Cultural education suffering under exam-focused system

Overwhelming pressure to deliver better exam results and a lack of coherent vision means cultural education is being “moved to the periphery”, a report by the RSA on spiritual, moral, social and cultural education (SMSC) in schools has warned. ‘Schools with Soul’ concludes that many schools take a “scattergun approach” that risks SMSC provision being “everywhere and nowhere”. The development of a shared language for SMSC at the school level is required if a coherent vision and foundation is to be created, as well as a rethinking of the way SMSC is assessed. Teachers struggle with the "complex, and often non-linear" development of pupils in this area, and are unsupported by a system which favours short-term evaluation and the lack of a consistent approach to assessment by Ofsted. The RSA recommends that the Department for Education set up a small expert working party to develop clearer guidelines for SMSC in schools, and that 2015-16 be designated a “year of reflection”, with no new schools-related policies and no Ofsted inspections apart from at new schools or those previously judged ‘inadequate’.