Flagship Volume 6 - 2024 by Aylesbury Grammar School

Flagship

Journal for Evidence

Aylesbury Grammar School

Walton Road

Aylesbury

Bucks

HP21 7RP

Research Lead

Katrina Blunt

kblunt@ags.bucks.sch.uk

AGS Headmaster @AGSHeadmaster

www.ags.bucks.sch.uk

Foreword by the Headmaster

Flagship stands as the definitive record of the outstanding commitment to learning and knowledge by the professionals at Aylesbury Grammar School and beyond. Each project and researcher takes a path of exploration to improve the experience of students in our care, to increase their professional knowledge and practice, and to learn together in an ecosystem of excellence.

While each project targets different levels within the School, our broader vision and outward-looking approach ensure that we continuously learn from others, contribute significantly to the global development of education, and lead in this arena. This commitment to both local and global engagement underscores our role as pioneers in the field of educational research and practice.

‘Striving to become international leaders in academic and pastoral development’ (AGS Vision)

As a founding member of the International Boys’ School Coalition, we have consistently played an integral role in international research, global developments in boys’ education, and learning from professionals across the world. In July 2024 the annual conference of the IBSC was held at Harrow School. Our School sent five delegates to the conference with two presenting to a wider audience on their own research and practice. We were inspired, enthused, motivated, and humbled, with some key lessons and learning across a broad range of issues faced in boys’ schools.

‘Be your authentic self’ (Nigel Owens, Plenary Presenter, IBSC Harrow Conference 2024)

From classroom practice through to global developments, the growth and impact of Flagship and its researchers continue to inspire us and lead us forward as a School.

To the leadership, researchers, and aspiring staff; we thank you.

Mark Sturgeon Headmaster

Aylesbury Grammar School

From classroom practice through to global developments, the growth and impact of Flagship and its researchers continue to inspire us and lead us forward as a School.

Editor’s note

“The master key of knowledge is, indeed, a persistent and frequent questioning.”

Peter Abelard

When conducting research at Aylesbury Grammar School we are striving to answer questions. From broad questions that shape our thinking and vision like…

How can we assess the impact of the world our students are growing up in and how this may impact their learning and development?

How do we know how technology influences our students and impacts how people access education?

What are the emerging trends that provide opportunities and threats within education?

…to specific pedagogical questions that can be answered within our classrooms.

There are an almost infinite number of research questions that can be asked, as education is so complex. But as the world is everchanging we can only seek to take snapshots to aid our understanding and our actions. Through building our research programme, our knowledge and our ability to ask pertinent questions, we keep our students and our community at the heart of our motivation to do better. Not because we need to do better but because we can do better.

This edition of Flagship is our sixth issue, and again, it is full of information we want to share with you about the projects our staff have undertaken, and the wider work we have done through collaboration with others. More and more of our staff are engaging with research, as part of our evolving research programme, as we look to continue to understand what works in the context of our School. Every year staff step forward wanting to get involved and conduct their own research and every year colleagues hear from colleagues about their research findings and experiences. The research questions put forward by our staff members, from all areas of the school, who have a question they want answered or an idea they want to test, show that every teacher has a different perspective, and we all gain by learning from and listening to each other, even if we don’t have all the answers.

At Aylesbury Grammar School, we have created the conditions for staff to engage with research, and they bring the questions, ideas, enthusiasm and rigour. I feel privileged to be at the helm as we develop our position as pioneers in educational research within schools.

As we ask our questions, we hope you ask some too. Just as we don’t have all the answers, we also don’t have all the questions so please share with us your thoughts and perspectives so that we can continue to enrich our work.

Katrina Blunt

Research Lead, Aylesbury Grammar School

KATRINA BLUNT

Katrina Blunt is a teacher of mathematics, Head of Year 7 and Research Lead at Aylesbury Grammar School (AGS). She is passionate about educational research and encouraging others to become more research-engaged as part of life-long learning.

Katrina runs the established Research Programme at AGS and supports teachers and non-teaching staff as they go from a broad idea for a research project, through sourcing credible literature to read in their interest area, to developing their project design, ethical considerations, data collection, and drawing conclusions. She also organises the annual Staff Research Forum and edits the Flagship journal.

Katrina is a Research Champion for the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) and is also leading the work on attaining the CCT Research Mark for AGS.

This year, Katrina has been interviewed about her research role on Teacher Talk Radio and has written an article for Impact magazine. She continues to seek out opportunities for AGS to work collaboratively with other schools and organisations.

BARBARA GUNTER-JONES

Barbara is a teacher of Art and Photography and joined AGS in 2021. Prior to training as a teacher, she spent over twenty years working as a designer, manager for international design exhibitions, and mentor for contemporary craft and design businesses. Having been involved within the UK’s creative industries, Barbara is keen to show students the breadth of exciting, relevant and highly skilled professions in the arts. She is passionate about encouraging students to explore how art can support cross curricular learning and also be a valuable tool for self expression. Her research this year investigated boys’ attitudes towards studying art.

NEIL GIBBS

Neil Gibbs is a dedicated Physical Education teacher with 18 years of experience at AGS. His career in education has seen him take on various roles, from being the Head of Key Stage 3 PE to his current position as the Head of Academic PE.

