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     Introduction    I  am  pleased  to  present  the  combined  findings  of  the  NSEAD  Art,  Craft  and  Design  Heads  of  Department  and  Educator  surveys.  This  is  the  fourth  in  our  current  tranche  of  surveys  since  2010,  plotting  the  impact  of  current  government  policy  on  art,  craft  and  design  education.  I  would  like  to  thank  all  of  our  members,  supporters  and  colleagues  for  the  time  they  have  given  to  bring  this  critical  information  into  the  public  domain.    From  the  findings  we  have  been  able  to  draw  five  main  conclusions,  all  of  which  reflect  the  negative  impact  of  policy  changes  on  our  subject  and  on  our  community.  These  are:  Performance  measures  continue  to  erode  provision  at  key  stage  3  and  4;  fewer  specialist  teachers  are  being  trained  and  there  is  a  paucity  of  subject  specific  professional  development;  learning  opportunities  for  pupils  both  in  school  and  within  the  cultural  sector  have  diminished;  and  the  subject  lacks  value,  especially  in  the  state  school  sector.    The  conclusions  of  this  survey  are  as  unsurprising  as  they  are  unwelcome  and  provide  a  critical  benchmark  within  the  continuum  of  our  work  on  behalf  of  our  community  and  in  our  advocacy  for  and  defence  of  art,  craft  and  design  education.      The  National  Society  for  Education  in  Art  and  Design  will  rigorously  debate  and  seek  to  challenge  the  implications  of  the  survey  as  a  key  part  of  its  strategic  direction  in  support  of  the  teachers  and  educators  for  whom  it  serves.    

       Lesley  Butterworth  General  Secretary    NSEAD      

NSEAD  Art,  Craft  and  Design  Educator    Survey  Report  2014  

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Key  Conclusions    • Performance  measures  that  exclude  or  marginalise  art,  craft  and  design  are  impacting  on  key  stage  3-­‐4  

provision,  pupil  choice,  gallery  and  museum  visits,  specialist  staff,  professional  development  and  the  perceived  value  of  the  subject  in  state  schools.    

 • Fewer  specialist  art,  craft  and  design  teachers  are  being  trained.  Non-­‐specialist  staff  are  teaching  art,  craft  

and  design  lessons  and  significant  numbers  of  specialists  in  post  rarely  or  never  receive  professional  development.    

 •  Opportunities  for  pupils  to  work  with  creative  practitioners  or  to  engage  with  original  works  of  art,  craft  

and  design  in  galleries  and  museums  have  been  reduced.    • Art,  craft  and  design  teachers  report  their  subject  is  not  always  highly  valued  by  senior  staff  and  governors  

in  maintained  schools.  Again,  this  is  a  picture  not  reflected  in  the  independent  sector.    • Learning  opportunities  for  pupils  in  art,  craft  and  design  at  key  stages  3  and  4  in  many  state  schools  have  

reduced  significantly.  This  is  not  the  case  in  independent  schools,  where  curriculum  entitlement  and  choice  has  been  sustained.  

 

NSEAD  Art,  Craft  and  Design  Educator  Survey  Report  2014    

 In  May  2014  a  total  of  172  NSEAD  members  and  supporters  participated  in  two  indicative  surveys:  Heads  of  Department  (HOD)  Survey  and  Art,  Craft  and  Design  Educator  Survey.  Both  surveys  aimed  to  canvas  the  experiences  of  art,  craft  and  design  educators,  specifically  considering  the  position  and  value  of  the  subject  in  schools  in  the  last  three  years  (2011-­‐2014).  Qualtrics  Research  Suite  and  Survey  Monkey  were  used  for  the  HOD  and  Educator  surveys  respectively.      The  HOD  survey  focused  on  departmental  changes  to  include  the  impact  of  performance  measures  on  the  art,  craft  and  design  curriculum.  The  Educators  Survey  collected  evidence  on  the  ‘value’  and  visibility’  of  art,  craft  and  design  in  schools  and  colleges;  curriculum  time  allocated  for  the  subject  across  sectors;  option  choices;  specification  offers;  and  learning  in  and  with  galleries  or  practitioners.  Respondents  also  provided  feedback  on  access  to  professional  development,  subject-­‐based  challenges  and  areas  for  future  debate.  The  key  findings  of  both  surveys  have  been  presented  together  in  this  Art,  Craft  and  Design  Educator  Survey  Report  2014.  

