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Art and Design teacher numbers and hours taught in our subject continue to fall

The numbers of art and design teachers and numbers of hours taught continue to fall in state funded schools.

The recently published DfE data (for November 2017) when compared to data published in 2011, indicate that there has been a 16.5% fall in hours taught in our subject. Since 2012, art and design teacher numbers have also decreased by 15%, the decrease is bigger than the overall decrease in teachers for all subjects which fell by by 9% between 2011-17.

The table below, tracks the change: In 2011 there were 13.2K teachers; in 2017 there were 11.8K teachers. In 2017 there were 133.5K hours taught, in 2011 there was 159.8K hours taught.

Data set:* __ 2017__2016 __ 2015__2014 __2013__2012__2011

Head count: __11.8 __ 12.0 _ 12.4 __12.7 __ 12.8 __ 13.9 __13.2

Hours taught: 133.5 __136.5_144.8 _150.2 _151.5__157.0__159.8

*All figures in thousands

At key stage 4 in 2011 there were 49.8K hours taught. In 2017 this had fallen to 39.3K hours taught. This represents a 21.1% fall in art and design hours taught.

Lesley Butterworth, general secretary of NSEAD, says: 'The continued fall in art and design hours taught along with the decrease in numbers of art and design teachers are very concerning. They are indicative of the continued pressure placed on schools to comply with the corrosive and limiting Ebacc accountability measure.'

School workforce DfE data for 2017 and links to data for 2011-16 can be downloaded here

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10th July 2018
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