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To: AQA / Justine Greening

Save Art History being cut from the A Level curriculum

Please don't axe Art History as an AS and A Level subject.

Why is this important?

The exam board AQA have decided to discontinue offering Art History as a subject at AS and A Level from 2018. This is detrimental to students, teachers and the cultural future of this country. Art History is not a 'soft subject'. It encourages an interdisciplinary view of the world, the chance to delve into different civilisations and time periods and gives students the tools to think critically about how art and architecture are part of human experience.

By cutting access to the study of Art History before university, fewer prospective students will think about enrolling for such a minority subject. Over time this will lead to a dearth of expertise and interest in the visual arts and heritage, vital for continuing to protect and promote the UK's rich cultural history.

There is almost unanimous support from students, teachers, parents, art historians and museum professionals to keep Art History alive in our schools and colleges. Please think about signing this petition to give sixth-formers the chance to participate in this fundamental and enriching subject.

Updates

2016-12-01 12:36:53 +0000

An enormous thank you to all who signed this campaign. The fantastic news is that the Art History A-Level has been saved and Pearson will be developing a new syllabus to commence in September 2017. After a strong campaign led by the Association of Art Historians, this is a brilliant result. But without all your support, this would not have been possible. It really shows you that you can write, argue, lobby, persuade, influence and CHANGE. Congratulations to all!

Official announcement is here:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/dec/01/art-history-a-level-saved-from-being-axed-after-high-profile-campaign

2016-11-03 10:02:33 +0000

Thank you for all the fantastic support over the last few weeks. The responses to this campaign have been overwhelming and deeply moving. As many of you have stated, the studying of Art History reaches deep into our cultural consciousness and has wide applications beyond just the humanities - engineers, mathematicians, architects have all been in touch with their support.

AQA look set to remove Art History from their A Level syllabus, but the hope is that Pearson - a leading educational provider - may instigate a new A Level. This will ensure that generations of future sixth formers will have a chance to study Art History before they make their university choices. Access to the subject is everything and so I hope that this new A Level will be made available in as many state sixth-forms as private schools. In the meantime, please keep sharing and signing.

Thank you!
Nerissa Taysom

2016-10-15 18:21:25 +0100

10,000 signatures reached

2016-10-14 14:36:23 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2016-10-13 21:20:02 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2016-10-13 18:44:22 +0100

500 signatures reached

2016-10-13 14:04:57 +0100

100 signatures reached

2016-10-13 13:20:02 +0100

50 signatures reached

2016-10-13 12:52:06 +0100

25 signatures reached

2016-10-13 12:37:52 +0100

10 signatures reached