AccessArt to Help Shape the Refreshed National Curriculum for Art & Design

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“We’re excited by the task ahead and committed to delivering a curriculum teachers enjoy and one that gives every child the chance to thrive creatively.”

AccessArt is pleased to announce that our CEO and Creative Director, Paula Briggs, has been contracted by the Department for Education (DfE) to help draft the new National Curriculum programmes of study for art and design. 

Paula Briggs and Dr Will Grant (University of the West of England) will be working on Key Stage 3 and transitions between Key Stages under a contract between the Department for Education and AccessArt. They will work very closely with Kaytie Holdstock (University of Worcester), who is working on Key Stages 1 and 2, and Michele Gregson (NSEAD), the lead drafter, who is working on GCSE.

Drafters were appointed by the DfE following the release of Building a World-Class Curriculum For All[1], the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report published in November 2025. They were selected for their extensive subject expertise and their ability to collaborate with other stakeholders to help deliver the government’s recommendations[2], which include a commitment to “revitalise arts education as part of the reformed national curriculum and through high-quality support for teachers of these subjects.”

photo of Paula Briggs AccessArt

Paula has been advocating for the importance of arts education for all for over 30 years. Both a practitioner and a thought leader, she co-founded AccessArt, a registered charity with the sole aim of advancing visual arts education, and has guided the organisation’s growth with passion and expertise. AccessArt is now one of two subject associations for art, representing over 24,000 members who use its resources in schools and communities.

“We’re looking forward to working closely together to ensure all pupils benefit from a rich, inclusive and relevant arts education. We know that schools need a curriculum that is engaging for pupils and rewarding to teach. That means greater diversity and representation; clearer support for non-specialist teachers, alongside flexibility for specialists; and stronger progression from key stage to key stage and through to GCSE. We’re excited by the task ahead and committed to delivering a curriculum teachers enjoy and one that gives every child the chance to thrive creatively.” Paula Briggs, CEO AccessArt

“This appointment recognises the depth of expertise within the art education sector and AccessArt’s longstanding contribution to inclusive, high-quality creative and progressive curriculum thinking. Paula’s and Will’s voices will be crucial in this work.” Susan Coles, Trustee AccessArt

 

Notes

Please contact paula@accessart.org.uk

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report-government-response

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Paula Briggs, CEO AccessArt