"All of them were state-educated but, had they attended school now, things might have panned out differently. There has been an exodus of art teachers (a 27% drop in the number working in English state-secondary schools from 2011 to 2024), lower uptake (48% fewer students have taken on arts subjects at GCSE since 2010), and a reformed system that critics say has stifled creativity and prioritised Stem (science and technology) subjects over arts and humanities."
"Even outside school, the arts have sustained heavy losses. Last year, the Campaign for the Arts said that culture spending by councils had been cut by more than 50% a person in England since 2010. It sounds like a grim time to be trying to inspire the next generation of would-be artists, but this hasn't stopped 29-year-old Jasmine Pert from taking on her calling."
"I wanted to get into the profession since I was a child; it was my favourite subject at school. My mum always jokes that, when I was about 14, I said: I'm going to be an art teacher because you get to sit and drink coffee and listen to Radio 2 all day. If only! I started my teacher training in lockdown and I'm coming into my fourth year on the job."
Art education in England and beyond has contracted sharply over recent years. There was a 27% fall in art teachers in English state-secondary schools between 2011 and 2024, and 48% fewer students took arts GCSEs since 2010. School accountability and reformed curricula are criticised for prioritising STEM subjects and stifling creativity. Local government culture spending per person in England fell by more than 50% since 2010. Despite these structural pressures and losses, individual teachers like 64-year-old Sue Cabourn and 29-year-old Jasmine Pert continue to teach, motivated by practical circumstances and long-standing passion respectively.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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