His passion for education extends beyond PE. He has been a part of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) research programme, contributing to the development of educational research.

In the era of digital learning, he has taken on the role of a Digital Learning Leader. He believes in integrating technology into the learning process to enhance student engagement and outcomes.

His commitment to the school community is further demonstrated by his five-year tenure as a School Governor. Currently, he serves as an advisor to the governing body, continuing to influence the strategic direction of the school.

Throughout his career, he has been driven by continuous learning, leadership, and a deep passion for education. He is committed to creating a dynamic and inclusive learning environment for all students.

JAMES TAYLOR

James Taylor has been teaching History and Classics at Aylesbury Grammar School since 2019, and is also the Head of Hampden House and Literacy Lead. Last year, he expanded the action research culture in the school with the creation of a Student Research Group, which successfully explored the impact of a ‘Give it a Go’ initiative in its pilot year. This year, he has expanded the programme with a new cohort, exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on education, and conducting research into student understanding and usage of the tool to aid their learning.

James has also been selected as part of the upcoming International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) Action Research Programme on ‘Boys and Belonging: Facilitating Inclusivity, Diversity, and Connectedness‘, and will present research at the upcoming IBSC Conference in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) in June 2025 to educators around the globe. When it comes to reading, James recommends Mustafa Suleyman’s The Coming Wave as an exploration into the forces of AI, and as an essential guide to what it describes as ‘the 21st century’s greatest dilemma’.

ALEX GRUAR

Alex Gruar is a teacher of classics at Aylesbury Grammar School. She believes that the study of the ancient world is for everyone and has previously been involved in a project for the University of Oxford providing Latin GCSE lessons for teenagers who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Her earlier research at AGS was on increasing student awareness of BAME people in the Roman world. Her focus this year has been on how gamified apps can make vocabulary learning more engaging and successful. She recommends Milton and Hopwood, Vocabulary in the Foreign Language Curriculum for a comprehensive review of the subject.

GURDEEP SINGH

Gurdeep Singh is a Senior Assistant Headteacher at Aylesbury Grammar School. His main roles are to lead Learning and Teaching, Character, Digital Learning and he is the Head of the Sixth Form. He has 27 years of experience across 4 different secondary schools. In addition, he is also a Governor at a local mixed Grammar School and is vice chair of the Curriculum and Standards Committee.

His passion for education and supporting those new to the profession led him to write a book - 101 Ways to Win in Teaching in Secondary Schools: managing behaviour, workload and wellbeing.

He has presented at national conferences for both Challenge Partners and Association for Character Education (ACE) on topics such as whole school development, effective learning and teaching, building a school of character and subject delivery to develop character.

He continues to greatly enjoy working with young people, teaching maths, supporting other teachers, being an advocate for diversity and belonging in schools, as well as promoting positive thinking, wellbeing and kindness through online platforms.

SARAH HOLLIDAY

Sarah has been Head of Classics at Aylesbury Grammar School since 2009. She has held a number of additional roles including: Higher Education Lead and Gifted and Talented Coordinator 2010-15 and Literacy Lead 2021-24. She has also been a Professional Tutor since September 2023. Sarah is a Senior Examiner for OCR and has carried out various roles for the exam board since 2010, including creation and delivery of materials as part of exam board training. She has delivered training for Keynote as well as speaking at Classics national and international conferences and writing for Classics teaching journals.

Sarah is passionate about raising students’ aspirations for their future and making the most of opportunities that education and life have to offer.

KATRINA BLUNT

Research round-up 2023/24

BARBARA GUNTER-JONES

Can promoting careers in the creative industries to Key Stage 3 students have an impact on the uptake of boys taking Art at GCSE?

NEIL GIBBS

Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement: action research on peer observation in schools

JAMES TAYLOR

To what extent do students understand Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the context of their education?

ALEX GRUAR

Does gamification within vocabulary learning apps increase retention and encourage more positive student engagement?

GURDEEP SINGH

Developing and embedding Deliberate Practice at Aylesbury Grammar School (2022-2025)

SARAH HOLLIDAY

Literacy development at AGS

RESEARCH ROUND UP

Katrina Blunt Research Lead, Head of

Year

7, Teacher of Mathematics

The work underpinning the articles shared in this issue of Flagship sits at the very core of the research work we undertake at Aylesbury Grammar School (AGS).

Staff and students conduct projects in their areas of interest: to answer a question or solve a challenge in their classroom, department, or at the whole-school level, or beyond.

This leads to a broad range of projects being undertaken and a wealth of insight each year. Once the research projects are completed, we identify any areas for further research based on the year’s findings. We also look at the feasibility of implementing research findings across the School.

Our previous research can be reviewed in back issues of the Flagship journal, available on the AGS website (at https:// www.ags.bucks.sch.uk/flagship), and many projects have led to developments within our School. Here are just some of the highlights.

