Defying the Decline - Creative Arts

?The Resurgence of Arts Education in Our School

Across the UK, exam boards are reporting a drop in examination entries across the creative subjects since the introduction of the EBacc in 2010, Art and Music both seeing drops of around 40%, with Performing Arts losing a staggering 69% of GCSE entries. With the introduction of the new Curriculum for Wales placing less emphasis on traditional subjects there is a very real danger that Wales could see Arts subjects entirely disappearing from schools all together. We are hearing of schools across Wales place creative subjects on a carousel meaning the children will learn one creative subject at a time, causing a massive reduction in staff numbers in the creative faculties. This will undoubtedly result in a smaller number of pupils opting for Arts subjects in what is already a process where pupils face fewer subject choices alongside compulsory core subjects. This is a real loss for our children as Creative arts education is crucial. It fosters their imagination, self-expression, and critical thinking skills. It cultivates creativity, empathy, and problem-solving abilities, enabling them to explore their unique identities and develop a well-rounded perspective. Creative arts nurture emotional intelligence and provide a platform for personal growth and communication.

Defying the odds against a national downwards trend of exam entries, the Creative Arts Faculty at Kings Monkton School is flourishing.?Since being appointed to the school in January 2014, Claire Bourne, Head of the Creative Arts Faculty has seen every subject in the faculty thrive. In 2014 there were just 25 hours per week of examination teaching across the faculty in three subjects. Fast forward to September 2023 and there will be 7 subjects on offer, including Art, DT, Food and Nutrition, Media, Music, Music Technology and Performing Arts. This adds up to an incredible 175 teaching hours dedicated to creative subjects, a 600% increase of curriculum time. The challenges of COVID have only made the Creative Arts Faculty stronger, even gaining national recognition for innovative teaching whilst online, so what does Claire attribute this achievement to?

Really it is simple - outstanding staff offering lots of opportunities, encouragement and celebrating the success of every child.

There is a truly inspirational team of staff in the Faculty who work tirelessly to support the development of every child in every class. Pupils are offered an opportunity to get involved in public performances every half term, with our major school annual play being the pinnacle of their work. We work with each pupil to coax the very best results that they can achieve, and they enjoy their learning. Music making is an integral part of the school, from Primary all the way to Sixth Form. It doesn’t matter if you cannot sing or play a musical instrument – our BTEC Music Technology course will teach you to use our fully equipped music studio to create professional recordings as well as live music technique at one of our many productions. If you combine this with Media Studies, accessing our Apple Mac Suite, you can start making your own movies as many of our pupils do. A huge factor in the success of the faculty is the support of the Senior Leadership Team who recognise the importance of creative subjects, we are hearing of other schools scrapping their Music A Level courses because they cannot attract a minimum number, at Kings Monkton School that simply does not happen with the needs of each individual pupil being met with our personalised curriculum.

Kings Monkton School is a family-run co-education independent school from ages 3-18 based in the heart of Wales’s capital. For more information about admissions please email [email protected]. If you wish to know more about how the Kings Monkton School Creative Arts Faculty can support your child, please get in touch to make an appointment.