In March this year the Office for Students (OfS) was asked by the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, to consult on a reallocation of the government’s Strategic Priority Grant.

This month we bring you news of Ofsted research on teaching music; guidance from the DfE on teaching for education recovery; research from the Centre for Cultural Value demonstrating public belief in the power of the arts to improve wellbeing; a call for stories from Dance graduates from One Dance; and how to get involved in the social media campaign #ArtIsEssential.

Over the past year colleagues across all of the art subjects have been working to review and change representation in the arts curriculums they deliver or support. This blog summarises the activity to date by subject and signposts ongoing activity you may find useful.

Department for Education figures published 17 June show that between November 2019 and November 2020 the number of hours the arts were taught in secondary schools overall increased by +2% and the number of arts teachers did not change. However, Design & Technology continues to see falls; in the last year the number of teachers and hours taught fell by -7%. The number of children in England’s secondary schools went up by +2% over the same period.

This month we bring you news of a Welsh Labour manifesto commitment to a National Music Service; the #ProtectStudentChoice campaign fighting for BTEC funding; the new Future Skills report from Kingston University; why a change in recording date means that children most in need are missing out on pupil premium funding; the call for Proposals for the World Alliance for Arts Education Virtual Global Summit and an uplifting video compilation of Tweets from the Festival of School and College Arts.

The Advisory Panel provides sector insight, advice, and information relevant to the delivery of the CLA’s overall aims and objectives. It is made up of representatives of both the cultural and education sectors, and other key stakeholders in the core work of the Alliance. Applications are now open to join the panel. Deadline 12 July.

This month we bring you news of Creativity Collaboratives school grants; a report from the EPI calling for a £13.5bn multi-year programme of support for children and young people to reverse the damage of the pandemic; the launch of Amplify Voice; resources from the Centre for Cultural Value; a Dance in education survey and Thank You day for schools.

Part of our series of guest blogs about models that could be adapted for use as part of Recovery Summer Schools or Holiday Activities and Food programmes, Trevelyan Wright of Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton writes about their summer arts programme.

Curious Minds have developed an interactive digital map to help demonstrate to school leaders and policy-makers the vast scale of the creative and cultural education workforce which exists in our communities nationwide. The map will also make it easier for schools to identify and connect with their own local cultural learning resources and expertise, all of which they can tap into this summer.

Join us and the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL) on 28 May 2021 on Twitter to celebrate the vital role of the arts in our schools and colleges around the country, and the fantastic work created by children and young people. After over a year of despair and disruption, let’s get back to the creativity and joy which forms such an important part of education.