Shaping paper released for Arts in the Australian Curriculum
Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, on 26 August announced the release of the final Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts paper.
The final shaping paper was developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) following a consultation period earlier this year.
"During that extensive consultation ACARA received a lot of feedback and suggestions about the best way to teach the Arts in our schools, including the need to maintain specialist teaching," Mr Garrett said.
"We've listened to those suggestions and the final shaping paper released today reflects the views of our arts and education leaders, schools and parents.
"It is really important that every kid in Australia, no matter where they live or what school they attend, has the opportunity to engage with the arts, to broaden their understanding of the world through experiencing various art forms, and to have the confidence to show their creativity.
"The fact that the Arts curriculum is the second to be developed, after the foundation subjects of maths, science, English and history, demonstrates the Gillard Government?s commitment to fostering creativity and recognising that the Arts are at the centre of our way of life."
Under the new curriculum, students will study all five arts subjects - dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts - from their first year of school to the end of primary school. Once in high school, students will be able to start specialising in one or more of their favourite Arts subjects.
According to Mr Garrett, schools will have a high degree of flexibility over implementation.
