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An Independent Report for the Welsh Government Into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales

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An Independent Report for the Welsh Government Into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales An independent report for the Welsh Government into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales Supporting documents Contents An independent report for the Welsh Government into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales - Supporting documents 1. Wales Consultation Exercise: primary evidence and outcomes 02 Round table focus groups 04 Teachers’ consultation meetings 17 School visits 22 Regional consultation meetings 35 Children and young people consultation 45 Arts Council of Wales report: education activities of revenue funded organisations 59 Questionnaires completed by arts and education practitioners 64 2. Literature Review: 92 International research 92 Recent reviews and policy changes in England, Scotland and Republic of Ireland 101 3. Case Studies and presentations 108 4. Appendices: membership of Task & Finish Group; References; Acknowledgements 122 Glossary 132 1. Primary Evidence: Wales-wide Consultation Exercise The consultation outcomes provide a unique and fresh perspective on the issues surrounding the arts in education in Wales and in many cases mirror and reinforce the findings of similar reviews undertaken elsewhere. The evidence also provides greater clarity regarding the gap between the current status of arts education in Wales and the future position we aspire to create. Context and Aims In accordance with the terms of reference for the Arts in Education Review, a pan-Wales consultation exercise was undertaken with a remit to explore the following issues in consultation with practitioners from both sectors: • The current ‘arts offer’ in schools a) How good is the current standard of ‘Arts’ teaching, (art, music, dance, drama, literature) b) How can we create a climate where all schools are truly supportive of the Arts? c) How can the arts be used most effectively to support teaching across the curriculum, in particular literacy and numeracy? d) How could schools be better supported in the arts, in terms of (a) initial teacher training (ITT) and (b) continuing professional development (CPD)? • The role of artists and arts organisations a) How can arts organisations support schools to develop young people’s creative skills, emotional well-being, interpersonal and language skills? b) How can arts organisations support schools to improve literacy and numeracy? c) How can arts organisations provide better support to schools for learners with special educational needs? • Overcoming barriers a) How can we improve awareness of what artists and arts organisations offer? b) What other barriers are there which are preventing schools and arts organisations from working together more? How can we overcome these? c) How do we ensure community involvement and parental buy-in? d) How could more effective collaboration be achieved between everyone involved in supporting arts education, i.e. education authorities, schools, artists, arts organisations, arts development officers, etc? 02 Methodology The consultation exercise aimed to gather high-quality, up-to-date qualitative and, to a lesser extent, quantitative evidence from experts and practitioners in the arts and education fields and learners themselves, based on the terms of reference for the review. Where weaknesses or opportunities for improvement were identified, participants were asked to provide their views and recommendations concerning how these could be addressed. A variety of different consultation approaches were used to gather this evidence, including: • ‘Round table’ focus groups looking at specific relevant topics; • Consultation with teachers from primary, secondary and special schools; • Visits to schools to consult teachers; • Regional consultations across Wales; • Consultation with young people and learners; • Questionnaires. A brief description of the methodology adopted for each of the consultation exercises is provided in the respective summaries below. 03 Round Table’ Focus Group Sessions The round table consultation sessions focused on topics pertinent to the overall terms of reference for the review and explored the specific issues surrounding the various art forms in greater depth. Expert stakeholders with an interest or close involvement in the topic under review were invited to contribute to the sessions. In addition to the topic-specific summaries of the session discussions below, a number of common themes emerged across each of the 8 round table sessions. These are set out separately on pages 13 to 16. Session 1: Nurturing Young Talent A fundamental principle underpinning this topic is that all children, regardless of their backgrounds, have a right to be supported by the education system to achieve their full potential. However, it was felt that it was sometimes difficult to identify talent and that there were many children who did not have opportunities to express their talents. Furthermore, arts work, particularly music, was often only practised in isolation and only a small number of schools truly celebrated the successes of those who excel in the arts. Overall, the group felt there were some significant barriers to identifying and developing talent in Wales and that there was considerable scope for improvement. There was a perception that attitudes to the arts were an issue. For example, the need to nurture young sporting talent is widely accepted, but can the same be said of young artistic talent? Geographic and financial barriers were a key issue (e.g. talented young people travelling extensively to receive music tuition) These barriers were amplified in the case of disabled young people. Equality of access to arts development opportunities was considered pivotal to talented children reaching their full potential. Current arrangements for provision of music services in Wales were a key area of concern. There are no specialist music schools in Wales and no government bursaries to support the cost of tuition for exceptionally talented young musicians, particularly those from disadvantaged families. In contrast, in England, the National Music Centres for Advanced Training (CATs) and Junior Conservatoires operating on weekends are successful in developing talent at a lower cost than full-time specialist boarding schools and receive a government funding allocation to cover the cost of bursaries. A further inequity was that the costs of tuition delivered by local authority music services varied considerably across Wales. Although local authority music services remain an important resource, it was felt that the issues surrounding access and the overall support structure for music could be addressed to some extent through the creation of a ‘virtual’ pan-Wales support network or Junior Conservatoire. 04 Session 2: Role of National Arts Organisations National arts organisations play a vital role in the arts in education agenda. They need to work to develop long-term relationships with schools and maintain an active dialogue on the practicalities of working in schools and on school visits to arts organisations in order to achieve successful educational outcomes. They also have a potentially key role in supporting teacher training and CPD and it was acknowledged that more could be done in this area. For RFOs in particular, education work is a ‘core value’ and this commitment is reflected in their funding agreements with ACW. An area so far relatively unexplored is the use of digital technologies, in particular the potential to develop a ‘remote learning’ offer. In the case of performances, a digital screening resource could effectively mitigate the impact of travelling and ticket costs for live performances and in practice makes much more sense to many schools. There was a consensus that national arts organisations would welcome greater opportunities to engage with Ministers on the issue of arts in education more generally. Some organisations are currently collaborating effectively on education and community engagement, but arguably the balance needs to shift more towards building teacher skills and confidence to enable them to successfully deliver art interventions themselves. Touring and outreach work was considered to be part of the solution and it was suggested that showcase organisations like the WMC should be encouraged to develop an integrated arts offer for every schoolchild in Wales, incorporating activities such as a visit to Cardiff, including a tour of the Senedd and the WMC. However, it was recognised that there are significant time and travel constraints for schools in north and west Wales. The group considered that national arts organisations should establish effective strategic partnerships and concluded that a cross-art form group or ‘Arts Collaboration Board’ could be founded with a remit to encourage interaction and joined-up working arrangements between national arts organisations. The case for a local, more targeted focus by national arts organisations was also proposed. The objective of this approach would be to concentrate arts activity in a particular city or region for a sustained period of time in order to embed the work and generate benefits. At the very least, more informal arts education networks should be established to provide challenge and to direct resources to where they are most needed. For example, while it is important to facilitate links between schools and arts organisations, there is also a need to identify ways to connect schools to individual artists. The ‘Music Partnership Forum’ is an example of successful strategic good practice. It minimises duplication, supports effective planning across Wales and
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