Teach17

Creative subjects have lost a great deal of ground in schools. In 2026, arts subjects accounted for just 10% of A-level entries, while their share of GCSE entries remains almost half what it was in 2010. Music and drama have been particularly badly affected.

There are some encouraging signs. The Government is changing accountability measures, a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education is being established, and schools are being encouraged to provide a broader enrichment offer. But reversing a decline that has taken place over more than a decade will need more than a new policy document.

Here are 17 practical and realistic ways to start.

1. Look at what pupils are actually being offered

Before trying to increase numbers, schools could start with a simple audit. How much art, music and drama do pupils receive in Years 7, 8 and 9? Which subjects are available at GCSE? Which disappear at sixth form?

Sometimes the problem begins well before pupils reach an options evening.

2. Protect enough creative time at Key Stage 3

A pupil who receives very little music or drama in Years 7 and 8 is unlikely suddenly to choose it at GCSE.

This does not mean every creative subject needs several lessons each week. In a crowded timetable that is unrealistic. But pupils need enough regular, good-quality teaching to become interested and improve.

Arts teaching hours have fallen substantially over the longer term, so protecting KS3 time would be a sensible place to start.

3. Check the option blocks

Sometimes pupils want to take a creative subject but cannot because it clashes with another popular choice.

It is impossible to design option blocks that suit everyone, but schools can look back each year at how many pupils were prevented from taking music, drama, art or design because of the way the blocks were constructed.

That is useful information when building the following year’s timetable.

4. Do not close a course too quickly

Schools cannot realistically run every GCSE or A-level for three pupils. Staffing has to be paid for.

But before cancelling a small creative course, it is worth asking whether numbers might increase with another year of promotion, whether teaching could be shared across a trust or sixth-form partnership, or whether some lessons could be combined.

Once a subject disappears, bringing it back can be much harder.

5. Share provision where it makes sense

A school with four pupils wanting A-level Music and another nearby school with five has a different problem from two schools each trying to run tiny classes.

Trusts, sixth-form partnerships and neighbouring schools could make more use of shared teaching for subjects with small cohorts.

It will not work everywhere, but it is more realistic than expecting every sixth form to run every course independently.

6. Find out who is not choosing the subjects

Schools routinely analyse attainment gaps. They could also look at participation.

Who takes GCSE Music? Who takes Drama? Who drops Art after Year 9? Are pupils eligible for free school meals represented? What about pupils with SEND?

The Cultural Learning Alliance found clear differences in participation according to disadvantage. In the most deprived fifth of local authorities, 54% of schools had no GCSE Music entries, compared with 21% in the least deprived fifth.

That is a big enough difference to warrant attention.

7. Ask pupils why they did not choose a creative subject

Schools collect plenty of data, but a five-minute pupil survey might reveal more than another spreadsheet.

Was it an option clash? Did they think the course would be too difficult? Did parents discourage them? Were they worried about career prospects? Did they simply not enjoy KS3 lessons?

The answer will be different from school to school.

8. Be careful how adults talk about subject choices

It is perfectly reasonable for teachers and parents to talk to pupils about future opportunities.

What is less helpful is suggesting that some subjects are automatically serious and others are not.

A Cambridge study following the educational pathways of 1.7 million young people found evidence that students can be steered away from creative subjects because they are viewed as lower status or financially risky.

Careers advice should give pupils information rather than quietly making the decision for them.

9. Be honest about creative careers

Schools should not tell pupils that becoming an actor, musician or artist is easy. Many creative careers are competitive and some involve insecure work.

But the opposite message — that creative subjects lead nowhere — is equally misleading.

The UK’s creative industries employed around 2.4 million people in 2024 and contributed approximately £146 billion to the economy. They include advertising, architecture, design, film, television, music, video games and many other areas.

Pupils deserve the full picture.

10. Remove the small costs that become big barriers

A £5 contribution here and a £20 trip there can become significant for some families.

Instrument hire, materials, theatre trips, costumes, examination costs and transport can all affect participation.

Schools cannot make everything free, but they can identify which costs are stopping pupils taking part and look at subsidies, hardship funds, partnerships or appropriate use of existing funding.

11. Make better use of Music Hubs

Schools do not need to build everything themselves.

England’s 43 Music Hub partnerships are already funded to work with schools and provide instrumental teaching, ensembles and other opportunities. Government funding also includes investment in more than 130,000 instruments and pieces of music equipment by the end of 2026/27.

For some schools, the first step may simply be finding out what their local Hub already offers.

12. Build one or two strong partnerships rather than dozens of weak ones

A local theatre, gallery, arts centre, university or professional musician can add a great deal to a school’s provision.

But partnerships work best when they become part of the school’s normal programme rather than an isolated workshop once every three years.

One reliable partnership that gives pupils repeated experiences may be more valuable than lots of one-off events.

13. Make extracurricular activities easy to join

A lunchtime choir is technically available to everyone, but not if pupils have to get the bus home at 3.30 for an after-school rehearsal or pay for specialist equipment.

Schools could look at when activities take place, whether transport creates barriers and whether pupils need prior experience to join.

The new Government enrichment framework specifically asks schools to consider accessibility rather than simply counting how many clubs they offer.

14. Give pupils something to work towards

Creative subjects often come alive when there is an outcome.

A school concert, play, art exhibition, photography display, film night or design showcase gives pupils a reason to practise and produces something the wider school community can see.

It also helps make creative achievement visible.

15. Protect specialist teachers where possible

Creative subjects depend heavily on expertise.

A good music teacher cannot simply be replaced by giving the timetable to whoever has a spare lesson. Nor can a drama production or art exhibition be created without considerable work.

Schools have genuine staffing pressures, but repeatedly using non-specialists or cutting specialist posts can weaken a subject surprisingly quickly. The Cultural Learning Alliance reports that almost 23% of expressive arts teachers now have no subject-relevant qualification beyond A-level.

16. Make the most of the changes to Progress 8

There is now a real policy opportunity.

The Government is removing the EBacc headline measures and proposing a revised Progress 8 model with greater room for creative subjects. Under the proposed model, pupils would retain English, maths and science while gaining greater breadth of choice, including creative subjects.

Schools will still need to maintain strong academic outcomes, but the accountability system should become less of a reason to steer pupils away from the arts.

17. Accept that schools cannot solve this alone

This may be the most important point.

A headteacher cannot create a specialist music teacher who does not exist. A school facing a serious budget deficit cannot simply run an A-level class of two because it would be nice to do so.

Government policy therefore matters too.

The new National Centre for Arts and Music Education is being backed with £13 million over three years, while a £22.5 million enrichment programme will work with up to 400 schools. The Government has also introduced national enrichment benchmarks covering arts and cultural experiences.

Those are positive moves, but schools will need sustained staffing, funding and practical support if the long-term decline is really going to be reversed.

The aim should not be to persuade every pupil to take an arts GCSE or A-level.

It should be much simpler than that.

A pupil who loves music, drama, art, dance or design should be able to pursue it regardless of which school they attend or how much their parents earn.

And a pupil who has never experienced those things outside school should still get the chance to discover that they might be good at them.