Could Schools Lose The Arts?

I recently read an article on The Financial Times that Schools in England could drop non-core subjects like the arts next year to allow the educational system to catch up on the curriculum.

Every part of that sentence infuriates me, does the Education department not understand how important the arts are to children? When I was at school my GCSE’s were mainly all creative subjects and my A-Levels were Performance Arts, Dance and English Language.

I loved those subjects, not because I was thick at school. I understood the more academic subjects but I did not connect or enjoy them.  Creativity was my jam, I was able to express who I was and release my emotions through the arts.

If it was not for those subjects, I would not be doing what I do now, writing about and going to the theatre.  I am not saying that subjects like Maths and Science are not important, they are. Every subject is important as each other.

I just don’t agree with the idea of non-core subjects being cut off nor do I like the idea of the arts being called non-core subjects.

Think about it, kids today are always on their phones playing music, playing games, creating content on social media and images on Instagram.  They are engaging in arts subjects without even knowing it.

Arts subjects are fun if they go then there is fun in their lessons.  If you are a child that struggles with Maths but is great in Music and Music goes, think about how that child will feel.  What will it do to their confidence?  What if a child is wanting a career in the arts but as they were dropped they can’t… Is it not forcing a career that a child does not want?

The Arts is a form of self-expression and to rid a child of that is unforgivable and can not happen.