The philosophical premise of knowledge existing per se is adopted and against this the nature of the arts in education is both examined and critically appraised. The art and crafts area of the curriculum is determined as the particular locus for investigation and the general picture of arts education in secondary schools is portrayed. The concept of the creative arts department is defined and its evolution is areas. Three main compared types of with curricular development in other subject creative arts department are identified and examined; art and design, expressive arts, and creative arts. Each is evaluated and comparisons are drawn between them. [Continues.]