Research project(s)Outcome

Two-year literacy projectAppointment of Literacy Lead Department Literacy Champions

Whole year group reading books

Whole staff reading books

Creating an anti-racist environment project Introduction of Student Committee for Change Diversity Week Celebration and Awareness Days

Positive Masculinity two-year project Year 8 Personal Development Programme Conference presentations and workshops Supporting other schools

Ethnomathematics project Changes to the mathematics scheme of work

Student perceptions of BAME people in the Roman World

Impact of a broader and more inclusive transition process

Researcher’s work published in a book Changes to the Classics scheme of work

Retention and development of a broader summer camp encompassing sport and classroom activities for Year 6 to 7 transition

Classroom study: revision strategies, retrieval practice, computer-based learning Teachers developing individual practice through Continuing Professional Development

Over the past few years, we have also looked to extend the research work we do to ensure we are learning from other schools and organisations, supporting others and continuing to develop our expertise. Below I will share some of the highlights from this year.

CONFERENCES

RESEARCHED NATIONAL CONFERENCE

In September 2023 on a very hot and sunny Saturday, I visited the ResearchEd conference at Parliament Hill School, London. With a full programme of over 140 presentations there were so many to choose from. I attended a variety of sessions covering areas such as: national policy on educational research, leading in education in complex times, effective communication and the psychology of behaviour management.

Events such as these are a fantastic opportunity to see the work being done in so many other schools, and to connect with colleagues across the country.

CHALLENGE PARTNERS TRANSITIONS CONFERENCE

In November 2023 AGS welcomed 43 partners and colleagues from across Buckinghamshire. This event consisted of a day of informative presentations, conversations and networking and enabled delegates to share experiences and expertise with the common aim to enable the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 to be as smooth as possible. The day really helped to challenge assumptions and misconceptions – for example, when at secondary school, teachers can sometimes assume students will pick up new technology quickly, for example using Google Classroom, however students from some primary schools may not have spent as much time on computers at school during Year 6 as expected due to conflicting priorities or technological issues. Also when a Year 7 student asks for a tissue, they are not being disorganised, they are just used to having tissues in their Year 6 classroom!

The keynote speaker for the conference was Kirsten Colquhoun, who joined us to share her expertise about developing and supporting pupil wellbeing, about which she has also published a book: A Practical Guide to Pupil Wellbeing.

Many connections were made during the conference with follow up visits undertaken between schools. Some schools have also developed their transition processes, both within

primary and secondary schools. Some examples of this include: developing transition packs; introducing visits to incoming Year 7 students; curriculum development following insights into primary curriculum; and amending how students are allocated into tutor groups in Year 7.

Next year a further conference is planned with the aim of bringing together colleagues to share and learn in the area of SEND.

WADDED CONFERENCE

In February 2024, AGS was approached by Waddesdon School as they were inviting external speakers and delegates to their conference, ‘WaddEd’, on their INSET day in June 2024. Four AGS staff members presented at the conference:

Kelly Chalk – Leading with pride, supporting LGBT students in secondary schools

Emily Hearn – Developing Character: all the time and all the students

Rachael Jackson – Express yourself: the power of art to unleash boys’ exploration of masculinity

Gurdeep Singh – Deliberate Practice: to what extent should teaching be consistent across a school?

This was a fantastic event that we were very proud to support and look to work together with Waddesdon and other schools on events such as these in the future.

ASTRA INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING CONFERENCE

In June, following her very successful two-year project looking at Positive Masculinity (see Flagship 4 and 5), Rachael Jackson shared her ‘evidence-based healthy masculinities programme for KS3’, with conference delegates who included trainee teachers, early career teachers and other colleagues from across Buckinghamshire.

INTERNATIONAL BOYS’ SCHOOLS COALITION (IBSC) CONFERENCE

At the start of July 2024, the IBSC annual conference was held at Harrow School. With the host school being relatively local this year (recent previous conferences have been hosted in: Auckland, New Zealand (2023); Dallas, Texas, United States (2022) and Barcelona, Spain (2021)) this enabled six members of AGS staff to attend. Two of our staff presented at the conference: Rachael Jackson presented her evidence-based healthy masculinities programme for KS3 and Kelly Chalk presented her Leading with Pride workshop, both to an international audience. Four other members of staff attended: Mark Sturgeon in his position as Vice Chair UK-Europe for the IBSC, James Taylor who will be undertaking a research project as part of the IBSC action research programme for 2024/25, Emily Hearn in her position as Character Champion and myself as Research Lead.

The six attendees from AGS attended numerous workshops as we spread ourselves out across as many sessions as possible, with a shared document to centrally collate our notes. Since the workshop we have shared our key messages with the Senior Leadership Team, and the rest of the staff body via INSET, and there will be further work over the coming year including in the areas of literacy and oracy, and developments to the PSHE programme.

Many connections were made as we were able to network with all the attendees, and powerful messages were taken away from the keynote speakers. It was a real privilege to attend this conference and gain a huge amount of insight into research work being undertaken by partner schools across the globe.

COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER SCHOOLS:

We have worked with a number of schools throughout the year. This has ranged from arranging online sessions to support the development of research in other schools, to organising speakers to present e.g. WaddEd as shared above.

In addition, following the seminars and workshops run throughout the year by AGS staff, several schools have been in contact, and we have shared resources and expertise to support them further.

