Arts Education

Baroness Caine of Kentish Town Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Caine of Kentish Town]

To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to their commitment in their response to the recommendations from the independent review of Arts Council England, published on 26 March, when they intend to establish the advisory group to help ensure strategic alignment across government-funded programmes to support arts education.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Department for Education and DCMS are working in partnership to ensure strategic alignment across government-funded programmes, including the Arts Council, to support arts education and enrichment in schools and communities. Minister Gould at the Department for Education and Minister Murray at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are working closely, together with officials, on a cross-departmental basis to establish the advisory group to ensure all children everywhere can benefit from strong arts education and enrichment. We are positive we will make strong progress on this recommendation in the near future.

[Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend the Minister for her positive reply and look forward to a speedy establishment. Does she agree with me that if it had been in place then one example—the serious omission by the curriculum review which has now informed the new national curriculum of not addressing screen arts qualifications in a society and economy that creates and consumes ever more with and through screens—would have been spotted? Given that absence and omission, what can DCMS do now to press addressing that issue with DfE before the group is established?