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Progress  8:  44%  of  HODs  agree/strongly  agree  that  Progress  8  has  played  an  important  role  in  the  organisation  of  the  art,  craft  and  design  curriculum  in  their  school.    

1.  Performance  measures  and  their  impact  on  the  organisation  of  the  art,  craft  and  design  curriculum    

Respondent’s  comments  The  EBacc:  ‘Reduction  of  student  choice;  Higher  ability  students  are  discouraged  from  practical  subjects;  It  has  totally  influenced  options  and  taken  choices  away;  Our  numbers  have  decreased,  affecting  pathways  and  choice;  Students  are  deterred  from  taking  more  than  one  arts  subject;  Pupils  of  higher  academic  ability  (sets  1-­‐2)  are  unable  to  take  art  as  an  option  at  key  stage  4’    Discount  Codes:  ‘Students  are  only  allowed  to  take  one  GCSE  in  art,  textiles  or  graphics;  We  used  to  do  early  entry  GCSE  &  AS,  no  more.’    Progress  8:  ‘The  double  weighting  of  maths  and  English  has  meant  that  the  school  has  taken  lessons  away  from  all  option  subjects  to  add  to  maths  and  English;  The  curriculum  has  been  changed  to  start  key  stage  4  in  year  9  which  means  that  most  students  experience  of  arts  education  ends  at  the  completion  of  year  8;  and  ‘Students  who  are  not  capable  of  achieving  double  science  do  art  GCSE  by  default.’  

Survey  findings  

English  Baccalaureate  (EBacc):  52%  of  all  heads  of  departments  (HODs)  agree/strongly  agree  that  the  EBacc  has  played  an  important  role  in  the  organisation  of  the  art,  craft  and  design  curriculum  in  their  school.    

 

Discount  Codes:  47%  of  all  HODs  agree/strongly  agree  that  Discount  Codes  have  played  an  important  role  in  the  organisation  of  the  art,  craft  and  design  curriculum  in  their  school.    

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ii)  Has  the  time  allocated  for  the  study  of  art,  craft  and  design  at  key  stage  4  changed  over  the  last  three  years?    A  notable  proportion  (35%)  of  teachers  in  state  schools  at  key  stage  4  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  the  time  allocated  for  the  study  of  art,  craft  and  design  has  remained  constant.  Only  8%  of  teachers  in  independent  schools  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  time  allocated  has  remained  constant.  Changes  include  reduced  weekly  allocations:  three  hours  a  week  reduced  to  one  hour  50  mins  a  week;  GCSE  courses  taught  as  twilights;  additional  classes  that  are  not  encouraged  due  to  the  prioritisation  of  other  subjects:  ‘We  are  unable  to  offer  after  school  sessions  as  these  are  booked  for  ‘academic  subjects’.      

v)  Are  pupils  encouraged  in  schools  to  take  art-­‐based  options  (at  any  key  stage)?  Only  27%  of  teachers  agree/strongly  agree  that  pupils  are  encouraged  to  take  art-­‐based  options  at  any  key  stage.  Some  teachers  indicate  that  lower  ability  students  are  advised  to  take  art  and  design  but  there  is  a  different  picture  for  higher  ability  pupils.  They  said:  ‘Particularly  higher  achieving  students  have  their  options  restricted  to  maximise  the  uptake  of  EBacc  subjects;  ‘The  lower  ability  students  are  encouraged  to  take  art  and  design.’  

iii)  Have  pupils  in  schools  seen  a  reduction  in  option  blocks  at  key  stage  4  over  the  last  3  years?  Nearly  half  (46%)  of  respondents  agree/strongly  agree  that  pupils  in  their  schools  have  seen  a  reduction  in  option  blocks  at  key  stage  4  over  the  last  three  years.  Respondents  report  a  reduction  in  choice  where  art  and  design  is  listed  in  one  column  as  opposed  to  three  option  blocks  [three  years  ago],  or  four  columns  and  now  two.  A  teacher  reported  that  option  pathways  have  become,  ‘more  restrictive  and  prescriptive.’  Far  fewer  teachers  in  independent  schools  (21%)  agree/strongly  agree  that  there  has  been  a  reduction  in  option  blocks.    

iv)  Can  pupils  in  schools  choose  from  more  than  one  specification;  e.g.  textiles  and  graphics?  Only  half  (51%)  of  teachers  in  all  schools  say  their  pupils  can  choose  from  more  than  one  specification.  Timetabling,  contraction  of  departments,  redundancies  and  the  Best  8  performance  measure  were  cited  as  reasons  for  limiting  choice  of  specifications.  

