Starmer: Everyone 'deserves chance to be touched by art'

Kier Starmer speaks at a podium at the Labour Party confrence
24 Sep 2024

Prime Minister Keir Starmer uses Labour Party conference speech to re-emphasise his aim to improve accessibility to arts and culture.

Putting arts education in place

Image of Beacons, Conrad Shawcross art installation
20 Jun 2024

With the general election looming, Jason Jones-Hall explains why all parties should embrace an arts-led approach to place to enhance our children’s education. 

‘Our Time, Our Place’

Young people from Bradford send off for the district's official UK City of Culture 2025 bid
19 Apr 2022

In the second in our series profiling the shortlisted candidates for City of Culture 2025, Shanaz Gulzar shares how Bradford's young people shaped a bid that awakened a sleeping giant of a city.

Creative education in London gets £3.6m boost

Children taking part in the Primary Arts programme
23 Sep 2024

Programme aims to address barriers that have discouraged and prevented cultural education and arts in schools from thriving.

Museum scheme to support early child development launches

20 Sep 2024

Museums across the UK will work on ways to use culture to support children in their early years as part of a £1m pilot programme.

Funded by Art Fund, the national charity for art, and Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good, Mini Wonders - the Early Years Innovation in Museums programme aims to support early child development and enhance parent-child interactions.

Designed for children aged between two and four-year-old, the funders say the programme will "blend creativity with well-evidenced messages and strategies to support parents with their children’s social-emotional development".

The ambition is that the research and development process will create an evidence base that will allow the work to be scaled up across the UK.

Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, said: “Museums are inspiring places for children and their families in every part of the UK.

"This exciting project combines the skills and expertise of Art Fund and Nesta, along with eight museums and galleries across the UK, to harness their amazing spaces and collections in a programme designed to break down barriers to opportunity. Together, we will design a way of working that will have real impact where it’s most needed.

“The importance of foundational early-years experiences is crucial to giving the next generation the skills and experience to thrive. This programme and the recent Art Fund Museum of the Year winner, Young V&A, show how a museum can be an agent of change and inspiration to the next generation.”

Ravi Gurumurthy, Chief Executive of Nesta, said: “We are really pleased to be working with Art Fund and these eight amazing museums and galleries from across the UK on this programme.

"The environment and experiences of early childhood shape our brains and bodies, creating the building blocks of our physical, emotional and cognitive skills – but not every child gets what they need to develop during their earliest years."

Museums taking part in the programme are: Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales; Great North Museum: Hancock; Leeds Museums & Galleries; Mansfield Museum; National Galleries of Scotland; Norfolk Museums Service; Tate Britain; and Ulster Museum.

Theatre launches half-term 'pay what you can' scheme

19 Sep 2024

Norwich Theatre is offering a creative programme for children that will be accessible on a 'pay what you can' basis.

Aimed at children aged seven to 15, the scheme, which runs during the October half-term, will include a range of activities such as dance workshops and acting classes in the theatre's two studios.

"We believe that creative experiences should be available to all," said Sam Beal, Creative Engagement Project Manager.

"The arts enrich lives, inspire creativity, and bring us together as a community. We want everyone, regardless of their financial situation, to have the opportunity to enjoy these enriching experiences.

"We hope this will make it easier for every family to experience the joy of creativity together this half term."

Natural History Museum plans £150m transformation

The Origins gallery at the Natural History Museum
16 Sep 2024

Museum's Director says works are part of institution's ambition to become a "catalyst for change" on environmental issues.

DfE launches £5.8m music education programme 

A child playing a piano
16 Sep 2024

Young Sounds UK will work in collaboration with local Music Hub partners to deliver the four-year programme.

Save the Children pulls out of museum event over sponsorship

12 Sep 2024

Save the Children has pulled out of an event at London's Science Museum following concerns among its supporters about the institution's sponsors.

The Guardian reports the charity had been due to participate in an event at the museum on Wednesday evening (11 September) looking at some of the most important health challenges facing the world.

