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Pupils & learning

Cultural education

Exploring the benefits of arts, culture and creativity and how you can influence provision in your school or trust.

Guidance
02/03/2022
Pupils-learning young boy playing the trumpet

It is a legal requirement for all schools to promote the cultural development of their pupils through the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development education requirements. Guidance from the Department for Education outlines the minimum levels of cultural activities that pupils should experience. While these are voluntary recommendations, they provide a benchmark for boards to reflect on.

Cultural education can enhance aspiration and ambition, develop communication and build discipline and confidence in young people. Our collection of cultural education guidance for governing boards explores the benefits of arts, culture and creativity and explains how you can positively influence provision in your school or trust.

Arts, culture and creativity: a guide for governing boards

This guide provides an introduction to cultural education, outlining how you can work strategically to achieve your ambition for all pupils to receive a rich and diverse cultural education. The guide recommends the following approach:

  • make cultural education part of your vision for the future
  • use your vision to develop strategic goals and policy
  • engage stakeholders in a whole school approach
  • invest sufficient resources

Arts, culture & creativity guide for boards

PDF download

Subject guides: drama, dance, music, and art, craft & design

Governing boards have an important responsibility to ensure their school or trust offers pupils a broad and rich curriculum which includes diverse and wide-ranging art forms and cultural experiences.

Our subject-specific guides outline the characteristics and enablers of high quality provision. The guides also provide recommendations for monitoring provision in your school or trust.

Drama guide for governing boards

PDF download

Dance guide for governing boards

PDF download

Music guide for governing boards

PDF download

Art, craft & design guide

PDF download

E-learning

Arts and cultural education for school improvement

Subscribers to NGA Learning Link can also access an e-learning module which has been designed to help governing boards understand how arts and cultural education can be used for school improvement.

View the module
Pupils-learning young pupil smiling and painting

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