Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter. For anyone wanting to see more sector responses to the Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which was published last month, you can see a selection in the TES, and from the National Governance Association and the Sutton Trust. CLA will continue to consider the White Paper’s implications; our Latest Thinking article this month picks up on its introduction of new Pupil Engagement Framework designed to measure and improve student belonging, safety, motivation, and inclusion.
Our Latest News digest this month features:
- The announcement of the first V Level subjects
- The government delivery plan to grow the teaching workforce
- Leaders selected for National Alliance for Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 transition
- A curriculum review prioritising the Expressive Arts in Scotland
- Funding uncertainty for schools raised at Association of School and College Leaders conference
- Teacher Development Trust merges with Chartered College of Teaching
- The launch of the government inquiry into student loans
- A government consultation on social media ban for under 16s
- Youth Endowment Fund podcasts on keeping children and young people safe
- The launch of a new report on the state of London’s theatres
- The decline of local council funding of the Arts, which has halved since 2010
- The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee oral evidence session to address the Hodge Review of Arts Council England (in advance of the government response to the Review being published on 26 March)
- Reminders of two live consultations/calls for evidence
In Latest Thinking, we zoom in on one of the takeaways from the Schools White Paper published in February – that a new Pupil Engagement Framework is to be developed, with help from pupils, parents and schools. When this Framework lands later this year, it will allow all schools to measure the key factors that determine pupil engagement in education – and make improvements as a result. We consider how this new approach links to our evidence of how Arts education can support pupil engagement.
We also have our regular Research Spotlight article from Professor PatThomson, CLA’s Senior Evidence Associate, who this month reports on an Australian longitudinal study focusing on fostering diversity in the creative arts by addressing student capacity to aspire to work in the creative sector. The study also speaks to the same kinds of access issues that exist in England.
Finally, we’re always on the lookout for great, high-quality images for our newsletter, do get in touch if you’d like to showcase your Arts education and participation work through the CLA newsletter! Any images will be clearly credited. Email info@culturallearningalliance.org.uk
Post-16 education: first V Level subjects announced
Two new pathways at level 2: simplifying the current offer and providing a clear line of sight to both further study at Level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study pathway and Occupational pathway.
Following the publication of the Post-16 education and skills white paper in October, the Department for Education has published its response to the Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways consultations, setting out plans for new V Level qualifications – including a Digital pathway – which will likely shape the future skills pipeline across the creative sector.
V Levels are a new third vocational pathway at Level 3, to sit alongside A Levels and T Levels, and will be equivalent to one A Level, offering a vocational alternative to these academic and technical routes, and giving students the option of mixing qualifications. The plans are governed by three guiding principles:
- Progression – the qualifications that young people take between ages 16 to 19 must deliver positive outcomes, either enabling them to progress into further study at a higher level or into sustainable employment, linked where appropriate to the areas they studied.
- Future proof – each qualification pathway must be high quality and adaptable to future skills needs. Each qualification should be equally prestigious, so that whichever pathway students take, it is valuable and respected.
- Clarity of choice – the pathways for students aged 16 to 19 must be easy to navigate, so that young people are able to make the right choice for them. Students should be able to make informed choices, whether they want to specialise or study a broader portfolio. They should be able to mix and match academic and vocational qualifications, depending on their needs and future plans.
As SchoolsWeek reports, popular BTECs and other applied general qualifications have been granted another funding extension as part of a “sustainable” transition to new V Levels. Ministers have agreed to extend funding for all Level 3 diplomas and extended diplomas into 2026-27, giving colleges and sixth forms a significant reprieve with just six months to go before the start of the new academic year.
GCSE-level post-16 qualifications for lower-attaining students via further study or occupational paths have also been announced. There will be two new pathways at Level 2: simplifying the current offer and providing a clear line of sight to both further study at Level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study pathway and Occupational pathway.
Defunding will now begin from autumn 2027, instead of 2026, in finance, digital, education and early years – the subject areas chosen for the first V Levels. Further defunding will follow in 2028 in business and administration, care services, construction and the built environment, engineering and manufacturing, health and science, legal, sales, marketing and procurement, and sport. It means popular courses like the BTEC extended diploma in health and social care will continue to be funded for another two years.
The BBC provided further commentary. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says the “bold reforms” aim to end the snobbery in post-16 education, and support young people to build secure, future-proof careers. The Sixth Form Colleges Association welcomed the announcement, as well as the government’s decision to retain BTECs while V Levels were phased in. The government says its post-16 plans are landmark reforms to help young people secure well-paid jobs, following the number of young people not in education, work or training rising to almost one million.
Education, finance and digital will be rolled out first in 2027. Art and performing Arts, creative and design, and travel and tourism won’t be available as V Level options until 2030. Prior to that, from 2029, agriculture, environmental and animal care, catering and hospitality, hair and beauty, and protective services will be added. And from 2028 business and administration; care services; construction; engineering and manufacturing; health and science; legal (as part of legal, finance and accounting route); sales, marketing and procurement; and sports, fitness and exercise science will all be added.