RADIO INTERVIEWS

On Page 56 you will read about the research work underpinning Deliberate Practice at AGS. In September 2023, Gurdeep Singh was interviewed on Teacher Talk Radio to share the work he and his Working Party have been doing in this area. The interview can be found here: https://www. ttradio.org/listenback/episode/4703cf17/positivity-and-cpdembedding-deliberate-practice-the-late-late-show-withkathryn-taylor

In January 2024, I was also interviewed on Teacher Talk Radio where I discussed developing teachers as research engaged practitioners, and how to support them with the skills and structures to enable them to thrive as life-long learners. My interview can be found here: https://www.ttradio. org/listenback/episode/47684628/developing-teacherresearchers-the-late-late-show-with-kathryn-taylor

CHARTERED COLLEGE OF TEACHING – IMPACT MAGAZINE:

Once the research projects are completed, we identify any areas for further research based on the year’s findings. We also look at the feasibility of implementing research findings across the school.

The September 2024 issue of Impact Magazine, the Chartered College of Teaching’s termly publication, had the theme: embedding a culture of research in schools.

The research work that we have been undertaking at AGS was particularly relevant to this issue and I wrote an article for publication. The article can be found at https:// my.chartered.college/impact_article/creating-a-researchengaged-school-one-schools-experience-of-making-it-areality/ (login required)

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR RESEARCH LEADS TO DEVELOPMENTS AND POSITIVE CHANGE WITHIN AGS TO BENEFIT OUR OWN COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THROUGH SHARING WITH OTHERS IT WILL HAVE WIDER IMPACT TOO.

CONCLUSION:

In the previous issue of Flagship (issue 5), I wrote about the power of collaboration as we embarked on our journey to become more outward looking, building connections with other colleagues, schools and organisations. It is important that our research leads to developments and positive change within AGS to benefit our own community, but also through sharing with others it will have wider impact too. Please do get in contact if you would like any further information about how we run our established Research Programme; if you would like a keynote speaker or a presenter for a workshop or seminar at an event; or if you would like us to be involved in cross-organisational research.

Can promoting careers in the creative industries to Key Stage 3 students have an impact on the uptake of boys taking Art at GCSE?

ABSTRACT

If a student enjoys and attains highly in a subject, then surely they would want to continue? This would appear to be the case unless you are a boy and the subject is art. At Aylesbury Grammar School (AGS) we have seen a decline in boys opting for GCSE art over the last 15 years, and we are keen to unpick the factors influencing students’ decisions not to continue with studying art past KS3. This drop in numbers reflects the national picture. Figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ, 2022) show a steep drop in the numbers of boys taking examinations in art over the last two decades, and my own observations in the art department alongside concerns gathered from other art teachers depict an increasingly worrying scenario for the subject. These factors have acted as a catalyst for initiating this research project.

One approach to encourage uptake in the subject is to showcase the breadth and success of UK creative industries and, as a department, we have been introducing information about careers in the creative fields to our KS3 students in a number of ways. We have set up a Google Classroom where we post information and articles about careers, posters are up around the art rooms and we have discussed the roles of artists, designers and other creative roles in lessons. I was keen to see if introducing information specifically linked to careers would have an impact on the 2023/24 Year 9 cohort as they made their GCSE option choices. I used an online questionnaire together with a focus group to gather both qualitative and quantitative data from a whole year group at a time when students were actively considering their GCSE course choices. I wanted to see if any of the career information we have been sharing with them in the art department had any influence on their decision making.

Barbara Gunter-Jones Teacher of Art

INTRODUCTION

To try to understand the motivation behind boys opting out of GCSE art, my first steps were to understand what Year 9 students already know about creative careers and the transferable skills learnt in the study of art at school. The aim was to give the art department information about the current thinking and perceptions of Year 9 students at a pivotal point in their school journey as they make their choices for GCSE subjects and also to understand the motivation for boys in Year 9 deciding to take or drop art past KS3. Not including art as part of their subject choices could limit their future opportunities in many industries: art education helps develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, which are valuable in many fields, not just in the arts. I want our students to see that engaging with art can be a powerful way for them to express themselves and understand the world around them, as well as being a pathway to a variety of exciting and lucrative careers.

CONTEXT

AGS is a selective boys school in Buckinghamshire. Most students achieve very well at GCSE and A Level, and the vast majority go on to further study at university. There is a pressure to perform well and I have observed that students are highly motivated by grades.

As a department we have been concerned that the number of students choosing to take art GCSE has been steadily declining. This also has an impact on the numbers going on to take the subject at A Level (see graph on P19). Data on numbers of AGS students opting to take GCSE art over the last 15 years revealed a significant downward trend in numbers from highs of c25 students in 2009 to the current level of just 8 GCSE students in 2022 and 2023. Numbers for Art A Level are more erratic but on the whole fewer students taking art at KS4 will translate into fewer continuing their studies at Key Stage 5 (KS5).

I am ambitious for my subject and for my students and I would like to see better take-up of the subject at KS4 and beyond. I believe that AGS students enjoy art lessons and research completed at AGS in 2023 through the Express Yourself workshops (Jackson, 2023) clearly shows that students understand the power and importance of self-expression through art.

