Artcrimes

I am starting 2014 with a Campaign which I invite you all to join in with. I was concerned last year to see that DFE had changed the discount coding for GCSEs, so that two different specifications in Art and Design (for example, Textiles and Photography) will count as two GCSEs for the student but only as one in the performance tables. This also affects some other Arts subjects. Dance and Drama together will count as one in the accountability tables. Sharon Hodgson MP tabled a parliamentary question about this and the Right Hon David Laws (Minister of State for Education) responded with this:
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on changes to discounting codes for (a) arts, (b) design, © music and (d) drama subjects.
Mr Laws: Discount codes are used to gather qualifications with similar content together to ensure that where pupils take more than one qualification in the same or similar subject area, the performance tables only give credit once for teaching a single course of study. The discounting for the qualifications in music and music technology, and in design and technology were not changed. The Department for Education has received a small number of representations from teachers and students regarding the change in discounting for qualifications in performing arts (dance and drama) and art and design. There were also a number of responses on the discounting of performing arts, photography and art and design during the Secondary School Accountability Consultation. These responses were from sources including the Arts Council England, the Cultural Learning Alliance and the ‘Bacc for the Future’ campaign.
So, I am picking up on this sentence “THE DFE HAS RECEIVED A SMALL NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIONS…….” and asking you to join me in changing that statement by writing in LARGE numbers to Mr Laws. All the conversations I have had with teachers show that this is a concern and contributes to a marginalisation of the Arts. When we did the Rainbow for Mr Gove letter in 2010, it did get noticed and we can do the same this year with other postal campaigns. It also brings people together with a sense of purpose and that is really important. It’s a democracy and we are allowed to protest! I have created a template for a letter which also has relevant information with it, his address, web links etc and invite you to personalise this and send it BY POST as soon as you can. I hope to get hundreds (no, let’s aim for thousands) of letters in his mail box this month. Let me know when you post yours so we can keep a tally. Just add a comment below the blog. This will go out via Twitter and Facebook and I am also inviting other Arts subjects to get involved.
“Letter to Mr Laws 2014”. THANK YOU for your support and please spread the word.