We advocate for all Australian students to have access to all five Arts subjects throughout their primary and secondary schooling.
We advocate for increased professional learning opportunities for primary school teachers—supporting them to effectively teach The Arts and improve student academic and non-academic outcomes in Arts and non-Arts areas.
Evidence
A growing body of Australian and international research demonstrates the enormous benefits that participating in The Arts can have on students’ academic and non-academic success.
Academic and social skills
There is a strong relationship between the cognitive capacities developed through learning and communicating in dance, drama, music and the visual arts, and students’ academic and social skills.
Positive effects for young people involved in arts-rich education programs include achievements in reading, language and mathematics, increased higher order thinking skills and capacities, increased motivation to learn, and improvements in effective social behaviours.
Intrinsic value
All children are entitled to a school curriculum that includes critical creative thinking involving expression, and the opportunity to create ideas and feelings in a visible material form.
Well-being and self-esteem
An arts-rich education from an early age develops individual creativity and self-expression. School-based arts participation can increase learners’ confidence and motivation, thereby improving school attendance rates, academic outcomes and the wellbeing and life skills of children and young people.
Innovation and 21st Century capacities
Collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, imagination, communication, agility and empathy—the experiences and learning that a properly implemented Arts curriculum offer are profound.
Our impact
Our advocacy, representation, research and publications have changed the minds of politicians, improved the quality of teaching and changed the future for Australian children.
All 5
art forms included in the Australian Curriculum
Our strength lies in our united voice for all five art forms in the curriculum! We do not support a generic ‘arts’ curriculum.
We made sure each art form was acknowledged as a separate subject with its own curriculum and achievement standards, histories, language, traditions, content and pedagogies.
30+
years campaigning for arts education in the Australian curriculum
We work with the government of the day and other decision makers to ensure all Australian children have access to a quality arts education by including the arts in national curriculum documents.
10,000+
arts teachers supported
We are seven peak arts education associations advocating for 10,000 Australian arts educators. New arts education strategies and professional learning opportunities for teachers make a big difference to the education of Australian children.