The Importance of Arts Education and Why We Need Help

Teaching the arts in both lower and higher education provides children and young adults with a wide range of transferable skills that are essential for personal development, academic success, and future careers. As history has proved, a lack of funding and support threatens the popularity and sustainability of our artistic curriculum and subsequently threatens our creative industries. 

One of the most significant skills developed through arts education is creativity. By engaging in activities such as performing or writing, students learn to think innovatively and approach problems, subjects and contexts from new and unique perspectives, a skill highly valued across industries. 

Arts education also adopts critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, as students analyse works of art, literature or live performance, interpret meaning, and make decisions about their own opinions and understandings. Collaboration is another key skill. For example, ensemble projects in music lessons or whole-school drama productions teach students how to work effectively and collaboratively with others. 

Through creative and analytical writing, public speaking, or performing, students gain confidence in expressing themselves and their ideas clearly. Time management and discipline are developed as students commit to rehearsals, meet due dates, and balance their artistic engagements with other responsibilities. Exposure to the arts enhances cultural awareness, helping students appreciate diversity and encourage them to consider the world and communities around them. 

As an English and Drama student at university and a keen performing arts and literature student at secondary school, I’ve encountered the benefits of the arts curriculum. Up until the age of about eleven, public speaking and performing seemed otherworldly. The thought of a crowd focusing their attention entirely on me was genuinely tear jerking. However, fast forward seven years, by the time I finished my A-Levels, I had played the lead in a school production, to a large audience, taken part in many music concerts (never in a million years did I think anyone, other than my parents, would hear me play the piano), and written, as well as presented to an audience, a daring and somewhat controversial literature-based EPQ. 

I credit arts education for a lot of my achievements and the skills and confidence that it provided, and continues to provide, me with. My arts teachers, past and present, have shaped my world, and therefore I am an advocate for the sustainability of arts education.

Arts students who go on to work in ‘arts’ industries do a lot for the economic world, not just the creative world. But it’s not just me that thinks that- ponder on the governments most recent ‘Creative Industries Sector Vision’. This policy paper (last updated summer 2023) details the economic benefits of the creative industries and confirms that they “generate £108 billion a year” and “employ over 2.3 million people in every corner of the country”. But without the energy and passion of our arts teachers and professors in our education system, we’d be unlikely to meet those numbers. 

Arts education stretches beyond the classroom. It has an undeniable ability to impact students’ lives and, thus, is a crucial component of our curriculum. However… here are some worrying statistics. The State of the Arts has revealed that: 

• The UK government’s total culture budget has decreased by 6% since 2010, while countries like Germany, France, and Finland have increased their arts spending by up to 70%. 

• Local government revenue funding for culture has dropped by 48% in England, 40% in Wales, and 29% in Scotland between 2009-10 and 2022-23. 

• GCSE and A-level entries in arts subjects have declined by 47% and 29% since 2010. 

• The number of arts teachers in English state-funded secondary schools fell between 27% between 2011 and 2024 and the number of hours of arts teaching fell by 23%. 

• Funding for arts and creative courses in higher education has been cut by 50%. 

With this in mind, here’s list of things young people and students can do to help keep arts education alive and thriving: 

• Students can start or support petitions to urge the government and local councils to prioritise funding for arts education. 

• Use platforms to share the importance of arts education, highlighting how it benefits creativity, mental health, and cultural identity. 

• Inspire friends and classmates to take up arts-related courses or extracurricular activities to demonstrate continued demand for these courses. 

• Host student-led performances, exhibitions, or workshops to highlight the value of arts education within the school and local community. 

• Contribute time and skills to local arts organisations, galleries, or community centers that are struggling due to funding cuts. 

In conclusion, arts education is not just a cornerstone of personal growth and creativity but also a vital contributor to our economy and culture, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure its survival and prosperity for future generations.

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