Miliband: “Labour will move arts to the heart of government and improve access for young people to the creative education they  – and Britain – need to succeed.”

Ed Miliband tonight lays out Labour’s plan to guarantee all young people get the chance to learn about, enjoy and contribute to our country’s culture.

In a speech to the Creative Industries Federation at Battersea Arts Centre he warns that the achievements of the last Labour government in widening access to arts and culture for young people – helping build up Britain’s brilliant and world-beating creative industries – risk being undermined by the Conservatives.

And he sets out a programme to:
• Strengthen creative education in schools and after-school clubs;
• Widen access to our country’s arts and cultural institutions;
• Build an economy where young people can succeed with better career pathways from school, college and university into the arts or creative industries; and
• Put arts policy at the heart of government and help rebalance provision for young people across the country.

Ed Miliband is expected to say:

“I come here with an offer: to put policy for arts and culture and creativity at the heart of the next Labour government’s mission. Arts is an area where Britain still leads the world.

“From the film set of the new Star Wars to training the talent of tomorrow as at the BRIT school I was at this morning.

“And every day we see all around us evidence of the brilliance of British theatre, design, fashion, architecture, video games and every other branch of arts and culture.

“Together, the creative industries are our fastest growing sector.

“But the importance of the arts and culture for me goes far beyond pounds and pence.

“The arts and culture define our character as a nation whether on the national stage, as at the Cultural Olympiad or in the Edinburgh Festival or locally with the theatre companies at work in every corner of the country, publicly-funded art and culture is vital to our dynamism as a country.

“And it can open up new opportunities, helping us come together as a community, whatever our backgrounds, wherever we have come from like at the CAST theatre in Doncaster, where I am an MP and like the youth arts and culture groups in Hackney did just after the riots.

“If you believe in social justice, if you believe in a more equal society, then access to the arts and culture is not an optional extra, it is essential - not simply because of the worlds it opens up, but because of the wider impact it has.

“Over 40 per cent of 16 year olds from low-income families who engage in the arts and culture score above average in their school tests – and those who take part in the arts and culture are more likely to get a degree.

“It is for all these reasons that I am committed to opening up access to the arts and culture because it can’t be right that all of these advantages are the privilege of a few, rather than the right of the many.

“If we care about the opportunities for the young, the findings of the Warwick Commission should worry us all.

“The number of primary school children taking part in music fell from well over half in 2010, to just over a third by 2013.

“The number of arts and culture teachers in schools has fallen by 11 per cent since 2010.

“And in 2013, only 8.4 per cent of students combined arts and culture and science subjects at AS level.

“In my view, this is a direct consequence of a backward-looking, narrow educational philosophy from a government that has gone from the Gove regime to the Gove regime in all but name.

“We have to turn that round.

“That is why the next Labour government’s mission is to guarantee every young person, from whatever background, access to the arts and culture: a universal entitlement to a creative education for every child.

“And we have a plan to make it happen. If we win the election in a couple of months’ time we are going to strengthen creative education in schools and after-school clubs, build clear paths from school, college and university into the arts and culture or creative industries, and I will use the power of the Prime Minister’s office to raise the status of arts and culture policy and improve provision for young people across the country.

“This is our plan to celebrate, enhance and open up the arts and culture in Britain for a new generation.

“It is a core part of our plan for Britain as a whole.

“Because I believe, and I know so many of you do too, that Britain will be a prouder, richer, stronger country when we give everybody the opportunity to develop their creativity, expand their horizons, enhance their talents and make a life for themselves in the arts and culture: old and young, rich and poor, north and south.”


POLICY DETAIL

1. Strengthening creative education in schools:

There is currently no formal requirement for arts and cultural education in schools and a number of schemes introduced by the Labour government to improve access have been cut. This has led to the number of primary school children taking part in music, for example, dropping from 55 per cent in 2010 to 36 per cent in 2013.  Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, even stated recently that arts subjects hold children back.  

Labour will increase provision of arts and cultural activities in schools by:

• Building the need for a creative education into Ofsted inspections – schools will only be able to receive an “outstanding” rating if they offer creative subjects and cultural opportunities within a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Asking schools to have a local culture champion to connect with arts organisations.
• Encouraging after-school clubs to offer music, drama, dance, art, sport or other creative activities as part of Labour’s promise of guaranteed access to wrap-around childcare between 8am and 6pm.

2. Widening free access to museums and galleries:
The successful policy introduced by the last Labour government of free entrance to museums is being put at risk by Tory neglect with some prestigious art galleries seeing a sharp decline in UK visitor numbers.  

Labour will reinforce existing access and widen it still further for young people by:

• Guaranteeing that our national galleries and museums will continue to have free admission.
• Encouraging the Arts Council to use its grants programme to help organisations increase the number of activities they offer young people through schemes such as outreach programmes, reduced rate theatre tickets and  clubs.

3. Building better career pathways into the arts and creative industries for talented young people so that they – and Britain – can succeed.
There were only 1,000 apprenticeship starts in the creative industries in 2013/2014, the lowest out of all sectors despite this being one of the fastest growing in our economy.

A Labour government will work with creative industries sector to increase the number of apprenticeships by:

• Requiring creative industries and arts institutions to offer more apprenticeships in return for direct grants or major government contracts.
• Giving employers more control over apprenticeships funding and standards in exchange for offering more and better opportunities, as well as encouraging creative industries and arts institutions to participate in Labour’s Compulsory Jobs Guarantee for young people under the age of 25 who have been out of work for six months or longer

4. Put arts policy at the heart of government and help rebalance provision for young people across the country
This government has not only ignored and neglected the arts community, but it has done nothing for arts in the regions which have suffered not only through cuts in the Arts Council budget but also ca sustained squeeze on local authority funding.  Decisions on 75 per cent of the public funds available for the arts are made from the centre – much higher than in comparable countries. Public funding per head in the capital is, in turn, 15 times that in the rest of the country. Our vibrant arts institutions in London must thrive but more needs to be done to improve provision across the country.

The next Labour government will create a permanent, representative Committee on the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries chaired by the Prime Minister

Membership of which will be drawn from all sectors, regions and it will be tasked with:

• Bringing key issues of concern in the arts, culture and creative industries directly to the attention of the Prime Minister.
• Ensuring every government department recognises the value of arts and culture.
• Increasing funding for the arts and culture by bringing private and philanthropic sources of support into a closer relationship with the public sector.
• Expanding our agenda of increasing access to the arts and culture to all young people of any background.
• Putting in place a strategy for the arts and culture and cultural provision across the country to improve access for all.