Today the government has announced that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) will be scrapped, signalling a major shift towards a broader and more balanced school curriculum, including arts subjects.
This is in response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report, published today, which states “it is clear that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measures have to some degree unnecessarily constrained students’ choices. This has affected their engagement and achievement, and limited their access to, and the time available for, arts and vocational subjects.”
The move follows sustained campaigning, including from the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), and growing concern across the education and creative sectors about the EBacc’s narrowing effect on subject choice.
Professor Joe Wilson, Principal of Leeds Conservatoire, who joined 1,300+ performers, educators and arts leaders in signing ISM’s open letter calling for the government to put arts subjects back at the heart of the curriculum, described today’s announcement as a “significant step forward for arts education.”