2.    Art,  craft  and  design  departmental  changes:  size,  expertise  and  funding    

Has  the  size  of  art,  craft  and  design  departments  remained  constant  over  the  last  three  years?    32%  of  HODs  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  the  size  of  their  department  has  remained  constant  over  the  last  three  years.      In  those  schools  where  a  reduction  is  reported  teachers  comment  that  this  has  impacted  on  available  expertise:  ‘We  have  lost  one  textile  teacher  that  has  not  been  replaced.’  And,  ‘lost  a  member  of  staff  now  replaced  by  bits  of  other  staff  who  are  not  specialists.’  

vi)  Do  schools  support  the  principle  that  every  examination  group  should  engage  with  original  artworks  first  hand  either  in  a  gallery  or  museum  &/or  through  meeting  practitioners?  Only  half  of  all  teachers  (50%)  agree/strongly  agree  that  their  school  supports  the  principle  that  exam  groups  should  engage  with  original  artworks.  In  the  independent  sector,  86%  of  respondents  report  that  their  school  supports  this  principle.  

i)  Has  the  time  allocated  for  the  study  of  art,  craft  and  design  at  key  stage  3  changed  over  the  last    three  years?    Over  a  third  (35%)  of  all  teachers  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  the  time  allocated  for  art,  craft  and  design  over  the  last  three  years  has  remained  constant.  Comments  indicate  that  creative  and  performing  arts  carousel  systems  and  options  starting  in  year  9  have  negatively  impacted  on  the  time  allocated  to  the  subject:  ‘Key  stage  3  allocation  will  be  halved  from  next  year  as  we  will  be  on  a  carousel  system,  so  each  class  will  only  study  one  art  project  per  year  for  approx  10  weeks  instead  of  two  hours  per  fortnight  and  three  projects  per  year;  and  ‘Pupils  now  opt  in  year  9.  Only  two  years  at  KS3’.    

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3.  The  value,  visibility  and  championing  of  art,  craft  and  design  in  a  professional  settings    

Has  the  funding  for  art,  craft  and  design  departments  remained  constant  in  the  last  three  years?  54%  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  departmental  funding  has  remained  constant  in  the  last  three  years.    HODs  report  significant  budget  reductions  (between  -­‐30  and  -­‐50%).  Budget  cuts  have  impacted  on  curriculum  breadth  and  pupils  being  charged  for  materials:  ‘We  now  have  to  charge  students  for  some  materials  as  our  budget  will  not  cover  them,  plus  we  no  longer  deliver  lessons  that  require  expensive  materials,  for  example,  textiles  at  KS3.’  

Value:  32%  of  respondents  in  all  schools  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  highly  valued  by  senior  managers  and/or  governors.  57%  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  valued  by  senior  managers  and/or  governors  in  their  school.        A  disparity  in  the  ‘value’  given  to  art,  craft  and  design  compared  to  other  subjects  is  illustrated  by  a  teacher’s  comment:  ‘Staff  are  paid  extra  to  provide  revision  classes  for  core  subjects  in  holiday  periods  whereas  I  voluntarily  provided  exam  prep,  holiday  periods  and  weekends.  A  member  of  SLT  suggested  that  I  should  also  be  paid  but  this  was  refused  by  the  head.’    And:  ‘More  able  students  are  discouraged  from  taking  art-­‐based  subjects  even  if  they  show  a  particular  interest  or  talent  for  the  subject.  Students  are  'put'  into  the  art  groups  because  it  is  deemed  'easy  enough'  for  them.’  

The  profile  and  visibility  of  the  subject  in  schools  and  colleges:    65%  of  all  teachers  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  highly  visible  in  their  schools.  In  independent  schools,  86%  of  teachers  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  highly  visible.    Championing  of  the  subject  in  schools,  colleges  and  in  the  wider  community:  In  contrast  to  the  subject’s  visibility,  only  34%  of  all  respondents  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  championed  in  their  school  or  wider  community.    

Has  the  expertise  available  within  departments  remained  constant  in  the  last  three  years?  35%  of  HODs  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  expertise  available  within  their  department  has  stayed  the  same.  The  changes  reported  include  loss  of  specialist  staff;  teachers  leaving  the  profession  early;  teachers  teaching  other  subjects  and  a  reduction  in  opportunities  to  train:  ‘We  lost  a  teacher  who  was  not  replaced  and  we  have  non-­‐art  teachers  teaching  the  subject;  Non-­‐specialist  teachers  are  having  a  negative  impact;  Shrinking  budgets  means  less  money  to  go  on  courses  or  pay  for  visiting  artists.’  

