[1][2] They were announced in 1996 and introduced alongside Sports Colleges to England in 1997, being one of the five "practical specialisms" of the specialist schools programme.
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct specialist schools programme in the United Kingdom.
The system enabled secondary and primary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts.
After Arts Colleges were introduced to Northern Ireland, an additional digital specialism was made available.
[14] Many individuals and organisations supported schools wishing to achieve Arts College status.