Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support programmes exist to encourage greater participation in the arts among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside its partners Arts Council England (ACE) and the Department for Education (DfE), support a range of programmes designed to increase participation in the arts among young people from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds.

ACE invests around £444 million in it’sNational Portfolio Organisation (NPO) Investment Programme and 79% of those organisations delivered in-person workshops, events or sessions which were aimed at, and attended by children and young people aged 0-19 between 2023 and 2024.

DCMS has directly invested £3.2 million to continue four key cultural education initiatives in 2026/27: the Museums and Schools Programme, the Heritage Schools Programme, the BFI Film Academy, and the Art & Design National Saturday Club. These programmes help young people access creative opportunities, develop skills, and engage with culture both in and outside school.

Additionally, The Music Hubs Programme, funded by the DfE and run by ACE, works through 43 Hub Lead Organisations across England. These hubs partner with schools, music services, community groups, and professional musicians to offer a wide range of musical opportunities and provide high-quality music education to children and young people, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn and engage with music, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Lastly, the government has announced Every Child Can, an investment of £132.5 million of dormant assets funding to increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services. We are designing the remaining funding and will share further details in due course and are committed to working with areas of greatest need across England.