If you remember, singing was one of the first casualties of Covid. People were actively discouraged from singing and choirs were seen as a hotbed of infection. According to the government's website in 2020, "singing, shouting and physical activity increases the risk of transmission through small droplets and aerosols". So, singers were seen as super-spreaders.
But now that schools are back, there is little cheer for the arts. In an article in the Guardian in July 2021, the then shadow schools minister, Peter Kyle, said: 'Parents across the country want their kids to thrive and to come back stronger than ever from this pandemic. Pupils want to draw, act and sing – and through doing that, they’ll make friends and develop their creativity.' They'll be lucky. According to Labour, specific government funding for music, arts and cultural programmes will equate to just £9.40 per pupil this year, which is less than 5p a day.
Arts education has taken a battering over several years. It became second tier after the introduction of the Ebacc. This stipulates students should study five subject areas: English language and literature, maths, the sciences, geography or history and a language and that schools will also be measured on how well students do in these subjects. Arts and D&T are not on the list. Music is a particular cause for concern. OFSTED reported that the study of music was in decline not only at GCSE and A-level, but also earlier in a child’s education. Primary-level trainee teachers are offered 'shrinking amounts of musical training' and there are concerns that music will be the sole province of wealthier pupils.
Innovative ways to expand arts provision
TeachingTimes interviewed Jen McCulloch who works at New Brighton Primary after seeing some of her work on Twitter. Jen, aka @MisMacICT, started at the school 17 years ago and became a computing enthusiast. They encouraged her and funded her Masters degree and she is now a freelance computing consultant, spending half the week in her own school and the rest in other schools that can learn from the New Brighton experience.
The school is on the banks of the Mersey overlooking the Liverpool skyline. It has three form entry and there is an inclusion base, plus a language unit for children with expressive language delay. Jen was not trained in art or music so has come to them via ICT. In the early days she enjoyed exploring the creative aspects of 2Simple products and using their animation tools to help children to make puzzles and games share them online with their parents so they could join in with activities and become more engaged with their children's education.