A while ago I blogged about the closure of the BA Furniture Making course at Leeds College of Art. One of the reasons given for the closure was falling applications and one of the reasons for this is the decline of craft teaching in our schools. The recent government proposals for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) will compound this problem.The proposal is for five “pillar” subjects, Maths, English, Language, Science and Humanities, with no mention of creative subjects like design, craft, art, theatre, music. If these subjects drop from the core curriculum schools will concentrate on the core and the luxury creative subjects will wither away.Education is not just about preparation for the world of work, it’s about creating well rounded people and creativity is an important part of the well rounded personality. I have also previously blogged on the character building qualities of a craft education.

Not only do the creative subjects enrich our lives, they are also an important part of our economy. In 2009 the creative industries added £36.3 billion to the UK economy and accounted for 10.6 % (£8.6 billion) of UK exports.

We will regret neglecting creative subjects in our schools. If you agree you have until 10th December to voice your opinion, that’s when the consultation process ends. You can sign a petition or find out how to protest in other ways here.

Do it now before it’s too late!