Recent data has revealed that arts subjects have dropped dramatically at Advanced Level (A-level), with art and design entries shrinking to their smallest share ever recorded at 4.7%, according to advocacy organisation Campaign for the Arts. Meanwhile, there has been a significant decline at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level in the share of arts subjects to nearly half since 2010; this decrease has plateaued in the last few years. A-level results were announced on 13 August while GCSE grades were revealed on 20 August.

Data analysis by Campaign for the Arts indicates that the total share of arts A-level entries—including art and design, film and television, music and dance—has dropped by more than a third in the last sixteen years, now accounting for only 10% of total entries.

“In 2010, roughly one in every six-and-a-half A-level entries was in an arts subject. In 2026, it is one in ten,” says a Campaign for the Arts statement. Art and design entries accounted for 5.4% in 2010, falling to 4.7% in 2026.