Researching the Arts in Primary School Report

This timely and essential research report by Pat Thomson, Christine Hall and Liam Maloy aimed to find out what were the benefits for children of being in arts-rich primary schools.

The research set out to study primary schools where the arts and/or creative approaches are flourishing; to develop understandings of arts-rich schools; and to provide specific details of organisational structures and cultures in primary schools.

The authors aimed to document the challenges of teaching a broad and balanced curriculum in which the expressive arts have parity of treatment and esteem, and the benefits to learners.

Thomson, Hall and Maloy's key research questions were:

  • What is an arts-rich primary school?
  • What do arts-rich / creative primary schools offer to children?
  • What are the benefits for children of being in an arts-rich / creative school?
  • How do schools sustain this arts / creative education offer?

As Thomson, Hall and Maloy state in their Executive Summary:

'Commitment to the expressive arts does not come at the expense of other subject learning. The majority of the arts-rich schools we studied did at least as well as, if not better, than equivalent schools and schools in their local authority. Children’s success across the full range of subjects was recognised in their inspection ratings.'

 

Read more about the project on the Arts Primary website and download the full report:

www.artsprimary.com

 

This research was undertaken and published by Pat Thomson, Christine Hall and Liam Maloy with the School of Education, at the University of Nottingham.

It was funded by Freelands Foundation.