how we have ended up with such an over crowded curriculum. Gove says he trusts teachers. I hope he gives them the freedom to provide a balanced curriculum instead of trying to fit everything in and as a result watering it down

a broad and balanced curriculum has to be an aspiration and entitlement. I can hardly believe my five year old will experience her primary schooling without the arts as an entitlement :(

The thing is, they are statutary now and many schools really sideline them. I knew a school with no music in year six except performances and peri lessons. But pretty much got away with it with just rapped knuckles. Ppa time has really helped- specialist teachers often come in and often cover subjects that non specialists are daunted by.

mrz: if he wants a balanced curriculum and to give teachers freedom, then why has he cut down the number of trainee teachers in Art and Music and increased them in other "hard" subjects.?
Schools may sideline them and that's usually down to teaching for SATS but there is, at least, a requirement to offer them and many primary schools do wonders for the Arts.

themonalisa how many primary schools use specialist teachers for any subject? Being an expert in your own subject doesn't always mean you are good at teaching it (personally I find it much more difficult to teach subjects I find easy)Primary teachers need to be Jack's of all trades subjects.

Also, being a specialist in your subject doesn't mean that's what you teach at primary level. Largely speaking everyone teaches everything. It is a big help to have an enthusiastic specialist, but the reality is you still have to teach all the subjects.

I know many teachers who hate teaching any art topics that involve mess.

My DH was astonished last year when I did papier mache with the whole of my year 4 class. I couldn't see her concern; they enjoyed it, it was structured and it taught them many skills (fine motor skills, design, and also history... we were making sarcophaguses).

I think that, if art is no longer deemed compulsory, many MANY teachers will choose to just not do it. Especially in KS2, where they tend to dislike mess more than in the earlier years.

I know- I used to do whole class painting and people were shocked. We had a good system for tidying up, and to be honest I loved it. By ks 2 it doesn't have to be messy as such. I much preferred everyone doing it together rather than clearing up paint every day for a week.

I've made papier mache masks with my Y2 class this term...they were intended to show symmetry but ended up quite abstract
I've also done whole class marbling and sick painting

Ha ha, sick painting conjures up some images!! I do whole class art with y2 too. Just not sewing!

sorry sick painting was child initiated in reception Y2 did silk paint

Can someone link to the proposals please?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12227491
at the moment there are no firm proposals only speculation.

there is to be a review which will be carried out in two phases and the new curriculum implemented during 2013-2014.

I hope that any new proposals will recognise the importance of the subjects we have at the mo, but also recognise that it is very, very hard to fit in the required amounts of teaching for each subject at the moment. Wouldn't hurt if sats disappeared from the end of year six too...

Oh, yes, second no whole class sewing! Not until the invention of the self threading needle anyway!! Maybe not whole class sawing either! Or am I just not so confidentvwith dt as art?