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Engagement

Help students to see the long term benefits of participating 

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While many students don’t yet know what they want to do after school, preparing them as fully as possible for when they arrive at post-18 decisions is one of the most crucial responsibilities for any school. This includes encouraging young people to pursue the arts in Key Stage 4 and 5.

In an ideal world, all students with an aptitude or an interest in art would opt to pursue arts subjects, post-Key Stage 3. In reality there any many pressures on students’ choices. With that in mind, we aim to give you the tools to advocate, not only for art as a curriculum choice, but also to equip you with ways to promote art as an activity that can sit positively alongside students’ core academic studies, ensuring a broad, balanced and happy education for future generations of learners.

Whether the arts benefit students’ lives now, or give them the skills they’ll need to be considered for the top jobs or the best universities in the future, the impact of creative subjects can be huge. The arts can enhance students’ abilities to apply for and succeed in their next steps, as well as improving their emotional wellbeing and self-esteem.

  • Preparing for higher education

    • University and job opportunities can all become a smoother process for students if they’re armed with the skills that will make them stand out against other applicants. Higher education providers are already looking for well-rounded, balanced individuals to take onto their courses.

    Students need evidence for their university applications and interviews that they have a keen range of interests outside of academia. Universities want students who are enthusiastic about taking part and contributing to university life, rather than those who don’t want to bring anything to the table outside of classes. Cultural Learning Alliance discovered that:

    ‘Students who had intensive arts experiences in high school were three times more likely than students who lacked those experiences to earn a bachelor’s degree. They also were more likely to earn ‘mostly A’s’ in college.’

    The competitiveness of international universities, particularly in the US, is a further reason that students need to bolster their applications; concrete evidence of extra-curricular achievements needs to exist. And it isn’t just the quantity they’re after, but the quality – as this article from US News reports:

    ‘Some ways to distinguish oneself in the college admissions process include winning awards in competitions, getting elected to leadership positions, producing compelling research or beautiful art and performing meaningful community service.’

    For driven, academic students, what better argument is there to encourage them to get involved in artistic activities outside of their formal studies? If pursuing a GCSE or A-Level qualification in the arts isn’t an option for them, then there is every reason for them to engage in artistic activities and enrichment opportunities outside of their curriculum.

    Let’s not forget the importance of work experience. The arts can provide direct experience of work in the creative industries; the fastest growing sector in the UK. Whether or not students want to pursue a career in the arts, real experience of work teaches students all kinds of transferable skills, and could lead to a part-time job which would look fantastic on their university applications.

    Did you know?

    London South Bank University tracked 68 young people over three years who took part in Arts Award. In their study, they found that a range of opportunities were opened up to students because of their qualification, including: gaining paid film assistant work, running their own youth arts organisation, setting up a theatre company and performing with an opera company. With work experience like this on their applications, students can ensure they stand out against the competition.

    Put visual arts on the map

  • Create a more balanced timetable

    • Another argument to encourage students to pursue the arts at Key Stage 4 and 5, is the chance it offers them to broaden their timetable. Students gain the opportunity to be celebrated and recognised for their achievements in the arts, while also raising the profile of these subjects across the school, and keeping their future options more open.

    Additionally, by participating in extracurricular arts activities accredited via Gold Arts Award, or other arts qualifications, students can add to their UCAS points and have more to talk about in their university applications or interviews.

    Broadening their subject span is also good for helping students keep their future options wide. Too often, young people feel hemmed into a particular direction too early: we ask students to make major decisions that will affect their pathways for life at the age of 13 when they choose their Key Stage 4 options. How can we expect them to know what they want to become in adulthood, at this young age?

    By encouraging students to widen their subject choices to include an arts subject, they won’t feel the pressures associated with ‘putting all their eggs in one basket’ too early. It’s likely the largest part of their timetable will be taken up with rigorous maths, science, humanities and language subjects – finding a space for art could be really beneficial for other reasons, too.