A statement issued by Save the Children said that it had wanted to "raise awareness of its global maternal health work, including in Gaza” but it withdrew “following concerns from supporters about one of the museum’s sponsors, in the context of current public campaigns”.

Save the Children did not name the sponsor in question.

However, the museum has been the subject of criticism over its sponsorship by Adani Green Energy, part of the Indian coal-mining and energy conglomerate Adani Group.

Another part of the Adani Group - Adani Defence and Aerospace - has a partnership with the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.

A Science Museum spokesperson said: “Engaging our audiences with the major challenges of our time is a priority for the museum, and earlier this year we opened a new gallery exploring the urgent energy transition away from fossil fuels that the world needs to see, made possible by generous sponsorship from Adani Green Energy, a renewable energy business.

“We recognise that some campaigners have strong views about sponsorship and wish to see wholesale disengagement from entire sectors. Our trustees disagree with that view and have clearly articulated our approach, both in terms of robust governance and in urging companies, governments and individuals to do more to make the global economy less carbon-intensive.”

Working class parents ‘unsupportive’ of creative careers

04 Sep 2024

Netflix and the National Youth Theatre relaunch a skills programme aimed at young people who want to work in film and TV after research reveals impact of ‘class chasm’ in the creative industries.

Bath council to offer free school visits at heritage sites

03 Sep 2024

Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched a new scheme to enable more school children from across the country to visit the city's Roman Baths and Victoria Art Gallery for free.

Free visits and learning sessions will be available to state-funded primary and secondary schools across the UK, where 30% or more of pupils receive free school meals. 

The scheme is in addition to a current provision offering all school groups in Bath & North East Somerset free entry to both sites, with no additional eligibility criteria.

"High-quality, immersive school trips should be accessible to all students," Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development at the council, said.

"We understand that cost can be a significant barrier for schools, and we hope that our new offer of free entry and free learning sessions for eligible schools will make a difference.

"We are committed to sharing Bath’s rich heritage, and through this new initiative, we aim to ensure that more children can experience the excitement of learning in an unforgettable setting."

Lindsey Braidley, Learning and Participation Manager at Bath’s Heritage Services added, "Experiencing history and art firsthand is invaluable for young learners. Not only do school visits enhance learning, but engaging with heritage also provides significant benefits for health and well-being.

"For many children, a school trip to a museum or gallery might be their only opportunity to discover heritage and culture, and we want to ensure this is available to as many students as possible.

"As well as offering a memorable way to discover history, a visit to the Roman Baths can inspire conversations around culture, science, lifestyle, engineering, health, and other subjects across the curriculum. We look forward to hearing from eligible schools to arrange their free visit.”

School curriculum review 'facing dilemmas and trade-offs'

Professor Becky Fisher
02 Sep 2024

The government has pledged to make art central to a child's education, but the person in charge of a review of the school curriculum says reform will not be easy.

School librarians asked to remove books, including LGBTQ+ titles

27 Aug 2024

More than half of UK school librarians have been asked to remove certain books from circulation, a new survey suggests - with the majority of those requests coming from parents.

The Index on Censorship asked 53 librarians about their experiences of books being challenged. Twenty-eight (53%) said they had been asked to remove books and, of these, 56% said they had acted on the request.

According to the campaign organisation, many books called into question had LGBTQ+ themes, including This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love and the alphabet book ABC Pride by Louie Stowell.

Index on Censorship said other books, including Manga comic books, were removed because of the perceived sexualisation of characters and explicit or violent content.

Books were also challenged over the use of homophobic language, swearing and self-harm discussions.

The organisation notes that in the US, where book censorship is a subject of frequent debate, the American Library Association records requests for bans of specific titles. Equivalent data is not collected in the UK. 

Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive of the UK School Library Association, said: “I doubt this is a new phenomenon. And it’s probably been going on for as long as school libraries have existed. 

“I wonder whether it’s a symptom of the more polarised society that we’re living in now, and that’s why things have got stronger.”

