Will Grant

The Problematic Process of Moving beyond Progressive Intent to Create Inclusive Curricula in English Art Classrooms

Will Grant – The University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

With Joanna Fursman – Birmingham City University, UK, & Carol Wild – Institute of Education, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, London, UK

Abstract:

In 2024, we undertook a small-scale survey of art teachers in English secondary schools, primarily to assess, illustratively, how curricula conventions may have changed over the preceding twenty years. One noticeable thematic progression that we identified in the data was a strong intent among our participants to create curricula more inclusive, diverse, and representative of the often-multicultural student demographics in their classroom. We found this interest was rooted in both an ethical understanding of inclusion as morally appropriate to an educational setting, and as means of more authentically introducing contemporary visual art production to students. However, when asked to list artists that featured on curriculum delivered, the outcome did not immediately reflect the intentions that teachers had conveyed. In this paper we explore the conventions, frameworks, traditions, and barriers that have seemingly created a split between inclusive intent and curricular reality in English secondary school art classrooms. We ask whether this is representative of a transitional paradigm, or suggestive of school art as a territory inherently resistant to curricula change.