Fewer Pupils in England Opt for Drama and Media at GCSE and A-Level

In England, fewer students are choosing drama and media at GCSE and A-Level. However, interest in subjects like computing and modern foreign languages has increased. This shift is influenced by government performance measures, leading to a decline in arts subject uptake.

Fewer pupils in England are choosing to study drama, media, and performing arts at GCSE and A-Level, as per provisional figures released by Ofqual.

Conversely, subjects like statistics, computing, physics, and modern foreign languages such as French, Spanish, and German have witnessed a surge in popularity.

At the A-Level, further maths entries saw an almost 20% increase, whereas drama entries dropped by 5.8%.

GCSE entries for performing arts declined by 3.1%, and sociology A-Level entries fell by 6.9%.

This trend is largely attributed to the government's Ebacc performance measures that emphasize core academic subjects, a point highlighted by NAHT's Paul Whiteman and NEU's Daniel Kebede.

They argue that this focus has led to a significant decline in the uptake of arts subjects.