Leading lights from the arts call on government to make
space for the arts in schools with 10,000 signature open
letter
• Leading arts
figures including composer Jack Pepper and artist Bob and Roberta
lead the call to “make space for the
arts”
• Over 10,000
signatures on open letter to and
• Two-thirds of
parents want more opportunities for children to study creative
subjects
Leading arts figures including composer and radio presenter Jack
Pepper, and artist Bob and Roberta will deliver an open letter signed by
over 10,000 educators and members of the arts community to
Secretaries of State and on Tuesday 15 July. The letter
calls on the government to restore the status of arts subjects in
schools and put creativity at the heart of learning. It comes as
the Government prepares to respond to the final report of it's
independent review of curriculum and assessment.
The letter has been organised by the Arts and Minds campaign, a
coalition of over 30 organisations including the National
Education Union, Equity and the Musicians' Union and signed by
many prominent members of the creative community including actors
Juliet Stevenson, Harriet Walter and Sally Phillips and renowned
classical music family, the Kanneh-Masons.
Bob and Roberta comments, “We need to support our
artists now more than ever. We need to develop children's voices
through art, drama, music, design and poetry. All schools should
be art schools!”
New research from WeThink/Omnisis shows parents are also in
favour of the campaign's aims. Two-thirds (67%) want more
opportunities for their children to study creative subjects, with
70% believing that taking these subjects will help them find a
job in the future and 78% agreeing that it will give them the
chance to fulfil their potential.
Parents also believe in the wider benefits of learning about the
arts: 80% agree that studying creative subjects is good for
society as a whole and 82% believe that giving children the
chance to express themselves through art is good for overall
academic and emotional development.
Arts and Minds is calling for funding for arts subjects to be
fully restored in schools. When asked how an increased budget
should be spent, parents opted for more resources in design and
technology (43%); more cultural trips (41%) and more specialist
teachers (41%). Other popular choices included music lessons for
all children (37%) and more chances to perform publicly (21%).
Sarah Kilpatrick, president of the National Education Union and
campaign spokesperson, comments, “Decades of underfunding,
coupled with punitive accountability and assessment processes
have squeezed time and space for the arts in schools. All
children have the right to a rich creative and cultural
education, no matter what their background is or how wealthy
their parents are. We cannot allow a system to remain in place in
which children can't access the arts due to a lack of funding.
The government must make space for the arts through it's review
of the curriculum and assessment. Not doing so risks worsening
the wellbeing and attendance crisis and fails a generation of
children.”
The Arts and Minds campaign is asking the government to make five
commitments to put creativity at the heart of learning:
· A right to
study arts and creative subjects for all children
regardless of their background.
· Restore the status
of arts and creative education – scrap the EBacc,
restore parity between subjects, and give schools the trust and
flexibility they need.
· End the exam
factory culture – end high-stakes assessments at primary
school and reduce the exam burden at GCSE.
· Equip the education
system to deliver the broad and balanced curriculum our
communities want – increase teacher and subject specific CPD for
all teachers.
· Fund the
arts – restore school funding to allow schools to invest
in arts education, and restore arts funding to facilitate links
between the education system and the industry
Notes to editors
Research: WeThink/Omnisis, January 2025, 1881 parents of children
under 18
A full list of Arts and Minds Arts Ambassadors and Coalition
members can be found here: https://theartsandmindscampaign.org.uk/who-we-are/
