Arts and STEM education: is the Government sidelining arts subjects in schools? Lords to hear evidence
The House of Lords Communications Committee will hold a one-off evidence session on Tuesday 3 July. The Committee will consider the balance between the arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in schools.
In recent years, the Government has invested heavily in STEM subjects in schools, but some have expressed concern that there has been a decline in the number of pupils taking creative and arts subjects and a decline in the amount of time allocated to teaching them. In this session the Committee will explore whether the perception that the Government's policies have sidelined arts subjects is supported by evidence. The Committee will also consider how education policy in England should be directed to provide the future economy with a workforce that has the necessary skills and knowledge.
The session will begin at 3.30pm in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords. The Committee will hear from:
- Yvonne Baker, Chief Executive, National STEM Learning Network
- Anita Bath, Headmistress of Sacred Heart Catholic High School, Newcastle upon Tyne
- James Zuccollo, Director for School Workforce, Education Policy Institute.
The second session will begin at 4:30pm and the Committee will question:
- Dr Hilary Leevers, Head of Education and Learning, Wellcome Trust
- Professor Katharine Normington, Royal Holloway University of London
- Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, Incorporated Society of Musicians.
Topics that will be covered in both sessions include:
- Whether there is evidence that arts subjects are being sidelined in the national curriculum and in schools.
- The effect of Government policies, such as the English Baccalaureate, on the take-up of arts subjects.
- The benefits of arts education for individuals and for society.
- The consequences of early specialisation in the English school system to children and young people's development and choice of career.