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4.  Access  to  continuing  professional  development  in  art,  craft  and  design  

Over  a  quarter  (29%)  of  all  respondents,  all  of  who  are  NSEAD  members  and  supporters  report  they  rarely  or  never  attend  CPD  events.      23%  of  respondents  in  all  schools  agree/strongly  agree  that  they  access  subject  specific  CPD  in  school.  More  than  half  of  all  teachers  (52.5%)  disagree/strongly  disagree  they  access  subject  specific  CPD.      72%  of  educators  self-­‐fund  subject-­‐specific  CPD  in  their  own  time  and  outside  of  school  arrangements.  

5.    Subject-­‐based  challenges  experienced  in  the  last  three  years      

Respondents’  subject-­‐based  challenges  include:    • School  accountability  measures  that  result  in  fewer  art  lessons  and  fewer  options:  ‘Loss  of  timetable  provision  but  

with  the  same  expectations  of  progress.‘      • Teachers  and  parental  perceptions  of  the  subject:  ‘Keeping  the  subject  visible  within  school  and  promoting  its  value  to  

parents.  The  main  issue  is  parents  seeing  it  as  lower  down  the  pecking  order  due  to  news  reports  and  mixed  messages  given  by  the  government.’    

• Staffing  and  redundancies.  Teachers  report  they  are  teaching  other  subjects  to  fill  their  timetables  and  non-­‐specialist  staff  are  teaching  art,  craft  and  design.  Also  identified  is  the  reduced  pool  of  teachers  that  are  highlighted  during  art,  craft  and  design  teacher  recruitment  campaigns.  

6.    Areas  of  future  investigation  and  debate  for  the  APPG  for  art,  craft  and  design  education      Reduction  in  learning  opportunities  in  art,  craft  and  design  in  the  last  three  years:  ‘In  the  wake  of  schools  reducing  allocated  time  to  arts  in  the  last  three  years,  [KS3  (35%);  and  KS4  (32%)],  has  the  government  considered  the  impact  for  students  on  their  experience,  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  arts  and  access  career  pathways  in  the  creative  industries?’    Performance  Measures:    ‘The  EBacc  as  a  measure  of  performance  in  league  tables  is  the  biggest  factor  in  the  marginalisation  of  the  arts  taking  place  in  so  many  schools.  How  can  the  breadth  of  experience  and  learning  be  addressed  whilst  the  EBacc  signposts  non-­‐arts  inclusive  learning  paths?’    Discount  Codes:  Why  are  art/textiles  etc  considered  the  'same'  when,  for  instance,  languages  aren't?  Do  you  not  need  the  same  skill  set  to  learn  French  as  German?;  Recent  changes  in  Discount  Codes  have  resulted  in  a  reduction  curriculum  breadth  at  key  stage  4’.  Fifty-­‐one  per  cent  of  respondents  said  only  one  specification  was  offered  at  their  centre:  ‘How  can  we  increase  breadth  and  range  of  learning  opportunity  whilst  disincentives  to  offer  a  range  of  art  and  design  specifications  exist?’      Soft  subjects:  ‘Why  does  the  government  refer  to  arts  subjects  as  ‘soft’  subjects  and  how  can  we  achieve  a  better  understanding  of  the  transferrable  skills  gained  through  art  and  design?’  

 Continuing  professional  development  and  moving  art  and  design  into  the  twenty-­‐first  century:  ‘How  do  we  keep  up  to  date  without  training  and  expensive  technologies?’    Careers  advice  in  the  creative  industries:  ‘Why  are  the  creative  industries  not  promoted  by  careers  advisers  in  schools?’    Regional  differences:  ‘To  investigate  ways  that  schools  in  deprived  rural  coastal  areas  can  have  extra  funding  provided  to  enable  their  students  to  access  and  experience  the  arts  first  hand.’  