However, enjoyment and high attainment in art at KS3 is not following through to boys choosing to study art at a higher level.

There are many possible reasons why boys might be less inclined to choose art at GCSE. As a department we discussed some of the potential barriers to boys opting to study art at KS3 and identified the following list based on anecdotal evidence and discussions from colleagues at AGS and other schools:

Perception and Stereotypes: Art is often perceived by students as a subject more suited to girls.

Career Prospects: Boys might feel that art does not lead to successful career paths. The perception that art is purely a leisure activity can be deeply ingrained in societal attitudes and may contribute to the belief that art does not lead to a legitimate profession.

Peer and Parental Pressure: Boys feel they might face mockery or ridicule from their peers for choosing a subject that is not perceived as ‘cool’ or masculine. Parents might feel it is not a suitable choice for their sons or have concerns about financial stability of careers in the arts.

Assessment Methods: The assessment in art can involve detailed planning, annotation, and presentation, which might not align with the way boys prefer to work.

Cultural Bias: In some cultures, there may be a bias against pursuing careers in the arts due to societal expectations. This bias can influence how art is perceived and valued within different communities.

Coursework subjects take up too much time: Anecdotal evidence at AGS suggested that students perceive art GCSE coursework to be an overwhelming amount of work to produce and they are concerned that this could affect their grades in other subjects.

Too hard to achieve a high grade in art: Boys at AGS are very motivated to achieve high grades in their exams; conversations with students indicated they thought it was almost impossible to achieve a grade 8 or 9 in art.

Reasons to opt out of art past KS3 are likely to be influenced by a mix of these factors, some out of our control. To better understand which circumstances might be at play at AGS, I needed to explore our Year 9 students’ current thinking about art in the curriculum, what their understanding of creative careers are, as well as seeking their views about studying art and their experience of art lessons to elicit reasons why they may/may not choose to study the subject beyond KS3. I decided to look specifically at how linking art to careers and connecting the skills learnt in art to wider fields could have an impact on how boys view the subject.

With little context of the creative industries, I am concerned that students lack an understanding of the benefits and opportunities of studying art after Year 9 and where it could lead. Most students will not have had direct exposure to the professional art world or the range of creative careers that exist and will have primarily encountered art as a hobby or pastime. This limited exposure can contribute to misunderstandings about the diverse career opportunities available to those who choose to study art. I am concerned that the boys see the subject as enjoyable but irrelevant. By making a direct connection between the skills learned in art (creative approach, independent thinking, self expression, analysing the work of others and problem solving) and the expertise in demand in the workplace, I hope that students begin to see art as relevant to their future career paths.

LITERATURE REVIEW

High numbers of boys opting not to continue with arts education naturally limits their further progression with an arts education and will affect the stream of young talent coming into the UK’s successful creative industries (Gregson, 2020). The UK enjoys the status of having a world class creative industries sector (DCMS 2023). This is a realm

that high calibre students should be aware of and excited by, but by dropping out of arts education after Year 9, it is unlikely to be open to them.

‘Our creative industries are world-leading, an engine of our economic growth and at the heart of our increasingly digital world. From 2010 to 2019 they grew more than one and a half times faster than the wider economy and in 2021 they generated £108 billion in economic value.’ Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS, 2023)

Despite the evidence that the creative industries are thriving, is art seen as irrelevant to their future careers by our students? Studies (Coles, 2012; Tufnell, 2023; Hickman, 2004) show that boys make better progress and work harder if they can see a clear purpose. However, without any context of what the creative industries are, I am concerned that students lack a solid understanding of the benefits and opportunities of studying art after Year 9 and where it can lead.

If a student enjoys and attains highly in a subject, then surely they would want to continue? This would appear to be the case unless you are a boy and the subject is art.

Creating art is one of the first things we do at school, before oral and writing skills develop, expressing ourselves through drawing and painting is key to our early years development and understanding of the world around us. In primary school these skills are honed further, and confident and experimental use of colour, form and line becomes a natural part of our visual language. This beneficial journey of self expression, individuality and communication very often stops forever at Year 9 as the omnipresent pressure for boys to perform well in more ‘important’ subjects drives boys away from choosing to study art. Sir Ken Robinson’s seminal 2006 Ted Talk, ‘Do schools kill creativity?’, explored the concern that creativity is not celebrated or encouraged enough in schools. He argued that preparing students for the changing world of work requires a capacity for innovation, a dynamic visual and aesthetic intelligence that could provide a richness of original ideas. This creativity, he felt, is being suppressed by public education systems that are solely focussed on academic achievement. Robinson also pointed to the hierarchy of subjects in most school systems with maths, sciences and languages in the top positions, followed by humanities and then the arts at the bottom of the scale. The value the school gives to a subject and how the subject is regarded by teachers, pupils and their parents will determine how credible and relevant boys feel it is to their futures.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF ART?

Coles (2012, p1) suggests that ‘boys are not continuing with art due to the emphasis on drawing and writing’….and the fact that they ‘don’t see the point of the subject’.

Stables & Wikely (1997) note that in the modern workplace, art is a crucial subject for developing many of the skills necessary for career development and suggest that action needs to be taken to reshape the commonly held viewpoint that art is unimportant.