CLA COMMENT
As we reported when the Post-16 White Paper was published in October 2025, there has been much confusion in the post-16 landscape in recent years, and we have seen how abrupt changes can drive falls in take-up. Entries into post-16 Expressive Arts vocational and technical qualifications were increasing prior to 2021/22, particularly for Crafts, Creative Arts and Design but they fell after the former government announced its plans to scrap BTECs – 4% for Performing Arts; 17% for Crafts, Creative Arts and Design; and 9% for Media and Communication.
We now know the sequencing of the introduction of the qualifications and that Arts V Levels will be the last to be introduced, alongside travel and tourism, in 2030 – which is several years away yet. We will be interested to see now these qualifications are to be constructed and who will be involved.
When the Post-16 White Paper was published the Fair Education Alliance described the reforms are an important step forward in creating fairer routes into work and lifelong learning and the new principles of progression for positive outcomes, future-proofing for future skills needs, and clarity of student pathways choices are all in support of this fairer routes approach.
Government delivery plan published to grow the teaching workforce
The government has published its delivery plan to recruit 6,500 new teachers following the announcement of a plan to boost teacher numbers in Labour’s last manifesto. The plan’s executive summary states that the new expert teachers will be recruited as part of the government’s wider Plan for Change “because high-quality teaching is the biggest in-school and college factor that contributes to better student outcomes. We will target shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges, and tackle retention issues. This will be central to delivering high and rising standards and delivering our mission to break the link between background and success.”
They are seeking to recruit these additional teachers where they see the need as greatest: in mainstream secondary schools, special schools and further education (FE) colleges.
The plan is to focus on the overall stock of teachers in these sectors but there will be a focus on investment in “subjects with acute shortages and getting expert teachers into areas of higher deprivation to maximise the impact on children and young peoples’ outcomes and opportunities.”
Whilst commentators welcomed plans to boost recruitment, there was some scepticism about the proposals. Commenting on the launch of the plan, SchoolsWeek included a number of observations from a range of sources. National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) highlighted in “significant ethnic disparities” in ITT rejection rates among UK applicants. This was not explained by differences in applicants, suggesting “discrimination has a role”. The NFER said neutralising this could see about 2,000 more teachers trained a year’. Lead economist Jack Worth said he was “pleased” by the equality focus, but warned anonymised applications must be carefully piloted and evaluated, noting “a lack of rigorous evidence about what works.”
Allana Gay, founding member of BAMEed, said diversity should be more closely monitored at ITT provider level. Emma Hollis, CEO of the National Association of School-based Teacher Trainers, said while efforts to boost recruitment are “always welcome”, retention and workload “will remain the critical issues if the system is to deliver on its wider ambitions”. She said there are “some really positive proposals” aimed at tackling this, but they must be “implemented in a thoughtful, joined up and time-sensitive way”.
CLA COMMENT
Our CLA Report Cards highlight the issues with the Arts teaching workforce, across recruitment and retention. Last year we reported on Recruitment to Initial Teacher Training for expressive Arts subjects being in crisis. Despite very slight increases in the number of teachers for most expressive Arts subjects (2022/23 to 2023/24), the picture for Arts Initial Teacher Training recruitment was then extremely concerning. There had been dramatic falls averaging 66% across expressive Arts subjects since 2020/21 (the first pandemic year, when recruitment was highest) – and significant falls averaging 30% across Initial Teacher Training recruitment for expressive Arts subjects since 2022/23. We will share all the latest Arts teaching workforce data in May.
In 2024 we published our Blueprint for an Arts-rich Education for Every Child, setting out the policy changes needed to secure equitable access to high-quality Arts education. Following the government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review confirming a significant shift in direction that aligns closely with the ambitions set out in the original Blueprint, our focus has now moved decisively from policy advocacy to delivery at scale.
The original Blueprint set out the ‘what’; we are now starting to consult on a new document to set out the ‘how’ and we are turning our attention first to workforce development for Arts teaching. We are looking at several ideas, including the accreditation of teaching artists and ideas on how to diversity the Arts teaching workforce.
We are also looking at how workforce diversity for Arts subjects might be increased – in line with the Curriculum Review, cultural sector ambitions and with the NFER review into diversity in the teaching workforce more widely, to improve the Arts acceptance rate for Black/Asian candidates so that it is more in line with other secondary subjects. We will have data on the acceptance rate for Black and Asian applicants to expressive Arts ITT routes in our next Report Card, so we look forward to sharing more on this soon.
Leaders selected for National Alliance for Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 transition
The government has appointed academy trust bosses Becks Boomer-Clark and Dame Lesley Powell to lead a national alliance aimed at improving pupils’ transition from primary to secondary school (the Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 transition). The CEOs – who run Lift Schools and the North East Learning Trust – will oversee a national alliance that ministers say will “drive innovation and build the evidence base for what works” at Key Stage 3.
