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Governor Training

Governors Seminar on the Role of the Arts in Education

Valuing the Arts

The UK Cultural sector employs nearly 500,000 people. This is more than the high street banks and building societies combined and twice as many as the motor industry. By 2020 It is estimated that 1 in 20 people will be employed in the cultural sectors. Britain generates 20% of world-wide music sales. Every new magazine or TV channel demands yet more technicians, administrators, and performers. The new media of DVD and the internet ensure a constant demand for designers and writers.

The National Curriculum requires Schools to teach a whole range of the arts to prepare young people to be active participants in the roles of both maker and audience. Yet this area of the curriculum is often seen as extra curricula or sidelined and omitted from evaluations and reviews. The place of the arts in education is often given little attention or value by the general public.

The education department of the City and County of Swansea has created an innovative and acclaimed presentation to address these issues.

The session aims to provide information for governors to enable them to fulfil their role in supporting and encouraging the Arts Curriculum of their school.

The Intended Outcomes are to offer Governors

  • an understanding of the place of the Arts in the National Curriculum and in doing so develop an awareness the nature and structures of Education in the Arts;
  • an insight into the Arts
  • contribution to learning across the curriculum;
  • ways of supporting the Arts in schools.

The fully illustrated seminar is available in two formats -

  • a session lasting approximately three quarters to one hour .
  • a longer version that lasts around one and a half to two hours and includes workshop elements that allow governors to experience for themselves some brief arts education activities that illustrate some of the concepts explored in the presentation. These do not need any equipment or previous art skills and can take place in the seminar room. They are non threatening, fun and generate additional discussion and insights.

It has gained 100% top rate evaluation marks in sessions both for an individual governing body and for county wide governor training.

The presentation is fully illustrated with examples of high quality arts activity in the Swansea area via Powerpoint and requires merely a video projector and screen.

Led by experienced advisory teachers who have a long record of high achievement across the Arts and accompanied by a support pack for all participants, it is available as a package to Counties and individual governing bodies for inclusion in their training programmes.