The power of art to awaken pupils that other subjects fail to reach.

I have just watched Josh Groban, in an interview, assign his success to the teachers in his school who spotted a shy boy who needed taking out of himself. Interestingly, he made it clear that he didn't just mean his music teachers, but that he was a passionate advocate for the whole of the arts within education. This echoes my own experience of school; I was an disengaged pupil for whom school seemed to have little relevance until I was awakened by art lessons. And as a teacher, I have seen this repeated so many times; children who are 'under-performing' at school suddenly coming alive and taking off when they discover their aptitude for art. Invariably this flowering of interest in one subject sparks a general interest and raising of performance in other areas of school.

To those pupils who are naturally inclined towards the arts, whether it be dance, drama, music or the visual arts, it is like being handed a pair of eyes for the first time. Life comes into focus and suddenly seems to make some kind of sense. These are young people who have a highly sensitive and visceral experience of the world; for whom the tactile feel of a material; or the quality of two colours resonating against one another; or the feeling of a rhythm within dance, contain more meaning than an abstract mathematical concept.

Of course, all children are different. And while an arts based or an art-rich environment might suit one child, it won't suit all. So why do we insist on giving all children the same diet in schools? Why are most children unable to choose what kind of school they go to, and unable to select what subjects they learn, until they start their GCSE courses - after they have already been at school for 10 years?

What we need is greater choice and an end to the uniformity of British schools. Not all, but certainly many parents know where their child's talents, interests and strengths lie, as do many children themselves. They should have the choice to attend a school that focuses on and provides expertise in these areas of interest ......whether it be the arts, science, engineering or whatever else. This shouldn't be to the exclusion of all other subjects (those doors must be kept open) but we have to stop switching students off education by failing to give them the specific opportunities that enthrall them, and by plodding on with the same bland, homogeneous menu on offer in any school that jettisons the arts to pursue the three Rs as their holy grail. Finger painting or fractions.......? I know what most pupils would choose!