Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

Last updated: 05 October 2007

'Arts entitlement'

From the age of 14, music is not compulsory and pupils choose whether they wish to continue studying it. At key stage 4 (ages 14 to 16), music is part of the arts entitlement area, along with art and design, dance, drama and media arts. This means schools must provide at least one course in the arts that leads to an approved qualification. Schools are expected to offer at least two courses in the arts entitlement area and most schools will offer courses in music and art and design.

Critical appreciation

Schools may run courses that focus on:

• separate disciplines within media, arts, performing arts and visual arts
• development of critical appreciation and understanding across a range of arts disciplines.

All courses should provide opportunities - within and beyond school - for first-hand experience of the arts disciplines studied, for example involvement with galleries, cinema, concerts, theatre, dance performances and working with arts practitioners.

Schools are encouraged to offer courses in as many of these areas as they consider appropriate to meet the needs of their pupils. Schools can make the arts a compulsory part of their key stage 4 curriculum if they choose to do so. This might be particularly applicable to specialist arts or music colleges.

The experience of individual pupils choosing the arts will differ according to the courses they choose. Some will study more than one arts discipline; others will study combinations of arts courses of different sizes; some will focus on one arts discipline or one broad arts course during key stage 4.

See 'music qualification' page for more details on courses available.