The MU is joining forces with 160 other organisations to protest against plans to make the British Baccalaureate virtually compulsory and further restrict the chances for young people to study creative subjects.
The EBacc proposal means that every pupil taking their GCSEs would have to study a minimum of seven, narrowly defined, GCSEs: English literature and English language, maths, double or triple science, a modern and/or ancient language, history and/or geography. The average number of GCSEs taken by pupils in England is eight. If these plans become a reality, there would be little room left for pupils to study art, dance, design, drama, music or other creative industry relevant subjects.
John Smith, MU General Secretary, says:
‘Young people who study creative subjects whilst at school are the performers and audience members of the future. The MU is extremely concerned that the Department for Education’s proposals, which would make the EBacc all but compulsory in schools, could make it almost impossible for children to continue to study subjects such as music or drama. In an ideal world, all young people would have the opportunity to learn to sing or play an instrument outside of school subjects, but unfortunately that is not an option for some children. It is therefore all the more important to ensure that young people who develop an interest in creative subjects are able to pursue them throughout their school career without falling foul of the restrictive subject choices in the EBacc.’
For further information please visit www.baccforthefuture.com.