{
  "id": 19581893,
  "title": "Queensland schools dropping senior drama subjects as enrolments fall",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/queensland-schools-dropping-senior-drama-subjects-as-enrolments-fall",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-12T01:08:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-12/schools-drop-senior-drama-subjects-as-students-chase-high-scores/107373436"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fewer Queensland high schools are offering senior drama courses due to a decline in student enrolments. Drama Queensland claims students are shying away from drama to achieve high ATAR scores. An arts education advocate argues that ATARs need reevaluation and a revised drama syllabus. The number of Queensland high schools teaching senior drama dropped from 318 in 2019 to 276 in 2026, according to QCAA data. Drama Queensland president Scott Andrews told ABC Brisbane Breakfast that a nearly 40% drop in enrolments has been observed since the introduction of ATAR in 2019. Students are opting out of drama due to its poor subject scaling, which penalizes them heavily for low scores. Because drama scaling is so severe, students who scored 100 lost around 15 points, dropping to 85. Schools are discouraging students from taking subjects with poor scaling in favor of those that boost ATARs. John Saunders, chair of the National Advocates for Arts Education, agrees, stating that schools have become \"ATAR factories.\" Saunders believes the obsession with high scores is depriving Queensland of future artists and arts workers. The National Advocates for Arts Education has been advocating for an ATAR and subject scaling review, which the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre is currently conducting. They are also calling for improvements to the QCAA drama syllabus, which they consider subpar. The QCAA spokesperson affirmed their commitment to drama education, stating that their syllabuses aim to foster performance skills, creativity, and self-expression. However, schools ultimately decide which senior subjects to offer based on factors like student demand, teacher availability, and resources.",
  "summary": "Drama enrolments in Queensland high schools have plummeted so precipitously that 42 fewer schools offered the senior subjects this year compared to before ATAR started.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}