Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) whether any assessment has been made of the potential impact of (a) performing arts; and (b) creative subjects, on the achievement of soft skills; and (ii) any steps his Department is taking to improve (a) resilience; (b) ambition; and (c) communication, in secondary schools.
Minister of Education: My Department recognises the important contribution that performing arts and creative subjects can make to the development of a range of personal and social capabilities, including communication, creativity, collaboration, confidence and wider wellbeing.
The draft Curriculum Framework 2028, which is currently subject to public consultation, is designed to ensure that all learners have access to a coherent and ambitious curriculum. It provides a clearer entitlement across all subjects, including areas such as art and design, music and drama, through specified knowledge, skills and learning experiences.
The Framework places a strong emphasis on the development of key capabilities including creativity and imagination, language and communication, physical health and wellbeing, and social and civic participation. It recognises the distinctive contribution that subjects such as music, art and design, drama and literature make to developing these capabilities. The Framework recognises that such capabilities are best developed through engagement with rich subject knowledge and meaningful learning experiences across the Curriculum.
More broadly, Curriculum 2028 aims to support all learners to develop the knowledge, skills, dispositions and confidence needed to thrive in learning, life and work, including attributes such as resilience, ambition and effective communication.
ENDS
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