The Labour Party is pledging to put creativity “back at the heart of the school curriculum”. This promise was made to coincide with a conference held today at London’s Royal Albert Hall organised by the charity of the Prince of Wales, Children & the Arts.
A Labour Party spokesperson says that there is deep concern about “the decline of arts subjects in schools” since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, particularly for students from “disadvantaged backgrounds”. Labour is therefore pledging to provide an additional £160m a year for cultural activities in primary schools. It also promises to review the EBacc (English Baccalaureate) performance measure to ensure the arts are not sidelined from secondary education and to launch a creative careers advice campaign.
According to Tom Watson, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, “every child, no matter what their background, should be able to access the wonder and enjoyment that arts and creative endeavours bring”.