It is the most disadvantaged pupils who have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, evidence suggests.
Research by The Sutton Trust shows that children from more affluent backgrounds are more likely to have had regular online lessons and more support in their schooling during the lockdowns.
In the past year or so, a range of initiatives has been announced by the Department for Education that aims to “level up” this disparity in lost learning: the National Tutoring Programme and the Catch-up Premium, to name just a couple. In December 2021, £10 million was pledged to boost maths and literacy.
Covid catch-up: the power of the arts
Much of the focus has understandably been aimed towards academic subjects, but in a report published in May 2021 by the Sutton Trust, entitled ‘Fairness First: social mobility, Covid and education recovery, researchers suggest schools should also encourage young people to be creative.
The report states that in recovery initiatives, such as the extended school day and and summer programmes, there should be substantial focus on activities that give young people a chance to develop vital non-academic skills like confidence, communication and social skills, as well as a chance to have fun.
“Sport, arts and drama, clubs and societies all have a part to play,” the report says.
“An ambitious extended schools programme should be funded at a level which enables high-quality provision, designed to attract the most disadvantaged. The programme should be focused on essential life skills and wellbeing, as well as academic catch-up,” it adds.
In this bonus edition of the Tes podcast, four experts explore this further, and discuss why the arts have a critical role to play in levelling up the most disadvantaged students in our schools, and how leaders can overcome the barriers to ensure they do so.
Andria Zafirakou is the associate deputy headteacher at Alperton Community School, in north-west London, and she teaches arts and textiles. She is absolutely determined that the arts help to develop life skills in students - ones that they’ll need beyond the school gates, in the workplace.
“[The arts] foster high-level, quality skills, which [students] can develop and use in many other subjects. So the skills I’m talking about are discipline, mastery, collaboration, communication, experimentation...even the ability to clarify and to communicate more effectively,” she says.
“When you’re having a look at what it is that our young people need now more than ever, they need to be able to stand up against others. We know the levels of poverty, and that learning gap has been quite severe.
“So what do we do? Do we just throw more knowledge and recall information, or do we give them the ability to have other skills which they can then use to access this information? It’s the latter, that’s what we want to do.”
Supporting children’s mental health
Derri Burdon, chief executive of the charity Curious Minds, agrees, and highlights the power the arts have in supporting children’s mental health, which continues to be a huge concern for leaders and parents.
“There are lots of conversations at the moment happening about how the arts can be real vehicles for meeting the needs of children post-pandemic,” she says.
“Injecting joy and awe and wonder and enthusiasm for learning back into children’s lives, they can be a vehicle. We are hearing lots of evidence to show that engaging in the arts supports children’s mental wellbeing, which is a huge issue.”
Paige Hurley, arts leader at New Bewerley Community School in Leeds, and Adam Mackenzie, head of instrumental learning at Opera North, also join the podcast.
They discuss the barriers schools face in ensuring that all students, and particularly those who are disadvantaged, have access to the arts, and the impact the pandemic has had on those challenges.
We also explore the steps that arts leaders and teachers are taking across the country to overcome these barriers, as well as the consequences for pupils, and wider society, if action isn’t taken.
Listen to the podcast below:
This podcast is sponsored by Artsmark, the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings accredited by Arts Council England. Put creativity and wellbeing at the heart of your curriculum. Register today at artsmark.org.uk
