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However, schools across the country who still believe that arts subjects and experiences play a
significant role in the development of their pupils and their school tell us there are rays of hope in
the new Ofsted framework, which came into effect in September.
The main areas identified for future inspections are: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes,
personal development and leadership and management (Ofsted, 2019).
Ofsted’s focus on quality of education will scrutinise the intent, implementation and impact of a
school’s curriculum.
Schools looking to be categorised as “outstanding” must now be able to demonstrate a rich and
varied curriculum, explain how that curriculum is taught and, crucially, what impact it is having on
young people.
This is about students taking deep dives into a broad range of subjects and is arguably about
opening options –as opposed to narrowing them – and keeping them open for as long as
possible.
The EIF goes further, drawing upon Ofsted’s own inspections and wider research to
acknowledge a link between teachers with strong subject and pedagogic knowledge and better
curriculum quality scores.

Ofsted’s EIF cites research carried out by Muijs & Reynolds in 2002 which found that teachers
who rate their own subject knowledge more highly show higher levels of effective teaching
behaviours and better pupil outcomes (Ofsted, 2019). The hope for the cultural sector is that
motivating schools to offer a broader curriculum and promoting specialist subject knowledge will
provide an opportunity for arts subjects and teachers.
The new framework also requires schools to develop their pupils’ cultural capital. As part of
making the judgement about the quality of education, inspectors will consider the extent to which
schools are equipping pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

Our understanding of “knowledge and cultural capital” is derived from the following wording in the
national curriculum: “It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens,
introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an
appreciation of human creativity and achievement.” (Ofsted School Inspection Handbook, 2019)

The Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) has written a helpful summary of the back-story and
definitions of this key term. In it,

Sam Cairns, the co-director of the CLA, said: “The CLA believes that this new Ofsted
requirement constitutes an opportunity for schools to define the cultural capital that their children
need.” (Cairns, 2019)
Developing that idea, the Barbican Guildhall and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) are
interested in how schools across the country are defining the cultural capital needs of their
children and using the arts to support their development.

The RSC was commissioned earlier this year by Arts Council England (ACE) to undertake a
national research study into arts and cultural education in outstanding schools. The aim of the
research was to understand the role that arts subjects and experiences play in school and
curriculum development.

The research is yet to be published, but some of the top line findings are compelling in terms of
what they tell us about how outstanding schools nationally view arts subjects:

• Ninety-eight per cent of schools surveyed promote the arts through performances, events
and celebrations.
• Ninety-eight per cent believe that the arts make a positive difference to the wellbeing and
happiness of their children and young people.
• Ninety-five per cent say that the greatest impact of the arts is on developing children’s
creativity.