Concern over censorship of LGBTQ+ books for young people was brought to the fore last year after it emerged that the V&A Director Tristram Hunt decided to remove two illustrated books on queer identities, and a trans rights poster, from the Young V&A. The move prompted a backlash from the museum's union members, as well as artists and members of the public.

Creatives sought for mentoring scheme expansion

15 Aug 2024

Mentoring charity Arts Emergency is seeking volunteers from the creative and cultural sectors to join them as it expands its reach to help more young people.

Arts Emergency said its mentoring programme is designed to tackle inequalities within the creative industries at a grassroots level by pairing passionate young people with mentors who are established professionals in various creative fields.

The organisation says ideal candidates include artists, writers, designers, musicians, actors, curators, and other professionals in the arts and humanities from the London, Greater Manchester and Merseyside areas who can spare one hour a month to share their experience with young talent.

Neil Griffiths, CEO and Co-founder of Arts Emergency said: "No matter what you've achieved, someone at some time gave you a leg up, and Arts Emergency is thousands of people from across the cultural and creative industries doing just that for the next generation by donating money, time and contacts to help them get in and get on."

Music education 'must adapt to industry demands'

15 Aug 2024

A report has called for music education to incorporate practical and industry-relevant content and focus on skills such as networking and resilience.

Entries for arts A-levels down nearly a third since 2010

School students taking an exam
15 Aug 2024

Campaign for the Arts says "urgent action" is needed from the new government to halt the decline in popularity of arts A-levels.

Partnership secures £400,000 to provide pathways into arts

08 Aug 2024

A two-year project designed to bridge the gap between creative education and employment in the Staines area has been awarded £400,000 from Arts Council England.

Using Staines’ new flagship Surrey County Council library, which is set to open by summer 2025, the Staines Culture Hub will establish a programme of creative activities and performances to provide accessible pathways into the arts, and support improved wellbeing.  

The initiative is being run in partnership by Surrey County Council, Spelthorne Borough Council, Ashford Youth Club and Artswork, a charity that works to make arts more accessible.

Susan Doran, Chair of Spelthorne Borough Council's Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee, said: "We are very excited about the establishment of a culture hub for young people here in Spelthorne. 

"Discovering and growing an interest in the arts can be life enriching and the Hub will offer events, courses, workshops and performances for a range of different skills and disciplines with a focus on showing young people the type of career opportunities that are available in this field. 

"It will be a wonderful addition to the existing services for younger residents in our borough."

Theatre's extension plans rubberstamped

08 Aug 2024

The final phase of a major refurbishment at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre has been given the green light by council planners.

The BBC reports that the theatre will be extended to create a new rehearsal space, two more accessible dressing rooms, a new back-of-house stage, and a new admin block entrance.

The theatre aims to use the new space to enhance programmes for young people.

Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive and Creative Director at the theatre said: "We recognise that our on-site provision for youth theatre falls short of our vision for creative spaces to develop and inspire young people.

"In addition, touring companies require dedicated rehearsal space as Southampton remains the first stop for West End touring productions."

Work is expected to start next year and be completed by summer 2026.
 

Music education hubs: final two lead organisations named

06 Aug 2024

Hub lead organisations in South West London and South Yorkshire have been announced ahead of the start of the new music hub investment programme in September.

Applications to technical theatre courses on the rise

06 Aug 2024

Leading drama schools have reported an increase in applications to technical and backstage courses in the past 12 months.

London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) says applications are “through the roof” after it put its technical courses on university application platform UCAS.

Meanwhile, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama has said the last academic year brought a continued rise in applications following five years of “stability”.

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama reported an uplift in numbers to its design course following a drop in numbers three years ago, while Mountview has seen “a bit of uplift this year”, although added it was “not quite where we would like to be”.

Reporting from The Stage added that LAMDA, Mountview and Central have all seen small improvement in the diversity of their technical and production cohorts alongside the rise in application numbers.

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