Justine Greening MP, The Secretary of State for Education wants us ‘to become a great meritocracy’ through our education system. But having stated, in her opening paragraph to the Implementing the English Baccalaureate consultation response that she wants to remove barriers, she instead ensures they remain firmly in place. The Government's long over due consultation response, ensures that the EBacc continues its toxic journey through the heart of our curriculum and the cultural life of our children and young people.
The NSEAD Survey Report 2015-16 told us that the implementation of the EBacc has reduced opportunities for young people of all abilities to select art and design at GCSE. The voice of our members continues to reiterate the deterioration of time and resources and the lack of value given to our subject as an ‘unintended consequence’ of government policy.
Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector of Schools at Ofsted has recently shared strong concerns at how not only art and design, but all those subjects outside the EBacc silo are being ‘squeezed’ and how children and young people are unprepared for university and the workplace without a broad and balanced curriculum.
The Society wants an accountability, assessment and progression system that supports, not restricts art and design: a subject unique and vital to our cultures, our society, our economy and ourselves.
We cannot accept the response to the consultation and will continue to vigorously challenge this area of government policy.
Read the Implementing the English Baccalaureate, Government consultation response here.
