Recently, my school put on the fabulous production of Beauty and the Beast, a pantomime production, which proved to be a massive success.

The performance was a family-friendly night and an absolute treat to go to. I already cannot wait for next year’s performance.

It was not just the tremendous acting and facial expressions that made it a good performance, but also the extra details such as the lighting and behind the scenes production which brings it all together.

However, in recent times there has been cuts in funding to creative subjects which has left some schools fearing that they will have to drop one of the arts subjects.

Some say students may have to pay to do GCSE music due to the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) being more greatly advertised and advised.

I think this is terrible shame because every student no matter what their background should have a chance to enjoy doing a form of art.

These subjects enhance students’ creativity and imagination. I believe the arts subjects are just about as important as academic subjects because they builds confidence – especially in drama, which is a necessary skill to have in life.

Also, artistic subjects can be therapeutic and positively impact mental health. This gives students a chance to relieve the anxiety that comes with academia and find joy in what they are doing.

By James Sullivan