We wanted to see how young people responded to the findings in our 2025 Report Card. Barakat Omomayowa, an architectural designer and cultural curator, was commissioned by A New Direction to facilitate a conversation with young people about their responses. She talked to Kye Perry, Taaj Ibrahim, and Olaolu Fayokun, and summarises the discussion – and her own reflections – below.
In recent years, statistics have painted a stark picture of the state of arts education in England. The Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) 2025 Report Card lays out in no uncertain terms the extent of the crisis: a 42% fall in Expressive Arts GCSE entries since 2010, a 27% decline in arts teacher numbers, and a recruitment pipeline that is drying up rapidly. But behind these figures are lived experiences – stories from students, teachers, and communities that breathe life into the data.
I had the opportunity to facilitate and listen in on a conversation with a group of young people who are all Young Advisors at A New Direction (namely Kye Perry, Taaj Ibrahim and Olaolu Fayokun) reflecting on the report and their own experiences in school. Their insights were honest, heartfelt, and often painful. The aim of this conversation was to truly paint an image of the reality behind the statistics. Here’s what they said, and how it connects directly to the numbers.
The disappearing act of the Arts
Let’s start with the most jarring figure: a 42% decline in Expressive Arts GCSE entries over the past 15 years. It’s a stunning drop, but not one that surprised the young people in the room.
“There’s been a significant loss of status, value and visibility of the arts…” is how I endeavoured to set the tone of the conversation.
This “loss of status” isn’t just theoretical. Participants went on to share how music, drama, and art were increasingly side-lined in their schools, sometimes disappearing altogether. Olaolu described how creative subjects were seen as “extras”: optional, non-essential, and, sadly, expendable.
And this perceived devaluation isn’t just happening in classrooms. It shapes how young people view the arts as viable options for their future, a point reflected in the Report Card’s warning that creative career pathways are narrowing for working-class students in particular.
Where have all the teachers gone?
A 27% drop in arts teacher numbers since 2011 is another headline from the report. But numbers alone don’t convey the day-to-day impact this has on students – especially in primary schools, where early exposure to the arts can spark a lifelong passion.
“I remember when we had like three music teachers, and then by the time I was in year six, we had one, and they obviously had to teach EVERY single year group.”
One music teacher for an entire school. That’s not just a staffing issue, it’s a systemic one. When teachers are stretched thin, quality suffers. Students get less hands-on time. Extra-curriculars vanish. And young people begin to internalise the message that their creativity doesn’t matter.
This story powerfully illustrates the real-world consequences of budget cuts and policy shifts that prioritise core subjects at the expense of the arts. It’s not just about headcount – it’s about what (and who) schools choose to invest in.
A crisis in the pipeline
The report also details a massive collapse in Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment for arts subjects. For example, Art & Design ITT recruits are down 84% since 2020/21, and other disciplines aren’t far behind. This is not just alarming; it’s unsustainable.
So I asked my peers how they felt about it. The question of wanting to pursue a subject that isn’t prioritised. I even went on to question whether they themselves would teach – a group of talented, driven and headstrong individuals that all mentor in their own ways.
I was met with a resounding “No”
It’s a fair point. Why would new graduates pursue a career path that feels undervalued, underfunded, and unsupported?
Kye shared a personal experience that I feel, which made this all that little bit more real.
“One of my best friends from uni is a teacher now and she teaches art, and it’s so hard for her. She loves it, but she’s just like, it’s constant battles. She’s like, they don’t think my subject matters as much as the others. She’s constantly having to justify everything she does. And that takes a toll.”
When you combine underwhelming recruitment, high vacancy rates, and poor retention, it becomes clear why many schools struggle to maintain arts departments at all. The enthusiasm and passion required to teach creative subjects can’t thrive in a system that continually marginalises them.
The Access Gap: Who gets to be creative?
One of the most compelling (and heart-breaking) sections of the report focuses on arts entitlement and access. It reveals that only 6.6% of GCSE entries in the most deprived areas are in arts subjects, compared to 8.3% in the most affluent. And perhaps even more striking: working-class young people are four times less likely to work in the creative industries.
I noted how peers in wealthier areas had easier access to extracurricular arts opportunities—private lessons, weekend theatre schools, gallery visits. For others, those experiences were out of reach.
This isn’t just about enjoyment or enrichment. It’s about equity.
If only a privileged few can afford to explore the arts, then the pipeline into creative careers will remain narrow and exclusive. That’s not just a loss for individuals; it’s a loss for the creative industries and society as a whole.
What made this conversation so powerful was how clearly the young people connected their personal stories to the wider statistics. They weren’t surprised by the numbers. Because they were just that. Numbers. Their insights underscore just how urgent the situation is.
It’s easy to see statistics as abstract, but they represent real experiences, frustrations, and lost opportunities. Every percentage point is a student who gave up art because it didn’t “count.” Every teacher lost is a mentor that a young person no longer has. Every funding cut sends a message about what – and who – matters.
If we want to reverse the decline in arts education, we need more than policy tweaks. We need a cultural shift. That starts by listening to the people most affected: the students themselves. They’re ready to fight for the arts. The question is, are we?
The CLA Report Card is a wake-up call. But it’s also a call to action. The statistics are shocking, yes; but they’re also an opportunity.
An opportunity to reimagine a school system where creativity is not a luxury, but a necessity. Where every child, regardless of background, has the chance to paint, dance, sing, act, and dream.
And if we ever forget why that matters, we need only listen to the voices of the young people in this conversation. They’ve lived the data. Now, it’s time we act on it.
Image: Young Advisors Taaj & Barakat. Photograph credit: Jessica Ross for A New Direction
