OFSTED 'Making a mark: art, craft and design 2008-2011'

An Ofsted report launched today looking at art, craft and design education in schools and colleges has found that after getting off to a confident early start, pupils’ progress slowed during primary school and was no better than satisfactory at the start of secondary school.

The report, Making a mark: art, craft and design 2008-2011, shows that too few pupils developed creativity through confident drawing. Limited provision for teachers’ professional development also meant that less than a quarter of teachers surveyed participated in subject-specific training in the year before their inspection. 40% of primary schools and 60% of secondary schools provided good or better education in art, craft and design, the main short coming being inconsistency in provision. The report says that opportunities available out of school, such as visits to art galleries, are not made clear enough to pupils, parents and carers. It recommends that these opportunities and examples of good practice should be accessible to all. You can download the report at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/making-mark-art-craft-and-design-education-2008-11.