Henley Review of Cultural Education in England published

Creative & Cultural Skills welcomes the publication of Darren Henley’s Review of Cultural Education in England, and the Government’s response to it, also published today.

The Review was commissioned at the request of the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, to support the Government’s ambition to ensure that every child should experience a wide variety of high quality cultural experiences, ensuring both quality and the best use of public investment.

Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM, made twenty four recommendations to government within the report, including the establishment of a new national plan for cultural education, a new cross-Whitehall ministerial group on cultural education and new partnership working across arms-length bodies.

The Review also recommends that by the time young people are 18 or 19 years old they should have been made aware of apprenticeship routes to work offered within the creative and cultural industries.

The Government’s response endorses the work currently being conducted by Creative & Cultural Skills with Arts Council England to develop a suite of qualifications for creative practitioners working with children and young people.

It also recognises the need to protect funding for the best professional training, specifically the small and specialist institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Commenting on the publication of the review, Catherine Large, Joint CEO, Creative & Cultural Skills, said:

'We are encouraged by the strong cross-departmental endorsement of cultural education from the DCMS and the Department for Education in the Government’s response to the Review.

It is extremely important that creativity and access to culture are embedded in the education system at every level, and that progression routes in to the industry are clear. The creative and cultural industries in the UK are world-class and we need to invest in creative education in order to maintain this standard.

The Henley Review makes this case explicitly. We welcome the Secretary of State for Education’s announcements today and the tangible commitment he is making in to initiatives such as the Sorrell Foundation’s National Art & Design Saturday Clubs.

We now look to the National Curriculum Review to augment design, culture and creativity as a core part of the curriculum, and make it a fundamental part of every child’s education.’