Policy / Outcomes Development

There are many reasons why arts classes probably have a beneficial impact: neurological reasons (art classes activate more and different areas of the brain than other school subjects), cognitive (art classes train cognitive skills on other matters and hence reinforces them), social (art classes develop a student’s social skills), and motivational reasons (art classes provide motivational stimuli for students, who tend to also start to like other topics).

And, secondly, the way art is taught seems to be extremely important. An art class is not valuable because it is about art, but because it can engage students in different, more active ways. A math class can teach creativity and imagination if well-taught; and an art class can leave creativity and imagination untouched if poorly taught. Art education can be very powerful, but only if it really engages students in developing their creativity skills.

The aim of the National Youth Strategy is to enable all young people to realise their maximum potential, by respecting their rights and hearing their voices, while protecting and supporting them as they transition from childhood to adulthood.

7 potent mechanisms delivering improvements for targeted youth programmes: Communication skills | Confidence and agency | Planning and problem-solving | Relationships | Creativity and imagination | Resilience and determination | Emotional intelligence.