Our manifesto for art, craft and design education

'Art makes children powerful’, says NSEAD patron, Bob and Roberta Smith. Along with you, our members and partners, NSEAD works to support art educators to ensure all learners can access an excellent arts education. 

For the entitlement of all learners to an excellent arts education, we need:

 

1. Equity of opportunity for all

Actions:

Collect robust evidence to identify the state of art, craft and design education across all regions, sectors and phases.

Invest in resources and improvement to our learning spaces.

Protect our art, craft and design curriculum time across all phases.

Remove subject hierarchies and dismantle harmful accountability measures that limit learner choice.
 

2. A learner-centred future-facing contemporary curriculum 

Actions:

Research into the impact of best curriculum practice, drawing on The Big Landscape research.

Consult with the NSEAD’s Big Landscape expert community to co-create and shape curricula that is:

• Relevant and engaging
• Twenty-first century and future focussed
• Equitable and accessible
   

Protect the integrity of our subject, to realise that a distinct curriculum for art, for craft and for design is vital to strengthen progression pathways and careers in the creative industries.

Empower learners so they can harness the unique potential of our subject to address the vital and pressing issues of our time.

3. A valued, nurtured and diverse subject-specialist workforce

Actions:

Invest in data collection that will inform a national strategy to recruit and retain a diverse art educator workforce.

Improve teachers’ terms and conditions to address wellbeing and workload:

• Restore pay
• Reduce excessive class sizes for art, craft and design
• Build opportunities for teachers to achieve flexible working 
   

Invest in art, craft and design teacher recruitment:

• Fair bursaries for every subject and every trainee teacher
• Increase the time given to the study of art, craft and design in primary initial teacher education
• Address the consequences of the Initial Teacher Training Market Review 
• Recognise and remedy the impact of austerity, the cost-of-living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic on a generation of trainee teachers
   

Create opportunities for all art, craft and design teachers to continue to train, research and practice.