It’s the beginning of a new academic year, meaning, for most, new cohorts, new subjects, topics and next steps, all of which will be taken with hope and anticipation for what the future holds. Our team at Leeds33 are no different, especially with our recent news in being granted our CIO status, and the opportunity for new members to join us and help us on our course for an arts-rich Leeds. But, before we get into all of that, we thought we would remind you of why we are here…
Simply, because the arts offer in many schools is at risk due to increased pressures and tightened budgets. Limited access to resources is also threatening local arts and cultural spaces. And so, in summary, the value of arts and culture is being diminished.
Leeds33 enables arts and cultural education in Leeds through the power of partnership.
As a partnership of cultural and educational practitioners, research partners and policy makers, we work together to build an engaging cultural offer for all the children and young people of Leeds that supports their voice, creativity and growth.
This is critical work, which has become particularly evident post-A-level results through a new report by the British Academy and the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), highlighting the receding foreground of the future, and present, for the arts within schools.
Within ‘Subject choice trends in post-16 education in England: Investigating subject choice over the past 20 years’ , what is made clear is that although it is evidenced that the take-up of all major subject groups has declined nationally since 2015/16, the take-up of art subjects at AS-/A-Level began declining prior. After the 2010/11 and previous cohorts (with a range of 40-42% of students taking an arts subject), take-up has fallen gradually to stabilise at around 24-26% of students in the 2017/18 cohort onwards.
But why should we care? As quoted from the report, ‘The Arts in Schools: Foundations for the Future’, the arts ‘are not a luxury which can, ‘under the pressure of time, space and resources, be dispensed with’’. The impact of the arts is instrumental beyond its own sector, as they contribute to critical thinking skills, identity formation, agency and autonomy, oracy, responsibility, resilience and creative freedom. The arts are indispensable as a way for children and young people across the country, not just Leeds, to develop different means of communication, the ability to express emotions without words, and the powerful impact different media can have in being heard. The arts are an indispensable part of our education, and our culture.
So, we know why it’s important. What are we doing about it? Through the power of partnership, we aspire to connect knowledge, enabling evidenced-based interventions through the delivery of research and data insights. We hope to enhance community assets and learning through partnerships between creatives, schools, young people and communities. We wish to build capacity, facilitating CPD, youth voice, mentoring and leadership development. We aim to create collaborative practice networks, bringing arts, cultural and education practitioners together.
Our current collaborative project, led by the University of Leeds with partners Leeds City Council and Open Innovations, is an example of our principles put into practice. This project is working towards the long-term goal of gathering data over a number of years to chart patterns and changes in the cultural education offer in Leeds’ schools. Through analysing and mapping cultural engagement data across schools in Leeds, this project aims to highlight the priorities for improving children’s access to culture, identifying where support is needed whilst highlighting best practices and areas of excellence in the city. Collectively, we can reach our goal of enabling an excellent arts and cultural offer for all children and young people. To read more about this research project and how to contribute, follow this link.
Interested? Passionate? Then one of our roles as a Trustee or on our Advisory Board sounds like the place for you. To find out how to apply, click here. Deadlines close on the 16th September 2024, at 9 am.
Together, we can create inclusive spaces for all children and young people to be creative. Together, we ensure that all children and young people have ownership and agency of their cultural learning. Together, we can foster school environments that champion arts and creative practice. Together, we can grow an exceptional arts and cultural offer for all the children and young people of Leeds.
We look forward to reading your applications!
Sources/Accreditation:
The Arts in Schools: Foundations for the Future. Pauline Tambling, Sally Bacon. Published by: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and A New Direction.
P.43, Section 5.e – Evidencing and valuing the contributions of the arts.
Subject choice trends in post-16 education in England: Investigating subject choice over the past 20 years. Michael Scott, Jenna Julius, Sarah Tang and Megan Lucas. Published by: The British Academy and National Foundation for Educational Research.
P.17, Section 2.0 – Trends in subject combinations over time.
