Culture Minister repeats misleading EBacc claims

Culture Minister Matt Hancock has repeated misleading claims that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) has had no impact on arts in schools.

Speaking at a Lords inquiry into theatre skills, the Minister dismissed a suggestion that arts subjects are being sidelined: “I think we have to be incredibly careful about making sure that we have a fact-based analysis,” he said.

“The proportion of GCSEs in the arts has risen since 2011/12 until last year.

“That’s one way of measuring this. Arts is in the curriculum up to 14, and then the number of arts GCSE entries has risen over the past few years for the 14 to 16 [year-olds].”

“I just don’t think this idea of a bifurcation between the education establishment and the need for cultural education is there in fact,” Hancock continued.

But more detailed analysis by AP shows that arts GCSEs have fallen as a proportion of GCSEs, from 7.6% in 2011/12, to 6.8% in 2015/16.

Filtered evidence

The Minister’s claims are based on the findings of a report by the New Schools Network – a charity 90% funded by the Department for Education – which failed to mention:

• The 2% rise in entries for arts subjects at GCSE between 2011/12 and 2015/16 was well below the 15.7% rise in entries for non-arts GCSEs
• The average number of non-arts GCSE entries per pupil rose by 20%, from 7 in 2011/12 to 8.4 in 2015/16, while the average number of arts GCSEs studied by each pupil has remained at 0.6
• Entries for nine out of the 15 subjects designated as arts subjects fell between 2011/12 and 2015/16, with the overall growth in arts subjects being mainly driven by an increase in pupils studying photography.

In a National Union of Teachers (NUT) survey last year, most arts teachers were found to agree that the EBacc – a schools performance measure that includes no arts subjects – is squeezing creative subjects out of the curriculum.

In addition, a recent survey of 657 state schools by the University of Sussex found 60% thought the EBacc was having a negative impact on the uptake of GCSE music, a 6% fall in the number of schools offering GCSE music between 2012/13 and 2016/17, and an increasing trend for schools to offer music as an option in Year 9, rather than making it mandatory.

But the Minister dismissed survey-based evidence, saying: “I think following the actual evidence is really important here. I’d far rather take the evidence of entries rather than surveys.”

Rigorous education

Hancock added there was “no contradiction” between a high-quality education and a rigorous creative element to that education.

“I would argue that the best schools are doing this. And especially within the academy movement, the best schools are following exactly that,” he added.

“And if you look to private schools who have more freedom over their curricula, they put a huge amount of time into the arts, music and creativity, but they don’t do that with a cost to rigour in the curriculum around Maths and English.”

He continued: “Our message to people who lead schools is that the arts help on what they would think of as the core subjects and in terms of life chances”.

The Minister also warned that articulating the sentiment the arts are being sidelined in schools risks encouraging "others to follow and do the same” and for teachers to say “others are dropping music, so we should drop music”.

“If we just say it’s all going to the dogs, we may be in danger of people hearing that message and thinking that’s the way to go,” he added.