Extract from Lords debate on Schools: Music Education - Oct 18
Friday, 19 October 2018 07:38
The Earl of Clancarty (CB):...It is getting a little frustrating
having to quote back to the department year after year its own
figures, alongside all the other evidence. It is frustrating to be
faced with a department which seems to want to continue to bury its
head in the sand. It seems extraordinarily unconstructive that the
Government merely ignore the views of expert bodies and schools
organisations such as the Association of School and College
Leaders. The best that the Minister...Request free trial
The (CB):...It is
getting a little frustrating having to quote back to the department
year after year its own figures, alongside all the other evidence.
It is frustrating to be faced with a department which seems to want
to continue to bury its head in the sand. It seems extraordinarily
unconstructive that the Government merely ignore the views of
expert bodies and schools organisations such as the Association of School and College Leaders. The
best that the Minister could do yesterday in response to the Oral
Question from the noble Lord, , was to cite the old New
Schools Network conclusion about the broad stability of the
proportion of young people taking at least one arts GCSE—and it is
not true, in part because it leaves out design and technology,
which is a significant exclusion. Also, what an unambitious
standard to want to celebrate, since it ignores all the students
who might want to do more than one arts subject since they are
often complementary: dance and music, or music and drama, for
example. Students should have the clear option to do so if they
wish. I recently visited a school in the Midlands which was set up
as a specialised visual arts secondary school, and it now does not
offer more than one arts subject per pupil at GCSE level. The head
of its arts department also has to teach geography, which is a
nonsense at that level of teaching—or in fact at any level. Indeed,
the Sussex University research confirms that 70% of secondary
school music teachers have had to teach outside their subject area
since 2016...
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