Organisations and artists call for decimation of the arts in schools to end

‘Arts Apocalypse’, a joint statement signed by 14 organisations and artists, has outlined the severity of the arts education crisis and demanded systematic change.The statement (reproduced in full at the end of this article) is supported by the National Education Union, the Musicians’ Union, Music for Youth, Black Lives in Music, and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, among others.It requests that politicians ‘recognise the problems on the scale that is necessary’. In primary schools, these include excessive testing at the expense of arts provision, and teachers not being trained or equipped to deliver arts subjects with confidence. For secondary schools, problems cited include the EBacc and the excessive focus on examinations and writing.More generally, the statement criticises how the recruitment of specialist teachers has fallen to ‘dangerous levels’, and how current policy is impacting behaviour, mental health, engagement and attendance in schools.Politicians of all parties are requested to pledge to allocate specific funding for arts education, halt the decline in the number of teachers, and conduct a full review of curriculum and assessment, giving arts subject associations and educators a place at the table when the curriculum is reviewed.Chris Walters, the MU’s national organiser for education, health and wellbeing, said: ‘MU members care passionately about universal access to music education – it’s how many got their leg up into the profession, and how we can ensure that the next generation of professional musicians aren’t only those whose families could afford to pay for lessons.’This initiative builds on a joint MU-NEU music education motion passed at the NEU Conference in 2023. As part of this, joint union member Victoria Jaquiss highlighted the importance of arts and music education and the need for proper funding.Regarding this latest collaboration, Walters added: ‘The Arts Apocalypse statement will help everyone who cares about arts education speak with one voice and restore these vital subjects to the heart of our schools’.