I’m sure we can all recall an assembly or, worse, an INSET session where we were asked to consider how school prepares pupils for the future. Discussions are often dominated by future skills, predictions of “jobs we don’t yet know exist,” or the possibility that AI might replace them. We are reminded to be “creative”.
Questions about whether a curriculum is fit for purpose or reflects 21st-century skills are problematical for many reasons. At the same time, it’s easy to forget the core of what pupils actually do: they learn subjects. They master the substance of each subject and, importantly, learn how knowledge is built, challenged, and validated.
Yet even with these pressures, creativity can flourish within subjects, enriching their teaching while remaining true to their substance.
In this post, guest blogger Laura Higley, Subject Lead for Art and Design at Avanti Grange Secondary School in Hertfordshire, explores what it means to cultivate creativity within and across subjects, not just in the arts - a discussion which is even more pertinent considering the context of recent policy shifts. She shares practical ways to give pupils real opportunities to think critically, innovate, and engage fully with the knowledge their curriculum provides.
In view of the recent publication of the government’s long awaited Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR), the close of 2025 seems to find me pondering the perfect educational storm. It is no surprise to educators across the country that CAR highlights challenges such as imbalanced provision for SEND pupils and a widening gap between those from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. This comes against a backdrop of rapidly evolving vocational outcomes fuelled by the advancement of digital technologies and AI. The prospect of providing a curriculum fit for purpose in the 21st century could appear daunting to many but a glimmer of hope lies in CAR’s inclusion of an enrichment entitlement and an acknowledgement that curricula should offer greater choice for pupils and avoid narrow academic pathways. Here lies a fantastic opportunity for creativity to step into the curriculum limelight.
As an art educator creativity is my bread and butter but the teaching and development of raw creativity into something tangible and useful in a broader context is a complex matter. Firstly, why is creativity an important part of all curricula not just those falling under the umbrella of the creative arts? Without delving too deeply into anthropological matters, creativity is an innate human activity that has allowed us to survive as a species. The human ability to mould, shape, and alter the materials and environment around us through exploration, experimentation and reflective decision-making is powerful and will continue to resonate with relevance regardless of any future digital innovations.
As we progress further into the digital age, pupils leaving school will be required to demonstrate adaptability and initiative like never before. Employers will value those who embrace risk-taking, solve problems, and make decisions - especially those who can imagine creative, solution-focused alternatives to AI-generated options. In other words, employers will be searching for individuals confident in grappling with the creative process.
CAR offers educators the golden opportunity to ask themselves the following question: Where am I giving my pupils the chance and the space to practice the skills required to develop creativity in my curriculum?
The answer to this question will no doubt give rise to further questions and potential areas for development within each curriculum. Many of these questions, such as “What does a creative activity look like in my distinct subject area?” and “How can curriculum time be balanced to include creative activities when the amount of content to be taught and assessed is huge?” are not questions with simple answers but the prospect of providing solutions should spark excitement. After all, educators are inherently creative people well-versed in adaptability.
To attempt to provide clarity I believe the pursuit of creativity in the classroom falls into two categories: the educator as a creative practitioner and the pupil being given opportunities to practice and develop creative skills. Here I will focus primarily on the latter. In order to successfully integrate creative practice into the curriculum it is necessary to define what constitutes a creative experience for pupils. Examples of tasks that foster creative solutions are those that include generative thinking, open-enquiry questions where pupils do not already know the answer from previous study and cannot easily find the answer at the touch of a button or by viewing the AI overview, and projects where a resolution is discovered after multiple tasks have been completed, reflection has taken place, and the final outcome can be infinitely varied through individual decision-making and problem-solving.
One of the most important components of creative study is the capacity to take risks and feel comfortable with the inevitable failure that can ensue. Risk-taking is often difficult to accomplish in the classroom setting as by its very nature it is unpredictable and therefore challenging to manage from a practical and behaviour management perspective. Before risk-taking can be developed as part of regular study pupils must be clear on classroom expectations and the parameters of the task at hand. In terms of including risk-taking activities as an integral part of the curriculum it is helpful to brand such activities as “low-stakes” activities. When low-stakes activities are taking place pupils should have an awareness that the educator is available as a collaborator and as an advisor not in the capacity of an assessor. In this setting the educator encourages positive reflection after the event as a way of defining progress and building resilience to failure.
In essence the inclusion of creativity in the curriculum is vital for sparking curiosity in learners and developing independent pupils capable of innovation. Creativity fosters advocacy for pupils and reinforces curriculum relevance, leading to deeper understanding of curriculum content.
By embedding creativity within subjects, we enrich teaching and give pupils the space to think critically, experiment, and make decisions within their learning. In doing so, we ensure that creativity strengthens, rather than distracts from, the knowledge and skills pupils gain from a well-designed curriculum.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a joyful and restful Christmas break, and I’ll see you back here in 2026!
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