Consultation now open on the draft Australian Curriculum: The Arts

The draft Australian Curriculum: The Arts for Foundation to Year 10 is now open for public consultation until 23 September 2012.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority is seeking feedback from parents, educators, and the community on what young people should learn in the subjects of Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts.

The draft curriculum has been under development since 2010 and for the first time all young Australians will have an entitlement to arts education.

Marian Strong, President of Arts Eduction Australia, the art teachers national body says, "At first glance, this draft seems to be a vast improvement on the Shape paper.

However, there is still some work to be done yet." She says that it has been general practice across Australia to teach at least Visual Arts and Music, plus more in the first 2 years of secondary school and is very critical of the proposal that from Year 7 and 8 students will only be required to study one arts subject.

Members of the Visual Arts and Design Educators Association NSW are much more critical and will be providing their advice to ACARA.

To find out more about the draft Australian Curriculum: The Arts Foundation to Year 10 click here and to provide feedback click here.

Click here to read the Media Release on the new national arts Curriculum from School Education Minister Peter Garrett & Arts Minister Simon Crean.