Arts Education Against the Policy Grain: Evidence From Cultural Capability Providing Schools in England

• In Event: 34.063 - Art Education: Policies, Impacts, and Developments

Abstract

English education policy is currently hostile to arts education. A three year, mixed methods study of thirty ’arts-rich’ schools investigated what students gained from teachers and in schools working against this policy grain. Our survey showed that senior students in our sample had higher participation rates in arts and cultural activities outside of school than the national average. We mobilize capability theory (Sen, 2000) to explain this result, drawing on analysis of extensive interview, focus group, photographic, document and observation data. We delineate the whole school, faculty and classroom pedagogical arrangements that allowed students to choose to not only rehearse and practice but also be and act as critical cultural consumers and active cultural producers.

Authors

• Patricia Lorna Thomson, University of Nottingham

• Christine J. Hall, University of Nottingham