Research suggests that misplaced views around career prospects - misplaced because of the increasingly successful creative industries (DCMS, 2023) - still seem to influence students’ subject choices and that boys in particular are pushed towards more traditional career roles.

This concept is noted by Bradford & Noble (2000), who suggests that many boys do not engage with art as a worthwhile activity unless it can be viewed as a channel for more valued life skills. Stereotypical and dated views that artistic careers are financially unstable, or that art is only an indulgent pastime, could be steering boys away from choosing art even if they enjoy the subject and are achieving high grades at the end of KS3.

The image of the “starving artist” is an unfortunate stereotype but it is so ingrained in people’s minds that many young people are discouraged from pursuing a career in the arts by family and friends for this reason. Research suggests this is linked with the perception that studying art offers few career prospects (Etherington, 2008; 2013). In reality, a career in the arts can be extremely satisfying, both in creative and professional terms. Much of the world of the arts is hidden from popular view because artists work in so many different professional areas and under a great many different job titles. People may not realise that all of these jobs are essentially those of an artist: set designer, printmaker, graphic designer, curator, animator, games designer, illustrator, special FX artist, photographer, art director, video editor, CGI artist, etc. The list is endlessly long.

If it were more widely understood that all of these professional opportunities require rigorous artistic training, more people might view the arts as a viable profession. I feel that many boys are missing out on opportunities for career enhancing development of skills, not to mention the widely known therapeutic benefits of self expression through art (Quigley et al., 2002).

ART CAREERS GENDER DIVIDE

National examination entry evidence shows that there are almost twice as many girls as boys taking art at GCSE level, making this one of a number of subjects where there is a significant gender imbalance at Key Stage 4 (JCQ, 2022). Studies suggest (Van de Vleuten et al., 2016) that many boys and their parents conform to societal norms in regards to careers suitable for men and regard art solely as ‘enrichment’. Art as a GCSE subject choice continues to have a feminised image (Savoie, 2009; Wikberg, 2013) despite the fact that there are many successful male role models in the creative industries.

Dalton (2001, p.113) found that parents viewed art as an economically insecure leisure activity and suggests that the non-intellectual reputation of the subject is a reason why parents do not deem art as an appropriate pursuit for their sons. This links back to ingrained societal norms that dictate that artistic pursuits are inherently feminine (Savoie, 2009; Wikberg, 2013; Dalton, 2001). Gender stereotyping can be detrimental when it limits the potential of individuals and restricts them developing their abilities and pursuing career paths and subject-specific opportunities (De Silva de Alwis, 2010).

Parental attitudes regarding appropriate roles and responsibilities of males and females in society undoubtedly have a significant impact on students’ GCSE subject choices (Van de Vleuten et al., 2016) but to what extent is this influencing boys at AGS? Observations in the classroom have led me to believe that boys do not view art as a masculine subject. Frustratingly, I have heard students make disparaging comments to classmates who say they have chosen art as a GCSE option. Wikberg (2013) also suggests that art education is femininely gendered due to a strong association with expressing feelings. Why this should be seen as a barrier to boys’ engagement with the subject needs further exploration. Unfortunately this narrative seems to be defined by the traditional division of art as feminine and ‘the sciences’ as masculine (Whitehead, 1996). The current trend seen in subject uptake also follows this gender divide, with sciences, business studies, and ICT attracting more boys (at GCSE and A Level), whilst languages and the arts see a higher uptake amongst girls (JCQ 2019a; 2019b).

Data from JCQ confirms that the gender divide in Art and Design is growing year on year, with the most recent reports (2023) showing that in the UK, over 65% of students studying for their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in the subject are female. This statistic rises to over 75% of students studying at A Level.

Clark et al. (2006) suggest the gender imbalance is down to ‘factors such as a lack of male role models in schools, cultural attitudes about gender expectations and disinterest in subject matter’ which all contribute to lower numbers of boys taking the subject. Suri & Wilson (2023) identified that male students performed better on haptic tasks than visual tasks compared to females. Haptics is an essential part of cognition recognised by many educators who advocate for a “hands on” learning approach. This correlates to much earlier studies (Gutteter, 1972; Gliner et al., 1969) and suggests that boys would perform better and stay motivated with tasks such as 3D modelling and sculpture rather than 2D drawing exercises. Younger and Warrington (2007) suggest that ‘the sex difference is only part of the issue. Ethnicity and social class is part of the problem too’.

Etherington (2008), in her case study, found that boys were less inclined than girls to choose a subject they did not view as relevant for their future working lives, and aspired less to an arts-related career. This view was reinforced by another finding from her case study that showed parents of KS3 students were less disappointed if their sons achieved low results in art compared with their daughters - a clear example of the differing gender perceptions around the status of the subject. Ofsted have raised concerns about boys’ engagement with art and the low proportion of boys choosing art and design courses, suggesting in a 2005 report that ‘schools did not take the opportunity to embrace the interests and awareness of students, particularly boys, in and about the world outside school and the career opportunities open to them’ (Ofsted, 2005). Etherington (2013) notes the paradox that the prospect of working in a vibrant professional sector where jobs are ‘seemingly in abundance’ ought to make art more appealing to boys, ‘not least because ‘male’ occupations such as architecture and computer game design demand artistic competency’.

