Part of the RAPS study was to investigate the provision of arts in initial teacher education. Our survey showed a depressing picture, with many future primary teachers getting around four hours in total in their university course, and little more in their placement schools. This result really does suggest that many primary children may be missing out on a good arts education.
Arts are an entitlement and part of a good well balanced curriculum. And this is why they are part of the national curriculum. Schools really do have an obligation to teach them. However, in order to do this, schools need well trained teachers. The arts seem not to have featured in the recent review of teacher education. ITE providers all told us they would provide more arts if they could. The onus is on government to provide an ITE framework that would make arts subjects a reality in all schools.
Our report is still in draft form, and more will be added to it, but you can read the headline findings here.
Researching the Arts in Primary Schools 