Why Arts and cultural learning voices must be heard (deadline 24 April)
Baroness Hodge’s review of Arts Council England (ACE) presents a crucial opportunity to reset the direction of national Arts funding. For the cultural learning sector this is a moment to speak clearly about what we need from England’s national funder and what we believe should change.
Who should respond?
Whether you are a learning lead in a cultural organisation, an artist educator, or an Arts teacher or school leader working with cultural partners, we urge you to respond to the review. Align with your organisation where needed, but do not miss the chance to shape the future of our national funding system.
Context for CLA response
One of the seven asks in the Cultural Learning Alliance’s CLA Blueprint for an Arts-rich education is for government to ensure that the cultural sector is strategically positioned and resourced to meet the needs of children and young people in schools and communities. That requires a funding system led by an arms-length organisation with clarity of role and expertise to champion Arts education and work strategically with funded organisations, government and other partners to widen young people’s access to the Arts.
Our response to the review is grounded in this principle. We believe that ACE operates most effectively as a skilled, arms-length funding body for the Arts. We believe that ACE should fulfil its development agency role by working with and through Arts and cultural organisations rather than as direct delivery agency.
This position was also shaped by the consultation process to develop the Arts in Schools: Foundations for the Future report.
See our Capabilities Framework to understand how Arts learning delivers seven personal and societal capabilities that are important in meeting the needs of children and young people and their future employers.
We have developed our response through a consideration of the most important perspective for CLA – the needs of children and young people and our desire for ACE to be a highly effective body in relation to their interests.
Arts Council England Review terms of reference
The review has published its terms of reference in four sections: Purpose and Structure; Activity and Decision Making; Relationships and Partnerships; and Relations with Government. Children and young people are mentioned specifically in the Activity and Decision-making section where universities and FE colleges are specifically mentioned, but not schools. CLA has also expressed concern that the Advisory Panel has no specific representation from the Arts education or youth sector.
An observation about creativity and the Arts
The Arts Council should be a clear champion and expert in Arts learning. While broader definitions of creativity are valuable in teaching and learning, what the sector needs is Arts education embedded in schools, where the language and disciplines of Arts subjects are clearly understood and valued.
Creativity and the Arts are not the same. Creativity is an approach to learning that applies across the curriculum and in the real world. The Arts are distinct disciplines that require structure, rehearsal, practice, and rigour, as well as imagination or improvisation.
We believe that ACE should refocus public messaging on the value of Arts subjects. It should continue to champion creativity as a capacity and quality fundamental to arts practice but distinguish it clearly from Arts education and avoid conflating the two.
Key points we will be addressing in our response
- ACE’s arms-length role as an expert distributor of public and lottery funding, with funding informed by national insight, data and local need
- Strengthening accountability for learning and participation
- Positioning Arts education to build a future-ready workforce
- Supporting sustained partnerships with schools and responding to the crisis in Arts teaching
- Cultural brokerage functions
- Place-based evidence and data for the education work of funded organisations
- Strengthening accreditation schemes as a driver of Arts-rich education
- Supporting the cultural education workforce
- Balancing supply and demand for Arts learning
The deadline to respond to the ACE review is midday on 24 April 2025. We encourage everyone working in cultural learning to take part. Do get in touch with your thoughts and responses, and if you want to see our full response let us know. Wishing everyone an excellent long weekend as the school holidays draw to a close!
Respond to the ACE Review
