Why can't they take Art and Textiles?

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Why are schools making it hard for children to follow their interests? At my child's school she is being told she can take GCSE Fine Art but not Art Textiles as well. Or she can choose between them. It's where her interest and career ambitions lie. Why are schools pushing Art out when we have such a vibrant creative and cultural industry? Have you seen this blog? www.accessart.org.uk/what-is-the-real-value-of-art-education/
It has certainly made me think.

I think it depends on how some subjects are scheduled and size of school. You are going to hate me, but DDs school have said from this year they want to be really flexible but they are a big school so will have more than one class for each lesson. They choose two subjects in Box A, mainly humanities and languages though, which they are guaranteed. After that they can choose anything they want, so if they want to choose the three art subjects they offer, they can!

It's probably to do with timetabling TBH, that and it's more beneficial at GCSE for students to have a range of subjects rather than making their focus too narrow. GCSE is still supposed to be general, remember. A Levels (or vocational equivalent) are where you begin to specialise, and that is the point where she could do some art and some textiles as a mix and cut out languages or sciences or essay subjects or whatever it is that she's not so keen on.

She should speak to both subject teachers to see what the courses involve and see which one interests her more at this point.

DD does Art Textiles. It is very time consuming home-workwise - not sure she could have coped with doing Fine Art too. Plus scheduling for the practicals - it's full 3 days and only a couple of weeks before the written ones start.

BertieBotts- I don't see it as narrowing options when they can take two or three Sciences or two Humanities or two languages. It's because of the EBacc apparently. The "brighter" children being directed into streams for that.

It is probably worth talking to the school and finding out why they won't let her do both. It could be timetabling, workload or something else entirely. The workload involved in an art subject is heavy and most people wouldn't advise doing two simply because of the amount of homework and the consideration of the practical exams. However are there other options? An art GCSE where she can do both art and textiles, a technology option with textiles?

bigTillyMint my child's school completes the ten hour exam before and after Easter so they have the run up to the other subject exams. Apparently every school can timetable the art ten hour project to suit them. The issue here is one of choice.

There are some schools in the country not offering any Arts subjects at KS4 by the way.

OK.

Have you talked to them directly about the possibility of doing both and why she/you would like her to?

Have a look at the exam board website for Fine Art e.g. AQA. There are some subject combinations that are not allowed because they are deemed to be too similar especially if they are offered by the same exam board.
dds school offers DT textiles and pupils are allowed to take this as well as Art if desired at GCSE as this has a different emphasis.

The A level and degree stages are where your child can follow their interests. GCSE stage is about breadth, and a) the interests a 13 year old has when they are choosing options will probably change and b) doing two portfolio heavy subjects will inevitably impact on the grades of the other subjects.

There isn't such an issue with doing triple science, or an extra MFL as these take up a normal workload.

Which schools offer no creative subjects at GCSE then? I find that difficult to believe....

There are some schools in the country not offering any Arts subjects at KS4 by the way
Name and shame please

For most exam boards fine art and art textiles are not separate gcses, they are just different pathways of an Art and Design GCSE. So taking both "subjects" would be taking the same subject twice! Which exam board is offered. This is edexcels spec:
qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/art-and-design-2009.html

GCSE art and design -fine art and GCSE Design Technology - Textiles would however be two separate subjects. (But with a very large workload)

The individual art specifications are different and the two courses are distinctly different with all exam boards. DT Textiles not offered. Name and shame? Yes, will post links to schools later.

From Edexcel Centre guidance document:

Forbidden combinations and classification code
Centres should be aware that students who enter for more than one GCSE qualification with the same classification code will have only one grade (the highest) counted for the purpose of the School and College Performance Tables. Please note that as from 2015 all the different Art & Design endorsements will have the same classification code (JA2),
with the exception of Photography (KJ1).

From the specification:
Students should be advised that, if they take two specifications with the
same classification code, schools and colleges are very likely to take the
view that they have achieved only one of the two GCSEs.

I had a similar problem: we had to choose one subject from the following: CDT, Technical Drawing, Textiles & Home Ec. I didn't want to do any of them, but they couldn't find space in the timetable to allow me to study something more academic.

In the end I chose textiles and I liked it ok, but the fact the school couldn't make any other accommodation for me pissed me off at the time. Especially when I found out that a boy in my year who was equally academic had managed to fix things so he could do economics and history and didn't have to do one of the other subjects. They'd do it for a boy but not for me!

EssexMum69 refers to the current governments stealth change if the discount codes which has been challenged in both the House of Commons and House of Limirds and through an online letter campaign. All it does us shows that the current coalition have marginalised the arts.

Sorry - House of Lords.

DD is Y9 and been allowed to take Art and Textiles as two of her options. However, they did say they don't allow most students to do it, as the deadlines for coursework clash and they are both very coursework heavy. DD has been allowed as they think she will cope.

cece-they will indeed and what an antidote to the knowledge testing conveyor belt of the rest of the curriculum.

I don't read it as doing down the arts at all, merely that these two subjects are so close in content they cannot be regarded as two completely separate GCSEs.

It's not as if they say only one of Art, music, dance or drama count.

What do you base that on? I can't see that? In fact- French and Dpanish are'closer' and allowed!

My ds is taking a fine art as/a2 In His second year at college and didn't take art gcse at all. He took gcse photography but didn't want to do that at a level. He's doing a level textiles and 3d design as well. Going to uni to do sculpture. Ds didn't need the gcse to do the a level so it may not take one she doesn't do out of the picture completely...

I mean just cause she hasn't got the gcse does not mean she def can't do the a level

Blame the government. Discount codes are frustrating. I teach Performing Arts and the course I currently teach is being axed. Drama and Dance courses will have the same code, also the same as Performing Arts and Expressive Arts. Schools are being forced to drop courses because the govt will not count them in Ebacc/Progress 8/league tables. One of the grammar schools near me has ditched Drama/Theatre Studies at KS5 and another has ditched it completely. I teach in a non-grammar and am lucky that the HT recognises the worth of arts courses. We're never going to top the league tables, which, in some ways, releases us from having to fight the purely "academic" corner.