Bringing arts back from the brink

To neglect the contribution of the arts in education, either through inadequate time, resources or poorly trained teachers, is to deny children access to one of the most stunning aspects of their culture and one of the most potent means for developing their minds. Eisner,1987 Introduction Thanks to the new direction of Ofsted inspection, which refocuses education in England towards a broader and more balanced curriculum (Spielman, 2017; Hall, 2016), we now have hope that the tide is beginning to turn on the demise of learning in and through arts subjects in our primary schools. Let’s face it, we have possibly reached an all-time low in terms of time for arts participation during the school day, and in relation to funding of resources that might facilitate a rich experience for children in arts learning. Due to reduced opportunities in arts-based CPD for the workforce of primary teachers – and in the training of new teachers – skills and confidence in teaching arts subjects a