Abstract :
In 2003/4 NFER undertook a study of the content
of the art curriculum in secondary schools in
England on behalf of the Arts Council England
(ACE) and Tate Galleries [1]. In 18 schools, eight of
which were identified as engaged with contemporary
art practice (referred to throughout the
article as the CAP schools), 54 art teachers were
asked to describe the content of their most
recently completed art module. ‘Content’ was
taken as: the media and materials in which pupils
worked; the artistic and cultural references used
to support the teaching; the skills taught; and the
thinking processes used. They were also questioned
about the factors that influenced their
choice of curriculum content and the aims that
guided their choice of content. Most of the teachers
(excluding the heads of department) were
asked which of a set of six art images they would
include in their teaching, and the reasons for their
decisions. Teachers in the CAP schools were also
asked to explain why they chose to include
contemporary art. The findings revealed substantial
differences between the two cohorts of
schools, not all of which were related to the inclusion
of contemporary art practice. A
preoccupation with the teaching of skills was
more apparent in the randomly selected schools,
which also drew very heavily on the early twentieth
century for their artistic references.
Unsurprisingly, the CAP schools drew heavily on
contemporary references, but included many
from other periods, cited twice as many references
overall, and had a generally more eclectic
view of the purposes of teaching art.
