Curriculum and Assessment review – a submission from the Creative Education Coalition
The government wants to hear evidence for its Curriculum and Assessment Review, which asks for suggestions and proposals to help them improve the existing English national curriculum and statutory assessment system. What follows is a summary of the evidence submitted by the Creative Education Coalition.
The Creative Education Coalition’s submission identifies critical shortcomings in the current curriculum, assessment system, and qualification pathways for creative education in the UK. It highlights the limited mandatory inclusion of creative subjects beyond Key Stage 3, lack of progression pathways, and insufficient funding and resources for creative education, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
Key barriers include geographic disparities in T-level placements, inadequate teacher recruitment and training, and systemic inequities in access to creative opportunities. The focus on STEM subjects and policies like the EBacc, devalues creative education, exacerbating these issues. Students from disadvantaged and SEND backgrounds face further challenges due to reduced budgets and limited support for creative extracurricular activities, which could otherwise bridge gaps in access and skills development.
To address these gaps, the Coalition proposes making creative subjects a core part of the curriculum and emphasises visual literacy alongside oracy and numeracy. Investment in teacher training, clearer progression pathways, and diverse assessment methods, including portfolio-based evaluations, are recommended. Online platforms and extracurricular programs, such as National Saturday Clubs, are highlighted as potential short-term solutions to regional and socio-economic disparities.
The submission also advocates stronger connections between the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport to align policies and ensure effective communication of opportunities. Additionally, it calls for greater integration of industry collaborations into the curriculum to prepare students for creative careers.
Overall, the Coalition emphasises the need to reframe creative education as a vital component of the UK’s economic and cultural growth, ensuring equitable access, better resources, and alignment with workforce demands to foster a thriving creative sector.
Read the full submission here.