“What government must do, if it is not going to have the money actively to encourage more artists, poets and drama groups to come into schools, is to make sure it does not stand in the way of them.” So says former Culture Minister David Lammy in ‘Born Creative’, the latest publication by think-tank Demos, which shares the views of 14 commentators on creativity and education. Lammy, whose two-year period as Culture Minister from 2005 to 2007 coincided with the rapid spread of Creative Partnerships programmes in schools, is complimentary about the achievements of the scheme, describing it as addressing “higher ideals and visions of a good life than could ever be captured in tables, targets and measurements”. But whilst recognising the importance of child protection, he condemns the “legalistic culture that has made schools fortresses, making all outsiders de facto suspects”. Following the recent announcement that funding for Creative Partnerships is set to end next year, he raises the question of how the goals of the programme can now be drawn into children’s educational experience “without driving it with instructions and funding streams from Whitehall”. His comments coincide with the publication of ‘Widening Horizons: How London organisations are enriching the education of young people’, by the Greater London Authority. Highlighting a wide range of creative education initiatives taking place across the capital, Mayor Boris Johnson acknowledges that “major financial investment in this area is restricted” and claims to be actively seeking to encourage private sector support and partnerships for this type of work.
