Should children be taught art at school?

THE sculptor of the Angel of the North, Sir Antony Gormley, is correct about the need to teach art in our schools (Mail). I have worked with teenage students who have faced challenges in their life. After getting their basic skills up to scratch, art was added to their curriculum. They soon became more confident and there was a marked improvement in their academic subjects. The head of department and other tutors often dropped in to see why my students were so quiet and well behaved in my art classes. Art should not be under-rated.

IRENE FOSTER, Woburn Art Gallery, Beds. THANK goodness for Sir Antony Gormley’s sound argument for maintaining art and design in the curriculum. With Brexit looming, we will need a massive input of creativity to boost our uniqueness as a competitive trading nation. Let the arts and sciences combine to forge ahead to explore new ideas and visions.

Dr RICHARD GANT, holywell, Flintshire. SIR ANTONY Gormley’s argument in favour of encouraging creativity is commendable. However, art schools no longer teach technique or aesthetics. Encourage creativity by all means, but teaching the ability to differentiate between talent and fashionable shallowness is important, too. P. C. CooK, huddersfield, W. Yorks.