Limited exposure can contribute to misunderstandings about the diverse career opportunities available to those who choose to study art.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Can promoting careers in the creative industries to KS3 students have an impact on the uptake of boys taking Art at GCSE?

So, how can we help students see art as a legitimate part of a career route or at least as a subject that can support their learning across the curriculum and help them develop their emotional intelligence? In their 2002 study, DeMoss and Morris noted that the arts ‘contributed to analytically deeper, experientially broader, and psychologically more rewarding learning’. Elevating the status of careers in the arts within the school and deepening the connections between art and other subjects may support students to see how relevant the subject is. Skills learnt in art are valued by employers (Tate, 2021) and research suggests (DeMoss et al., 2002) that ‘learning in the arts supports cognitive growth’ and can link together experiences across the curriculum. With this in mind, it is imperative that students, especially boys, can see the benefit of art to their future careers.

METHODOLOGY

The main aim of the research was to account for the continuing decline in boys opting for GCSE art. The research objectives, then, were to discover perceptions of KS3 art students that might help to explain the status of art as a curriculum subject with regard to its esteem among male students and in particular their understanding of how art might be of use in their future careers.

Historic data was gathered on numbers of boys studying GCSE art at AGS over the last 15 years. This revealed a gradual and significant decline in numbers from a high of 25 in 2012 to the current level of 8 GCSE students in 2023.

Choosing to understand how Year 9 students perceived art in school and careers in art was the obvious next step.

I wanted to gather data from the whole year group who were coming to the end of their KS3 studies, from classes I teach and classes my colleague teaches. Timing of the data collection was critical: in February, Year 9 students are making their decisions about GCSE options. Discussions with pastoral tutors, peers, parents and subject teachers were taking place and, for the first time in their lives, students were able to make choices about the direction of their education.

QUESTIONNAIRE

I designed the data collection as an online questionnaire to carefully investigate students’ views about taking art GCSE. I wanted to understand how boys see art, not just in their timetable but beyond that; I wanted to know what they understood by arts based careers and the value they placed on learning about art and creativity, and if the effort they invested in artistic study and practice was deemed useful and/or enjoyable.

As well as quantitative data on numbers considering GCSE, I was keen to investigate some of the reasoning behind their choices and the value they place on studying art in relation to their future career aspirations. To be able to further explore students’ knowledge of creative careers and choices for studying art or not, students were also asked if they would be willing to take part in a focus group discussion on creative careers during a lunch break in March. All parents of Year 9 students were contacted by email for permission for their sons’ data to be included as part of the research. All responses to the student questionnaires were anonymous and students were able to opt out at any time prior to their data being analysed. The focus group students were told that their comments would be recorded but any responses would remain anonymous in the research document. The research was gathered from a whole year group of students during one week in mid February 2024. Students were asked to complete an online questionnaire at the beginning of their art lesson. They could decide not to do the questionnaire if they preferred not to. Only two students opted not to participate in completing the questionnaire, a further three students did not complete the questionnaire past the first question.

I tailored the questionnaire to reflect what we already do within the department in regards to the art curriculum and careers in the creative industries as I wanted to explore if the careers information we already share has any impact on the decisions the boys are making.

Throughout KS3, the art curriculum at AGS introduces a wide variety of individuals including painters, sculptors, animators, product designers, photographers, architects, craftspeople, logo and branding designers. Careers posters are up in the art rooms and a dedicated arts careers Google Classroom has been set up with links to articles about creative professions. I was keen to see if any of this information had filtered through to the students in any meaningful way.

FOCUS GROUP

Ten Year 9 students attended a 20 minute lunchtime focus group a few weeks after the initial questionnaire. From this group I wanted to gather further qualitative data and expand upon some of the questions in the earlier research questionnaire.

FINDINGS

Data was collected from 101 responses to the digital questionnaire. My first question to the students was to list as many creative careers as they could think of. They had unlimited time to do this. I was keen to see how broad their knowledge of artistic professions was. I didn’t want to limit their thinking in any way or prompt answers and I specifically didn’t mention art in the question.

Most students (82%) listed three options or fewer and only 7% of students listed more than five career options, one student was able to list 7 different creative careers. The most popular choice - artist or painter - was listed by 79% of the students, architect was the next most popular career mentioned (33%), followed by graphic designer (25%) and illustrator (11%).

I was surprised to see game designer suggested by just two students below the choice of barber listed by three students. Digital designer/ art director/ interior designer/ product designer and museum or gallery related careers were mentioned on only 3 lists out of the 101 responses. It is disappointing to note that most boys felt that a creative career only meant being an artist or painter and few could see beyond this most obvious role.

I asked if students were likely to consider a career in the creative industries. The results show that 15% were likely or very likely to consider a creative career.

Students were then asked to think about what skills they had learnt in art might be of use to them in a future career. The results showed that students were thinking mainly about artistic techniques they had encountered with most (58%) commenting on drawing or painting abilities rather than transferable skills such as independent thinking or problem solving. However 42% were able to describe key talents such as increased focus, time management and presentation skills.

