The Earl of Clancarty
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the University of Manchester report Class Ceiling, published in January; and what steps they are taking to address class inequality in the arts.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)
As the report highlights, it is considerably harder for someone from a working-class background to access the arts and pursue an artistic career. This is clearly not acceptable. Our £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere fund will prioritise areas previously undersupported, ensuring the arts should be for everyone, whatever their background. It is also why we are investing £132.5 million of dormant asset funding to increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment and delivering a £9 million creative careers service, which will focus on tackling the greatest barriers facing young people.
The Earl of Clancarty (CB)
My Lords, my takeaway from a report that makes many crucial points is how much the starving of arts funding over many years has contributed to the neglect of a particular part of the workforce. Does the Minister agree that, if there is fiscal headroom, there should be major reinvestment not just in Manchester but across the whole country? Two examples from the report are, first, creative infrastructure, such as rehearsal and studio spaces, which has been largely ignored by successive Governments, and, secondly, the paucity of apprenticeships, which need to be far more flexible and tailored to the arts. Will the Government take action on these things?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The Government are already investing in arts and culture, and over the course of this Parliament they will invest £1.5 billion in capital funding for arts and culture. We are also investing in making sure that opportunities should never depend on background or schooling, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone can succeed in the arts. This includes looking at how we can encourage people to offer and take up apprenticeships. More importantly, it is about making sure the right people are in the room and that everyone knows that that room even exists.
Baroness Keeley (Lab)
My Lords, the Music and Dance Scheme schools, such as Chetham’s in Manchester and the Hammond school in Chester, give talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to world-class training. These eight schools are a success story, yet their future is endangered after funding was frozen or cut in real terms from 2010 to 2024. Without renewed investment, this pathway will disappear, reinforcing the class ceiling we are discussing. Can the Minister confirm whether additional funding will be found so that these schools can continue their vital specialist educational work?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
We are working with the DWP and Skills England to define and develop the growth and skills offer, and that also includes working with the DfE on how we make sure that as many children as possible can access specialist and general music and dance education. We recognise it is important to revitalise arts education, which is why there was a focus on this in the reformed national curriculum.
Lord Addington (LD)
My Lords, the report suggests that something that sounds like institutionalised snobbery exists and that we should deal with things such as apprenticeships. Does the Minister have any idea how, in a sector dominated by freelancers and micro-businesses, we can make apprenticeships, or anything like them, more attractive to those employers?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The apprenticeship piece is a critical part of making sure that it is not just who you know but what your future potential is. We are doing this by focusing on making sure that we get world-class vocational training. As well as apprenticeships, we are doing things such as making sure we have a BRIT School in Bradford, which is opening in 2028. It will provide 500 free places for 16 to 19 year-olds, which will break down the barriers to elite art education.
One of the things that comes through the report—which I agree was an interesting, if sobering, read—and some of the narrative around it was that too many children do not know that these careers are open to them, so we are also investing in making sure that there are careers opportunities and advice for young people that get them to know that these careers are open to them. That is the first step to breaking down the barriers we should be breaking down, even before we start looking at increasing the apprenticeship offer. It is no use offering careers if people do not know they exist and do not take them up.
Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury (Con)
The Minister just talked about the barriers that are denying access to the arts for disadvantaged pupils and students. For our information, can she helpfully spell out exactly what those barriers are and what precisely the Government are doing to remove them?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I would probably far exceed the 75-word response we are supposed to give if I went through all the barriers. However, they include lack of access to parental networks, not knowing about the opportunities in the first place and schools not having creative education, which is why I referred to the fact that the curriculum review is focused on arts and why the Secretary of State for Culture is focused on increasing access to music opportunities, including through music in libraries. I could go on, but I hope that some of the other issues that we are trying to deal with will come through in other responses.
Lord Watts (Lab)
My Lords, many musicians and artists struggle in the first few years when they are leaning their trade. Has the Minister seen what Ireland has done in introducing benefits systems that take into account the low earnings of these musicians and artists?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
We are aware of the basic income scheme for artists in Ireland. We are not considering a basic income scheme for artists at this time. However, we believe that British creators are second to none and we are committed to giving them security and a regulatory and fiscal environment where creativity can flourish. This is exemplified by our recent Employment Rights Act, our commitment to appoint a freelance champion and our 5% uplift to national portfolio organisations, as well as our commitment to addressing some of the unfair practices in the grass-roots music industry, such as pay-to-play.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, in January, Exeter Cathedral School announced it would be closing its doors at the end of this academic year, after eight and a half centuries of training talented singers from all backgrounds who provide solace and tranquillity to those who need it. Parents and staff have said the Government’s imposition of VAT on their fees and scholarships was the “final nail in the coffin”. The headmaster of Wells Cathedral Choir School has similarly warned that, “VAT is of huge concern. Access to choristerships should be open to everyone. It is getting harder and harder to do that”. Will the Government think again, so that this important part of our living heritage can be open to everybody, not just those whose parents can afford it?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
One of the issues with private schools is that, in principle, they have not been open to everyone. Ending the tax breaks on VAT and business rates for private schools was a tough but necessary decision that will secure additional funding to help deliver the commitments by this Government relating to education and young people. The schools that focus on the performing arts are in scope of the policy, in order to ensure fairness and consistency. However, we are pushing forward with making sure that there is better, revitalised arts education more generally, and that includes continuing some of the bursaries that are available to young people.
Lord Pannick (CB)
Would the Minister acknowledge the contribution made by many independent schools to breaking down the barriers that she referred to, by the partnerships that those schools have with state schools by which they open their facilities to children who are not being educated there?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
When you look at that, it all sounds great in practice, but there is a massive regional difference. For example, it might work in London, but it is not going to work in some parts of the north of England. It does not work in every single part. The best thing the Government can do is to make sure that all state schools, which together educate around 93-94% of children, have a good offer for those children in terms of access to arts education.
Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con)
My Lords, over many centuries, some of the finest artists in all the various forms of art have come from poorer communities and have relied very largely on private patronage to develop their artistic skills, and so on. Therefore, does the Minister think that the Government are doing enough to encourage people to provide private patronage and support to those who have these talents, which are so important?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I am a big fan of philanthropy, but, if noble Lords read the report the original Question referred to, they will see that, in essence, our approach is about making sure that young people are aware of the opportunities and breaking down the systemic, widespread barriers to young people accessing the information and knowledge to get on in this area in the first place. We want to make sure that renumeration across the board and low or no pay early on in people’s careers do not stop those without parental income, or access to private financing, getting on.