News

Further 8% drop in creative subjects GCSE entries 2016 to 2017

23 June 2017

On 15 June Ofqual published its provisional figures for 2017 entries to GCSEs and A Levels. We will not know the final official numbers until August when the Joint Council for Qualifications publishes its data, but the picture continues to look bleak for entries to Arts GCSEs: a decline of 8% on last year’s entries and of 27% in entries in the same subjects since 2010.

In 2015-2016 we saw a drop of -8%, while the cohort in state schools, the number children taking GCSEs, declined by 2%.

We don't have the final cohort numbers for 2017 yet, they are normally published in a few weeks, but as Schools Week has pointed out the drop in arts GCSEs is set against a general rise in GCSE entries of 3% suggesting the cohort size has increased this year. As Arts Professional points out entries to EBacc subject entries have continue to increase.

GCSE entries* (England only)

2010 and 2016 GCSE entry numbers are from the Joint Council for Qualifications annual results tables. 2017 numbers are from the Ofqual figures.

 

2010

2016

2017

Art and Design subjects

172,504

170,114

165,120

Design and Technology

270,401

173,532

156,280

Drama

81,592

68,171

61,960

Media/Film/TV Studies

63,808

51,209

45,490

Music

46,045

41,865

38,740

Performing/expressive arts

23,505

17,676

14,950

Total

657,855

522,567

482,540

Percentage change in GCSE entries (England only)

 

% change 2010 to 2017

% change 2016 to 2017

Art and Design subjects

-4%

-3%

Design and Technology

-42%

-10%

Drama

-24%

-9%

Media/Film/TV Studies

-29%

-11%

Music

-16%

-7%

Performing/expressive arts

-36%

-15%

Total

-27%

-8%

*Ofqual figures do not include Dance GCSEs as a separate figure, they are included in the PE numbers, so we have not included them in our calculations. Dance GCSE will be included in the calculations we publish in August using the final Joint Council for Qualifications results.