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From the tender puppetry of War Horse and the infectious naughtiness of Matilda the Musical to a skyline filled with dozens of flying Mary Poppinses in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, since 2010 we have seen the global success of British theatre.

Yet over the same period, the number of students choosing drama as a subject has - dropping by 48 per cent at GCSE and 53 per cent at A level.

And it doesn’t stop at sixth form. Over the past five years, applications to study drama at university in the UK have .

Why should we care? Well, in short, because the subject teaches a range of excellent “soft” (not to be confused with “useless”) skills.

A found that drama education significantly enhances collaboration and communication, which strengthens students’ critical thinking and ability to work in a team. conclude that drama can increase students’ speaking and participation in class, indicating improvements in oracy and confidence.

Meanwhile, drama learning with a range of socio-emotional and communication outcomes, including emotional engagement and positive peer interaction. Drama students are able to work in a team, solve problems, articulate their thoughts and ideas, and form meaningful relationships.

By not studying drama, our young people are missing out on the opportunity to develop a huge number of skills, as well as to be part of a magical national tradition.

But why do our young people not see the value of the study of drama?

Why students should choose drama

Reports from link the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which prioritises English, maths, sciences, history or geography and foreign languages, with declining arts entries.

In addition, post-2010 austerity policies reduced overall school funding growth, leading to reduced specialist drama teachers, larger class sizes, fewer school productions and the closure of some sixth-form drama departments.

What’s more, there has been a persistent public narrative that science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects are more economically valuable to our students, with statements from political figures (for example, remarks by former prime minister about “low-value degrees” in 2023) perpetuating this, and reinforcing concerns among parents and students about arts career pathways.

Covid-19 exacerbated these issues. Practical subjects were near impossible to teach remotely, school performances were cancelled, and assessment changes to drama created uncertainty.

If there were a magic policy wand, then, of course, bursaries for arts teacher training, subject-specific CPD funding and incentives similar to those offered for Stem training routes would be helpful.

Transferable skills

But in lieu of a money tree, there are things that teachers can do to help.

We can make explicit the crossover between the transferable skills acquired in drama and the skills that strengthen any competitive university degree, connecting drama to serious academic routes.

For example, medicine undergraduate page states that “communication skills and the ability to work successfully in a team are of great importance” when studying medicine - both things that drama offers students.

When students (or their parents) express a desire to drop drama because it is not “taken seriously” as an A level by Russell Group universities, I show them a resource entitled “ ”, in which the University of Cambridge specifically recommends drama as a subject that would enhance an application to study English.

It is nonsense to suggest that the Edinburghs, Durhams, Exeters and Bristols of the world do not recognise drama as an A level. Of course they do.

Being a teenager is no picnic. It’s not always easy to speak out, it’s hard to navigate the world, and you’re still figuring out who you are as a person, never mind navigating how to work with different people.

Drama allows young people to connect with each other, gives them the skills to articulate themselves, facilitates escapism when they need to be someone else, and holds up a mirror when they feel they might be alone.

It would be a tragic shame to let funding cuts and some negative PR put a stop to a tradition that is thousands of years old. There must always be a place for drama on the English curriculum.

Hetty Steele is the head of drama at a school in Bradford