This paper focuses on Portugal's arts and cultural education. The Ministry of Education (ME) is fundamentally responsible for establishing aims to develop the cultural and creative aspects of education, in accordance with the following aims defined for the whole curriculum. At the level of compulsory education, the Portuguese education system, consolidated by the Education Act, has a number of organising principles that seek: (a) To contribute to the protection of national identity and the consolidation of faithfulness to the historical roots of Portugal, via raising awareness of the cultural heritage of the Portuguese people, within the framework of the European universalist tradition and the growing interdependence and necessary solidarity among the peoples of the World; (b) To contribute to the self-fulfilment of the student, via the development of personality, the formation of character and citizenship, preparing them for a conscious reflection upon spiritual, aesthetic, moral and civic values and allowing balanced physically development; (c) To ensure the right to be different, subject to the respect of individual personalities and projects, as well as the consideration and valuing of different knowledge and cultures; (d) To contribute to the fulfilment of individuals on both a persona land community level, not only via the education for socially useful occupations, but also via the practice and learning of creative use of free time; and (e) To contribute to correcting inequalities in regional and local development, duly increasing equal access to the benefits of cultural and scientific education in all regions of the country. This paper contains the following sections: (1) Responsibility and purpose; (2) Organisation and aims of arts education; (3) Special provision with a focus on art education; (4) Assessment of pupils' progress and monitoring of standards in the arts; (5) Teacher education in the arts; (6) Initiatives; and (7) Ongoing reforms and proposals. (Contains 7 footnotes.)