Some students mentioned that art could allow them to enhance creative thinking (21%), patience (9%) and problem solving (3%) were also noted by others.

I was pleased to note that over 45% said they enjoyed or highly enjoyed making art. However this translated into only 5% who said they were definitely taking art at GCSE. It is disappointing to know that so many students are not choosing a subject they clearly enjoy.

I was most interested in the responses to why students were not taking art, particularly those who had told me that they enjoyed the subject. 84 students answered this question and the following quotations are in response to why they have opted out of art.

‘I do not believe that taking Art will provide me with valuable skills that will help me in my chosen career path’

‘There are other subjects that are of higher value to me to get the job I would like’

‘It is useless for the careers I will most probably take, I really enjoy making art but not professionally’

‘I just feel like it is not that useful for the future’

‘I do not value an art gcse and others are just better in my opinion’

‘I love art but I see more security in a data based career’

These responses are indicative of the conversations I have had in the classroom when discussing GCSE options with Year 8 and 9 students and show a disconnect between what they think an arts career is and the reality of opportunities in the creative industries.

I asked the students about the value they placed on having art in the curriculum at KS3? All 101 students answered this question. Despite the fact that the vast majority of respondents were not likely to pursue the subject further, 78% gave a positive response to how they value studying art at school. Key points mentioned several times were creativity, self expression, enjoyment and independent thinking. Others mentioned the ‘safe space’ it gave them, or finding art ‘calm and relaxing’ and an ‘escape from harder subjects’. One student responded ‘it is good for being creative and expressing your feelings’ and another, ‘I like the way it encourages creativity, and expands my mental horizons’.

Clearly the students were able to define many positive aspects of art in the curriculum but worryingly 28% of students declared that someone had discouraged them from an arts related career path. Peer pressure or parental pressure is clearly at play here.

FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK

Ten students attended a 20 minute lunchtime focus group. This took place in March, after the students had completed their GCSE option choices.

This group comprised two students who had opted to study art at GCSE, two who had art as one of their reserve subject options, and the remainder had not considered taking art.

In a free flowing discussion, the students were asked to reflect on their answers to the earlier questionnaire and to add further detail where relevant. I was aware that the boys who were at the focus group may have been biased towards saying what they thought I wanted to hear even though I told them to be as honest as they could be with their feedback.

The concern for three of the focus group students was that art coursework could take up a disproportionate amount of time compared to other subjects. When I asked why they thought that, two boys mentioned that they had sisters who had taken GCSE art and had talked about it with them, and another student told me he had looked it up online. When asked about how useful art might be to a future career, there was lots of animated discussion

about how the ‘soft skills’ learnt in art, particularly in regard to presentation and time management, might be of use in all sorts of industries though only one student was able to suggest more than three careers in the arts.

It was clear from the discussion that peer pressure is a huge factor in the decision making process for Year 9 students. Perceptions that friends thought art had less value than other subjects seems to have had an influence. ‘I don’t think many people take art seriously even if they are good at it’ was a comment by one of the focus group students.

It is interesting to note that two students mentioned that they felt it was ok for their sisters to study art but that their parents were less keen for them to make the same choice. Evidently there is work to be done to help to overcome some potentially unhelpful gender stereotypes.

Two students mentioned that they felt it was ok for their sisters to study art but that their parents were less keen for them to make the same choice.

CONCLUSION

It is clear from the data gathered that students at AGS value and enjoy their KS3 art lessons but that there is a mindset that art has limited value in the professional world, and there is evidence of significant peer and/or parental pressure to choose subjects that have a more traditional career path, perhaps due to limited knowledge of the breadth of the UK’s creative industries. The reality is that although boys may want to take art at GCSE, they think that these subjects are not likely to lead to successful careers, and are therefore of little value to them.

Although we already make links to career opportunities in the art curriculum during KS3, it is clear from the data that boys are not taking this information on board and they still appear to have a very narrow viewpoint on potential careers in the arts. There is more we can do to address this, by introducing more relevant role models and showcasing the breadth of exciting professions in the arts more sharply tailored to meet the interests of the students.

Encouraging more boys to take up art could involve addressing stereotypes and highlighting the broader benefits of art education. As DeMoss et al. outlined in their 2002 study, ‘the arts develop habits of curiosity and inquiry in students, supporting their overall cognitive growth by bridging learning experiences within the school and life experiences outside of school’.

Art is clearly seen as an enrichment subject at AGS and boys undoubtedly see the therapeutic value, but the subject should also be viewed as a route to highly skilled professions. Disappointingly, the data shows that the context we have shared with students so far about creative industries has failed to have a big impact and as a department we need to present more relevant role models and consider a way to showcase the breadth of the creative industries in the UK. However some progress has been made and numbers opting for Art GCSE from September 2024 have grown by 25% to 10 students which is a very welcome increase.

If, for students, the purpose of choosing a GCSE subject is to enhance their future career prospects, then we need to explore with them how art can fit into this narrative and help blend creative skills and visual intelligence alongside academic talent.

Not including art as part of their subject choices could limit their future opportunities in many industries: art education helps develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, which are valuable in many fields, not just in the arts.

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