Education through the Arts for Well-Being and Community examines Sir Alec Clegg’s distinctive contribution to education reform. Revisiting the significance of Clegg’s principles for education in the 21st century, the book investigates the impact of his innovative approach to education and his advocacy of an arts-based curriculum to promote physical and mental health.

The book explores a variety of perspectives on Clegg’s working relationships, career and achievements. Sir David Attenborough’s foreword remembers his uncle Alec as a lively young teacher, and Sir Tim Brighouse considers Clegg as a model for his own leadership in educational reform. Eight authors in all bring a range of academic and professional insights to this study of an exceptional educationalist.

Clegg’s national influence as Chief Education Officer in Yorkshire and his impact on schools, teacher education and wider communities through an integrated approach to the arts are richly illustrated in text and pictures. Two aspects of his work have particular topical relevance: Clegg’s emphatic concern for ‘children in distress’; and his encouragement of creativity through teacher education.

This book will be of great interest for academics, scholars and students in the field of the history of education, educational policy and reform, and all concerned with the role of schools in young people’s development.