Lesley Davies, coordinator of drama at Thurston, said, “Imagination, co-operation, group work, setting targets and meeting targets are all really useful when you come to work in the outside world, irrespective of whether you want to go into arts as a profession or not.” One student, Kat, told me that she preferred drama to maths because she felt it was a way to express herself. Another student, Richard, said, “You learn a lot more in drama and a lot more easily, because you take part more. I reckon it could help you more if you’re in a job where you’re around people a lot.”
 | | Are academic subjects more stressful? |
However, some people feel that the academic core subjects are more important. Kelly told me that her parents think that “maths, science and english GCSE’s are more important because you can get more jobs from them.” Thurston Community College, a school with specialist science status, takes the core curriculum subjects very seriously, but the school also has a substantial commitment to the arts, including the musical performance put on by the college every year. Mrs Davies, who directs the show, said, “It is a balance between ensuring the best students get to showcase the college and the production, but also to give other students, who may not necessarily be the best performers, the opportunity to take part”. But, are the arts only valuable to those who wish to take them on as a profession? Lesley Davies went on to say how important the skills learnt in drama can be later on in life. “I cannot think of a job that you would take up after school these days that doesn’t involve communication, that doesn’t involve you having to work with other people and that doesn’t involve you having to negotiate with others. “We’ve had students go on to study drama at theatre school but similarly we’ve also had students who have gone on to do accountancy, geography, psychology and philosophy”. So, are the arts less valuable than the academic subjects? | "It is all part of being a well rounded indidvidual." | | Lesley Davies on the importance of studying a balance of subjects. |
Lesley Davies doesn’t believe that any subjects should be seen as more important or valuable than any others. Students must be able to read, write and understand numbers, but they should also be able to communicate and interact with others. “It is all part of being a well rounded individual,” said Mrs Davies. A pupil with a balance of all of these skills could be seen as a very valuable candidate for any college, university or job. | 
