AS a teacher of art and design I have read with interest the criticism aimed at the Sats. Creativity is getting the squeeze. These tests and the importance given to them are instilling children with a bias. The tacit message is that the arts are not important and not a good judge of intelligence. I am certainly teaching fewer children and those who have taken art as an option have a very narrow idea of what ‘art’ is. If they have an idea for a project, their ability to expand and develop it is limited and they have clearly never been asked to analyse their work. Some 70 per cent of my present students have never visited an art gallery or museum with their former schools. Coincidence?

Probably not. Take heart that here at The TES we are doing our best to refocus the national curriculum on a more balanced approach to education.

It was recently reported that many heads felt the Sats targets were out of reach and music and art were suffering because of the pressures to meet these targets. You are clearly seeing the knock-on effect of this policy.

British artists are at the forefront of the art and music world. We must try to keep it that way. Target creativity!