Extracts from Lords debate on the Queen's Speech - Oct 22
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Lord Storey (LD):...By narrowing the curriculum, we have seen
creative subjects decline in the state system year on year while
flourishing in the independent and private schools sector. This
year, we have seen GCSE entries decrease even further in design and
technology, drama, media/TV studies and music at a time when the
creative industries have become hugely important to our economy.
Employers are consistently clear that the biggest drivers of
success for young people are attitudes and...Request free trial
Lord Storey (LD):...By
narrowing the curriculum, we have seen creative subjects decline in
the state system year on year while flourishing in the independent
and private schools sector. This year, we have seen GCSE entries
decrease even further in design and technology, drama, media/TV
studies and music at a time when the creative industries have
become hugely important to our economy. Employers are consistently
clear that the biggest drivers of success for young people are
attitudes and attributes such as resilience, enthusiasm, and
creativity. As the Edge Foundation says, young people need,
“a truly broad and balanced curriculum, linked directly to the real world and focused explicitly on developing the wide range of skills required to succeed in the twenty-first century”. Lord Berkeley of Knighton (CB):...During a recent Oral Question about government preparation for the future of subsequent generations, asked by my noble friend Lord Bird, I asked the Minister about reported financial threats to music hubs. These hubs have been deservedly lauded by the Government but have also been used as their “get out of jail” card when they have been tackled on the very real lack of music in schools and its disappearance from syllabuses such as the Ebacc. Concern over the funding of music hubs has been highlighted by widely reported comments from, for example, Sir Simon Rattle and the mother of the brilliant young cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. She said that his success would never have happened in today’s schools—a pretty sobering thought—and that the lack of state-school funding for the creative arts is creating a “two-tier culture”. Sheku, the winner of BBC “Young Musician of the Year”, was educated at a state school in Nottingham and his mother has expressed deep concern for the future of succeeding generations of children. The noble Baroness, Lady Stedman-Scott, graciously promised me a response on the financial security of music hubs from the Department for Education and I would be most grateful if the Minister could chase up this much-needed reassurance.Exposure to the creative arts is not only a good financial investment. It also has a profound social dividend and should be the right of every child, not just the privileged. Being given the means to express joy, anger or frustration through the arts is cathartic. It helps to reduce friction and, potentially, violence. Playing in an orchestra or singing in a choir teaches children how to listen to each other and work as a team. I move on to another concern widely held in the musical and arts world, which has already been voiced in this Chamber: that of the difficulty of travel post Brexit—especially when accompanied by a cello. Artists visiting this country already accept much lower fees than those offered on the continent. Promoters and orchestral managers really worry that, if increasingly stressful visa and travel arrangements are added to that, these artists, who contribute to the vibrant exchange of ideas, simply will not bother coming. For much the same reason, foreign students, who bring in cross-cultural ideas as well as vital funds, will no longer come to our colleges and academies. I know that the Government are looking at this and I would be grateful for any update on progress... Lord Aberdare (CB):...My second topic concerns the creative sector. Your Lordships may be tired of being reminded that the creative industries make up one of the largest sectors in the UK economy, although perhaps not quite as large as tourism, as well as being the fastest growing, but the conditions that have made this success possible need to be safeguarded, including in relation to music, freedom of movement and a strong music education system, as powerfully argued by my noble friends Lady Bull and Lord Berkeley of Knighton. How will the Government ensure that UK Musicians will still be able to travel, tour and perform abroad after Brexit without prohibitive costs and bureaucracy, while at the same time we can continue to attract top musical talent into the UK?
What are the Government’s plans for the future of the national
plan for music education, launched in 2012 with the aims of
giving all schoolchildren opportunities to experience and take
part in music and singing? This was a notable achievement, but it
needs to be refreshed. The current funding for music education
hubs runs out next March. It should be renewed and increased to a
more realistic level, and the effectiveness of the plan’s
delivery should be reviewed to ensure that all children benefit,
so that the risk of a two-tier music education culture, described
by my noble friend Lord Berkeley, is avoided... Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab):..I will ask the Minister to pick up two recent reference points. One of them, the Durham commission report which was published last week, has already been mentioned several times. The commission was of course graced by the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, among others and was chaired by Sir Nicholas Serota. Last Saturday, the Guardian summarised the report’s significance rather well. It said:
“The report, put together in collaboration with academics from
Durham University, concludes that creativity is not something
that should inhabit the school curriculum only as it
relates to drama, music, art and other obviously creative
subjects, but that creative thinking ought to run through all of
school life, infusing the way human and natural sciences are
learned”... |