Arts Education

My Lords, the Department for Education and DCMS are working in partnership to ensure strategic alignment across government-funded programmes, including the Arts Council, to support arts education and enrichment in schools and communities. Minister Gould at the Department for Education and Minister Murray at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are working closely, together with officials, on a cross-departmental basis to establish the advisory group to ensure all children everywhere can benefit from strong arts education and enrichment. We are positive we will make strong progress on this recommendation in the near future.

I thank my noble friend the Minister for her positive reply and look forward to a speedy establishment. Does she agree with me that if it had been in place then one example—the serious omission by the curriculum review which has now informed the new national curriculum of not addressing screen arts qualifications in a society and economy that creates and consumes ever more with and through screens—would have been spotted? Given that absence and omission, what can DCMS do now to press addressing that issue with DfE before the group is established?

The curriculum and assessment review considered media literacy and preparing young people for life and work. The revised curriculum will strengthen media literacy through English and citizenship, enabling pupils to critically engage with content through different media channels. Schools can continue to offer GCSEs in media studies and film studies. DCMS supported its creative and cultural sectors, including the screen sectors, to contribute to the independent curriculum and assessment review’s call for evidence. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Education to support our sectors to respond to the consultation on the draft national curriculum.

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her Question. Is the Minister aware that the Department for Education is cutting the strategic priorities grant in higher education that supports media and journalism? It is also excluding them from new maintenance grants and the lifelong learning entitlement—all this while Skills England has just identified media and journalism as a key occupational shortage area. Would she agree that this is the type of strategic misalignment we do not want if we are to battle misinformation and support the Government’s impressive creative industries sector plan?

My strategic misalignment was to get answers that relate to music and arts education but not to journalism. I am happy to write to the noble Baroness on this issue.

My Lords, we need a full debate on the important Hodge review, but, out of the many recommendations, do the Government support the recommendation that the government indemnity scheme, which saves a lot of money, could nevertheless be made more effective to allow more items to be shown more widely across the country? I am referring here to normal loans, not the Bayeux Tapestry.

Like many noble Lords, I went through the British Museum’s queuing system to get my tickets for the tapestry; clearly, it is exceptional, including the indemnity scheme around it. The Government will be responding in detail to all the commitments within the Hodge review. I look forward to the noble Earl, now that he is back in his place, securing a debate on the Arts Council review led by my noble friend.

My Lords, I hope noble Lords will indulge me if I associate all the Lords spiritual with the remarks that have been made about Lord Mackay of Clashfern. He was indeed a man of great Christian faith, generous heart and broad sympathies, and we all pay tribute to him. I may be the only Member of the House who played him once at water polo, and it was a delightful experience. I thank the Minister for her Answer. Given the emphasis in the review on arts education, and given the significant contribution that arts and humanities make more broadly—spiritually, culturally and socially—there is growing evidence that leading AI companies are increasingly recruiting graduates in English, philosophy, history, theology and other humanities for work on ethics, model alignment, communications and public trust. Given the increasing threat that these subjects are under, they seem to be viewed as an easy target for cuts in higher education, with Exeter University being the latest example. Could the Minister outline what plans the Government have not only to safeguard arts and humanities education at all levels but to promote them as the significant asset they are?

As an arts graduate, I entirely associate myself with the comments made by the right reverend Prelate. We are clear that arts education is important. That is why it was at the heart of the independent curriculum and assessment review, encouraging creative arts education and opening access to art, design, dance, drama and music to every child anywhere. On the right reverend Prelate’s points regarding DfE policy, I will highlight his question to my noble friend Lady Smith. However, I am clear that, like DCMS, DfE is committed to a strong arts education at every stage throughout young people’s education.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for her statement on the progress being made in setting up the group. Does she agree that there is a woeful underfunding of cultural and creative education in our schools? Schools cannot afford the buses to take children to museums, they cannot afford to pay for professional teachers and they cannot afford to buy the musical instruments. In undertaking our review, we lit on the role of trusts, foundations and philanthropy. If we are to make an urgent impact on what is available to children in schools, we need to bring in those trusts, foundations and philanthropists to help us to fund those facilities in schools. What discussions have Ministers had with trusts, foundations, and philanthropic institutions and individuals to ensure that they contribute to bringing a good creative education to our children urgently?

Philanthropy is a significant way that we can harness the power of giving. My noble friend may be aware that Minister Peacock in the other place, who is responsible for philanthropy, recently published a philanthropy strategy and plan for how we can get place-based strategy. We are aware that it is often a barrier for schools to access the arts and trips to museums. We want to explore every avenue we can to make sure children can get to museums. Indeed, the Southeastern Railway that goes to Hastings provided 1,066 tickets for schoolchildren from the Battle of Hastings countryside to access the exhibition.

My Lords, applications open in the autumn for the next round of the Arts Council’s national portfolio investment programme. I particularly welcome that it will be a five-year window, which was one of the recommendations from the report of the noble Baroness, Lady Hodge. There were many other important recommendations in her report. Will the Government work to make sure that as many as possible can be implemented before the decisions are made for that 2028 to 2033 funding window?

The Arts Council has produced details of a new portfolio process, following guidance that we published in September, with decisions by July 2027 for funding commencing from April the following year. Some of this work has to be done in tandem. We are trying to work through the recommendations as quickly as possible, focusing on the most significant first. I appreciate that people and organisations want certainty. If there are any organisations that the noble Lord is aware of that have concerns, I ask him to please direct them my way.

My Lords, is the Minister aware of the report by Freedom in the Arts which has exposed a toxic culture of boycotts and hatred in the arts, especially against Jewish-themed performances and artists, including, for example, harassment of the wholly admirable Dame Maureen Lipman, who now needs security? What can the Government do to ensure that the reputation of British culture is restored and kept open for all legal performances?

The noble Baroness highlights a topic that will be the subject of a debate later in the week in Grand Committee. I am happy to meet the noble Baroness to talk through the issues she raises. I encourage any noble Lord who wants to sign up to the Grand Committee debate on Thursday to do so by 5 pm today.