Tommy's Temper Tantrums: Normal kids stuff or the sign of something more troubling?

"He was just raving, flinging his limbs about, at the sky, at the wind, at the nearest fence post." Kathy Page 10
Lately it seems as though Tommy can't seem to control himself when it comes to his temper. The littlest thing could send him into a flying fit of rage which includes cursing, stomping around, and other violent motions. He seems to almost transcend into a trace in which he doesn't even realize what he's doing. At one point he even hits Kath on accident. But is all the teasing and taunting from the other kids really the cause of all this anger or is there something more serious lying under the surface? The narrator, Kath, alludes to the possibility of Tommy's lack of artistic ability and, what's more, lack of interest in improvement having something to do with it. But why is being artistic so important here? By the way it's depicted, Hailsham sounds like a school that produces highly intelligent kids and takes a significant interest in their education. But no one subject is more highly regarded or valued than that of the arts. Whether it's poetry or drawing or sculpting, it seems almost pertinent that each student must be able to succeed in one of these areas. Does this high regard for the arts have something to do with how smart these kids are? And if there is any truth behind this, then would it be considered a serious mistake for schools across the country today to be cutting fine arts programs? Or are Tommy's bursts of anger an indication that enforcing artistic ability is in fact harmful to a child's psyche? It will be interesting to see where this goes in the novel.