  7  

 Summary  of  findings    Curriculum  time  allocated  for  the  study  of  art,  craft  and  design  at  key  stage  3:  35%  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  time  allocated  for  art,  craft  and  design  has  remained  constant  in  the  last  three  years.  Comments  indicate  that  creative  and  performing  arts  carousel  systems  and  GCSEs  starting  in  year  9  have  negatively  impacted  on  time  allocated  for  art,  craft  and  design.    Curriculum  time  allocated  for  the  study  of  art,  craft  and  design  at  key  stage  4:  32%  per  cent  of  teachers  in  state  schools  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  curriculum  time  has  remained  constant  in  the  last  three  years.  The  impact  was  less  in  independent  schools  where  only  8%  disagree/strongly  disagree  that  the  curriculum  has  remained  constant.  Changes  include  reduced  weekly  time  allocations  (e.g.  three  hours  a  week  reduced  to  one  hour  50  mins  a  week).    Performance  measures:  44-­‐52%  of  respondents  report  that  performance  measures  play  an  important  role  and  significantly  impact  on  GCSE  pathways.  Performance  measures  particularly  impact  on  option  choices  for  higher  and  lower  ability  students:  ‘Pupils  of  higher  academic  ability  (sets  1-­‐2)  are  unable  to  take  art  as  an  option  at  key  stage  4.’      Key  stage  4  option  choices:  46%  of  teachers  in  state  schools  strongly  agree/agree  that  pupils  in  their  schools  have  seen  a  reduction  in  option  blocks  at  key  stage  4  over  the  last  three  years.  Fewer  teachers  in  independent  schools  (21%)  agree/strongly  agree  that  there  has  been  a  reduction  in  option  blocks.      Art,  craft  and  design  specifications:  51%  of  all  schools  offer  more  than  one  specification.  Respondents  report  option  choice  and  pathways  are  reduced  as  art,  craft  and  design  specifications  are  often  pitted  against  each  other.    Support  to  engage  with  original  artworks  and  practitioners  at  examination  level:  50%  agree/strongly  agree  that  their  school  supports  the  principle  that  examination  groups  should  engage  with  original  artworks,  first-­‐hand  either  in  a  gallery  or  museum  and/or  through  meeting  creative  practitioners.  The  level  of  support  for  this  principle  is  higher  in  the  independent  sector  with  86%  of  respondents  reporting  that  their  school  support  this  principle.    Department  size:  36%  of  all  HODs  agree  that  in  the  last  three  years  their  department  has  stayed  the  same  size.  Where  a  reduction  of  teaching  staff  is  reported,  this  has  impacted  on  access  to  specialist-­‐trained  staff  in  schools.      Subject  value:  32%  in  all  schools  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  highly  valued  by  managers  and/or  governors:  ‘Staff  are  paid  extra  to  provide  revision  classes  for  core  subjects  in  holiday  period  whereas  I  voluntarily  provided  exam  prep  in  holidays  and  weekends.’  A  higher  percentage  of  respondents  (57%)  in  the  independent  sector  agree/strongly  agree  that  the  subject  is  valued  in  their  schools.      Value,  visibility  and  the  championing  of  art,  craft  and  design  education:  32%  of  schools  agree/strongly  agree  that  the  subject  is  valued  by  senior  managers  and  managers.  By  contrast  65%  agree/strongly  agree  that  art,  craft  and  design  is  highly  visible  in  their  schools.  In  independent  schools  the  subject  is  both  more  valued  (57%  agree/strongly  agree)  and  visible  (86%  agree/strongly  agree).  Only  a  third  (34%)  of  all  schools  say  that  the  subject  is  championed  in  their  school  or  wider  community.      Advice  and  encouragement  to  take  art-­‐based  options  (at  any  key  stage):  27%  of  all  teachers  agree  that  pupils  in  their  schools  are  encouraged  to  take  art-­‐based  options  at  any  key  stage.  Teachers  report  that  without  advice  or  encouragement  GCSE  uptakes  are  decreasing:  ‘We  did  have  66  key  stage  4  students  in  three  groups…  projected  [for  2014-­‐2016]  15.’    Continuing  professional  development  in  art,  craft  and  design:  28.6%  report  they  rarely  or  never  attend  art,  craft  and  design  professional  development.  Significantly,  72%  of  all  respondents  self-­‐fund  subject-­‐specific  CPD  in  their  own  time  and  outside  of  school  arrangements.      Subject-­‐based  challenges  in  the  last  three  years:  Commonly  reported  challenges  were  school  accountability  measures  that  have  resulted  in  fewer  art  lessons  and  fewer  options;  the  loss  of  curriculum  time  but  with  the  same  expectations  of  progress;  changes  in  teachers  and  parental  perceptions  of  the  subject;  and  staffing  issues  such  as  redundancies,  loss  of  expertise  and  an  associated  reduced  pool  of  teachers.  

National  Society  for  Education  in  Art  and  Design,  2  July  2014