Changing Lives: the social impact of participation in culture and sport 

This report strongly believes that education is the way to providing opportunities.

Much of the content relates to young offenders and suggests how departments such as the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office can play their part. However, it is this paragraph in the Conclusions and Recommendations section that sharpens the focus on our work:

“9. We are deeply concerned by the evidence we received around the downgrading of arts subjects in schools, with all the consequent implications for children’s development, wellbeing, experiences, careers and, ultimately, life chances. It is not enough for the DCMS and DfE to simply expect schools to provide a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’: they need to take action to ensure that this is actually happening. The Government has not shied away from a prescriptive approach to other facets of education policy, for example specifying which times tables primary school children need to learn.(Paragraph 74)”

OfSted’s role in this is also highlighted:

“12. The Education Minister told us that Ofsted will be ‘strengthening’ its inspection regime during 2019. The DfE and DCMS should work alongside Ofsted to design an inspection regime for primary and secondary schools that measures the volume of cultural education; the integration of cultural education with other areas of the curriculum; and the universality of schools’ cultural offers in ensuring that all children have access to the benefits that cultural participation can bring.”

They state that

• they are deeply concerned about the gap between the Government’s reassuring rhetoric and the evidence presented to us of the decline in music provision in state schools
• The Government should commit to extend funding for the Primary PE and Sport Premium beyond 2020.

Do you think that this is work that a lot of people in our schools will be interested to see?  Don’t keep it hidden away.