The Arts and Minds Campaign sets out key actions to restore and strengthen arts education

The Arts and Minds Campaign is calling on Education Secretary Lucy Powell and the Government to take meaningful action to put arts education at the heart of every child’s school experience.

In July, leading arts and education organisations — including One Dance UK, the Royal College of Art, the Chartered College of Teachers, Equity, the Musicians’ Union and the National Education Union — signed a joint statement coordinated by the Arts and Minds Campaign. They warned that government initiatives, including the scrapping of the EBacc and the introduction of a new enrichment framework, amount to little more than “tinkering around the edges”.

The need for change is clear. Arts and Minds polling shows that 50% of school leaders say a crowded curriculum squeezes out the arts, while just 7% feel able to expand arts provision in their schools. Every child deserves the opportunity to experience creativity, develop their talents and benefit from a broad, balanced education.

The Arts and Minds Campaign is calling on supporters to back an open letter to Lucy Powell MP, Secretary of State for Education, and Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The letter sets out four key actions to restore and strengthen arts education in schools:

• Create space in the curriculum.

• End the exam factory culture.

• Restore funding.

• Recruit teachers.

Add your name and help put creativity back at the heart of the curriculum. Sign the open letter today:

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/putting-creativity-at-the-heart-of-the-curriculum-what-the-government-needs-to-do-now/