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Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Monday, 22 June 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.


Art History: GCE A-level

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of falling numbers of (1) state schools, and (2) private schools, offering History of Art A-level in England.

Answer

The department does not collect data on the qualifications that schools choose to offer.

The department publishes institution-level data on the number of pupils who finish 16 to 18 study by entries per qualification, which do not show substantial variation over the last 14 years:

Year

Number of independent schools with a history of art A level entry

Number of state schools with a history of art A level entry

2011/12

92

31

2015/16

89

26

2018/19

59

13

2024/25

77

29


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1189
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Art history GCE A-level
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk