New Zealand has its educational roots in 19th and 20th century British educational systems with close similarities between English and New Zealand secondary school education structures. In the last two decades, however, secondary school education in both countries has experienced multiple and sometimes radical reforms. Educational policy has diverged markedly at times. In this article, we present the findings of research into the professional autonomy of 15 secondary school music, art and drama teachers from England and New Zealand. The aim was to explore whether teachers believed themselves to be professionally autonomous and to what extent educational policy and external structures impacted their practice. Findings suggest despite similarities between jurisdictions, England teachers report a highly performative regime that restricts, governs and isolates them and the arts in school. This contrasts a progressive, even permissive, professional environment where the New Zealand teachers believe their students' needs come first and feel primarily accountable to their local and disciplinary communities.