Saving a Place for the Arts? A survey of the arts in primary schools in England
26 June 2003
The arts are seen by a large proportion of the teaching profession as an essential but threatened contribution to the education of all children. These were findings from a study into arts education in primary schools by NFER.
The research represents the results of an important investigation into the state of arts education, as perceived by primary headteachers and class teachers. It was funded through the Local Government Association Educational Research Programme, with additional contributions from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Ernest Cook Trust.
The study reveals that class teachers and headteachers are both forceful and eloquent about the importance of the arts and their capacity to contribute to the lives of pupils, and researchers suggest, to the lives of headteachers, class teachers, parents and the education community as a whole. Headteachers and class teachers report the efforts they are making to secure a good arts education for their pupils, and express their need for support in continuing to do so.