    As we explore in the SLT-focussed section of this site, art encourages neurological developments that other subjects simply do not nurture in the same way. Forging these pathways in young brains improves cognitive ability, relaxation, problem-solving skills and general wellbeing.

    By taking one, or even better two, arts subjects, young people are using their brains in different ways, leading to better function in other subject areas.  Encouraging the uptake of the arts means students can make a real difference to their general wellbeing, while also being given their opportunity to shine for the school.

    Did you know?

    By encouraging students to take longer to consider their future choices and selecting a broader range of subjects, teachers also help preserve the arts industry long term. It means there is more scope for students to find out about creative careers and consider the varied appeal of this employment option over time.

    One of the most attractive aspects of a career in the arts that might engage students, is the potential longevity of a career in this industry. As discussed in the Parents section of this site, creative jobs will be far safer in the future than those in other sectors, as automation increases and replaces the jobs we take for granted now.

    But additional to this fact, students need to know the chances of immediate employment after university, should they pursue an arts course at higher education, as opposed to a STEM or other perceived “safe” academic routes. This Labour Market Guide used data from graduates, six months after graduating to find patterns in employment, discovering:

    ‘The single biggest employment area was as arts, design and media professionals. Looking at those who were in employment, this accounted for: 27.0% of fine art graduates, 29.9% of performing arts graduates and 41.1% of design graduates.’

    Students with arts degrees find themselves employed and able to support themselves independently, far more effectively than other graduates. With such a broad field of careers available in the arts, students from this background have honed the skills to fill many employers’ skills gaps, such as communication, problem-solving and team work.

    Untitled design (9)

  • Stress relief and reduction

    • Young people are more aware than ever about the importance of a healthy mind and body – but also more stressed than ever, with school work being one of the driving forces. The World Health Organisation found in their report that:

    ‘73% of girls and 52% of boys in England felt pressured by school work, significantly higher than the average of 51% of girls and 39% of boys across all 42 countries.’

    Various initiatives support physical and emotional wellbeing in schools to help teachers have meaningful discussions on these critical topics. Diet, anxiety, stress and self esteem are just some of the areas teenagers will struggle with at one time or another. Giving them the tools to accept, question and make well-informed decisions through this stressful time is something schools need to do.

    One way of doing this is through the arts. Providing a wide and varied arts provision is something that actively helps young people combat feelings of stress. This is supported by the Arts Council who found that:

    ‘Engagement in arts activities conducted outside of the curriculum and outside of everyday routines, with a different mix of pupils and an arts practitioner external to the school, facilitates the psychological processes of personal transformation in children… participation in the arts may build inward-looking self-esteem and self-awareness and outward-looking social confidence and connectedness.’

    Even if teachers aren’t able to extend arts provision to school trips, external practitioners and extra clubs due to funding and time restrictions, they can encourage young people to take part in cultural events outside of school time to help manage stress.

    Did you know?

    Encouraging students to take part in and attend arts-related activities can have a massive impact on health, providing a useful tool to physical and mental health, and enabling them to confront and express difficult emotions. As Medical News Today explains:

    ‘Drawing, painting, or molding objects from clay has been scientifically proven to help people to deal with different kinds of trauma. In a comprehensive article [on the subject, the authors] say that "art helps people express experiences that are too difficult to put into words… artistic self-expression might contribute to maintenance or reconstruction of a positive identity.'

    It doesn’t matter what the artform – needlework, painting, sculpting, writing, reading, acting, music, dance, woodwork, puppetry, stage management – the list goes on, but the undeniable benefits remain the same. In an art activities experiment in the US, the results showed that after just 45 minutes of creative activity, ‘approximately 75% of the participants displayed lower levels of cortisol, indicating lower stress levels.’  

    Students want to lead healthy lives – this doesn’t necessarily mean running cross country or joining the hockey team: they can get plenty of health benefits out of the arts, too. Art doesn’t remove stress from the busy lives our young people now live, but it enables them to cope better when stressful situations do occur.

    Put visual arts on the map