Headlines

15th November 2024

By James Saunders

‘The decline of Arts in schools is short-sighted and morally wrong’

Happy Friday everyone. I spent a part of this week contributing to a meeting about the Curriculum Assessment Review call for evidence. The review has been commissioned by the government with a view to reform curriculum and assessment. As part of this review I was provided with some trend data about qualification uptakes over the past fifteen years. What struck me was the decline in creative and technology subjects. The reason may not be obvious but it is the system itself that has squeezed these subjects so much through its relentless pursuit of the EBacc - a suite of subjects that includes humanities and the sciences - and performance table measures. The system is most certainly ripe for reform and I was pleased to be able to feed into the review.

I have always been a fan of the transformative power of the curriculum and believe it is at the heart of a school. It is certainly at the heart of ours and we have always been driven by what is right rather than what is fashionably in vogue with the government of the time. Get the curriculum right and you can fix so many other things. The right curriculum has the power to transform behaviour; improve outcomes and close gaps. It feels as though the government is finally coming round to appreciating the values and vision that we have of education at Honywood.

In 2011, Eric Schmidt of Google called for the UK education system to bring back the Victorian idea of science and art working together. And he is right; a little creativity can do wonders for the scientific and mathematical mind. Thirteen years on, I think the need for creativity is ever more important. As our C11 learners begin their college applications it will be worth bearing in mind that the ones that shine through are the ones where the learner has brought in a little creativity to temper his or her academic credentials, often adding a little flair and originality too.

The head of the Arts Council, Sir Nicolas Serota, has previously stated that the decline of The Arts in schools is short-sighted and morally wrong (Durham Commision on Creativity and Education). I am inclined to agree. Having seen what participation and engagement in creativity can do for young people, even at grassroots level, is something to behold. The Arts is one of the last great levellers in society. Talent can always rise above prejudices and barriers. This is why we value the creative arts at Honywood. It is why when we structured our curriculum into its three pillars, creative arts had to be of equal standing to science and industry and, liberal arts. We can’t expect to achieve equity or develop cultural capital for our learners if we send them out into society having not had access to the wonder that is the arts.

Creativity is everywhere we look; it is at the heart of entrepreneurship and a key ingredient to problem solving even in the most complex of disciplines. So why does it find itself being so marginalised regarding its position in the curriculum. Is a GCSE, A Level or degree in Music any less meaningful than any other subject? Almost everyday I draw upon the skills I developed studying music. I am not against the Ebacc and the wonderful subjects that it requires. Like Sir Nicholas, I just think that the arts should be a part of the mix. In a time where high performing nations are looking to the UK for the answers to developing creative problem solvers and not just insular academics, we should be leading the way. A true English Baccalaureate needs to contain the one thing that England is renowned for the world over –The arts.

I would like to share with you an exciting new opportunity for our C7 and C8 learners. We have recently been able to secure ourselves a ‘resident artist’ to run an after school ‘Creative Hub’. You can learn more about our artist here: https://tabatha-art. co.uk/ When I first met Tabatha and looked through her portfolio I was captivated by the creative process,

the use of textiles, the colourful characters and the stories that sat behind her art. Straight away I could envisage individual learners at school that I knew would instantly gel with her work and be inspired to be themselves. We are lucky to have been able to engage her with our community. Tabatha will be taking a small group on a creative journey that I am sure they will enjoy. I look forward to sharing updates with you in the future.

In the words of Plato -

“If you think your child’s academic studies are more important than the arts, think again.”

I will end with a short gallery of recent observational studies from our newest cohort of C7 learners.

Have a great weekend.

Introducing The creative hub

U16 Essex Cup Netball - Honywood v Shoeburyness School

This match was played just before October half term. It was a great match and the girls played really well. Final score 30-16. Player of the match was Sophia Cooper.

Mrs Jones

C7 FIRST FIXTURE THRILLER

Alec Hunter 7 v Honywood 7

Team: Rosie Cagney (Capt), Erina McSweeney, Emily Bloomfield, Ella Thorogood, Lottie Ball, Sylvie Rassell, Hannah Cook, Daisy Rybakova, Evie Godfrey, Molly Breese, Mia Overy, and Emme Barrett.

Due to the game being played with senior goals, it made defending a very difficult task. Honywood started very brightly and hit the post twice and the crossbar in the first five minutes. But it was Alec Hunter who took the lead from their first attack. The game ebbed and flowed throughout and goals came at regular intervals at both ends. The first half ended with Alec Hunter 4-2 up. Honywood continued in their determination to level up the scoring which they did with six goals from Rosie Cagney and one from Mia Overy. The fantastic effort from all the players secured a well deserved draw for Honywood. There were some good performances from all the team with Daisy Rybakova in defence doing well, Hannah Cook in midfield and player of the match Rosie Cagney in attack. Well done girls on a difficult first fixture.

Mr G Walters

Congratulations to Ali Frid (7AHa) who has recently completed his Level 2 Food Safety Award. A fantastic achievement for someone so young. Well done Ali!

Congratulations to Eddie Martin (10CFr) who has been invited to attend the Swimming National Arena League on 14th December. This is a fantastic achievement for Eddie. Well done!

REVISION TIPS

C11 MOCK EXAMS 25 NOV - 13 DEC

Essex Library Service has recently appointed its first ever Author in Residence specifically for young people. Over the coming year Gina Blaxill will be holding a number of creative writing events for 12-17 year olds, beginning with a pair of workshops, “How to create your own fairy tale”.

We are seeking the help of young people to decide what kind of event they would like Gina to run. We would like as many as possible to fill in our two-minute survey: https://forms.office.com/e/NVGyZMWHpm