As reported in SchoolsWeek, the initiative, backed by DfE, will promote innovation, share best practices, and focus on boosting engagement, attendance, literacy, numeracy, and student development.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson highlighted that this transition period is often difficult, especially for disadvantaged pupils, and needs greater attention. The programme will include regional networks to encourage collaboration between schools and is part of the government’s wider school improvement strategy, including the RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) service.
Phillipson also emphasised that schools must work together rather than in isolation, calling for a more collaborative education system to ensure all students leave school prepared for adult life.
In a joint article for Tes, Powell and Boomer-Clark say that “The early secondary years represent a critical window in young people’s development. By working together – sharing evidence, evaluating innovation and learning from effective practice – we have an opportunity to strengthen a phase of education that has too often been overlooked.”
CLA COMMENT
A great deal of attention was given to progression in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including within and between key stages, as well as to the need for a rich and rewarding Key Stage 3. The government response to the Review stated that “Pupils should experience the same quality of resources in key stage 3 as they do in key stage 4, including being taught by experienced staff. Schools should also find ways to recognise pupils’ achievements at key stage 3 so that their personal, social and academic accomplishments are celebrated. Many schools already do this well and there are excellent models to draw from that demonstrate what can be achieved.”
This new commitment reinforces the political will to address issues with transition from primary to secondary so it will be interesting to see what steps new the national alliance will take. The focus on Key Stage 3 is a vital move toward closing the attainment gap.
Scotland embarks upon a curriculum review which prioritises Expressive Arts
Whilst we have a great deal of curriculum change happening in England, Scotland has just embarked on a systematic review of its own Curriculum through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle led by Education Scotland and teachers and practitioners from across the system. More than 150 teachers and practitioners are involved in evolving the Expressive Arts curriculum. The background and evidence paper for Expressive Arts has just been published to set out the context.
The paper states that Expressive Arts are central to Curriculum for Excellence, “fostering creativity, wellbeing, equity and support the growth of the whole child and prepare children and young people to engage meaningfully with Scotland’s cultural life.” It also highlights the growing global trend towards integrating Expressive Arts into modern curriculums and stresses that “international research consistently validates the importance of Arts education with organisations such as OECD, UNESCO and WHO affirming the intrinsic and wider benefits of Arts education, including creativity, critical thinking, identity and emotional development. UNESCO highlights its role in holistic education, supporting wellbeing, inclusion and mental health.”
The paper also asserts that despite their recognised value, the provision of Expressive Arts across Scotland remains inconsistent due to variations in teacher confidence, resources and prioritisation, “creating inequitable access where some learners benefit from rich experiences while others face limited opportunities.” There is a “lack of shared understanding of what and how to teach the Arts affects consistency, especially in primary schools where confidence and training are limited. Addressing this is key to equitable, high-quality learning.”
Expressive Arts align with Scotland’s Developing the Young Workforce strategy. With creative industries among the fastest-growing globally, including Scotland’s film sector projected at £1 billion by 2030. Embedding Arts more deeply can connect education with employment pathways.
Last year, Scotland became the first country in the world to include film and screen studies in the school curriculum for primary and secondary schools. As was reported at the time,this step will “open up opportunities for pupils to engage with storytelling, technical skills and creative collaboration that will support future careers in one of Scotland’s most dynamic sectors.”
This follows a successful pilot which demonstrated the value of teaching film and screen in schools. Neil Millar from Education Scotland explained that “from the outset, the educational and social impact of the pilot Film and Screen curriculum on schools, teachers and most importantly pupils, has been immense. The proof of this is in the curriculum work developed and showcased by the children and young people themselves.”
Actor and director James MacAvoy said that “teaching film and screen in schools is the most equitable way to engage in an artform, while demystifying something that can seem distant or inaccessible.” The Scottish government has set out clear ambitions for the screen sector in wanting to build a skilled and diverse workforce for an industry with a projected value of £1 billion to the economy by 2030.
CLA COMMENT
It is always interesting to see the approach of other nations. Scotland and Wales both have Expressive Arts curriculum areas, and it is good to see this firm emphasis on the evolution of Scotland’s Expressive Arts curriculum, with the addition of film and screen studies and so many teachers and practitioners involved.
CLA’s definition of expressive Arts goes beyond the existing four discrete art forms currently embedded in England’s system (Art & Design, Dance, Drama and Music) to include Film & Digital Media (which spans TV, film, radio and games design). In Wales, Expressive Arts is one of six equal ‘areas of learner experience’ mapped on to four core purposes of schooling, so the term ‘expressive Arts’ is widely used by other nations and remains our preferred collective term for Arts subjects in schools.
Funding uncertainty for schools raised at Association of School and College Leaders conference
At the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) in Liverpool this month, school leaders were concerned about the affordability of future pay rises. In particular, the DfE had released a paper on schools costs 2026-29 which identified £1bn of “headroom” which schools would have over the next two years which mean that schools could afford the planned pay rises of 2.7% over two years. The paper states that schools must “realise and sustain better value” in budgets to create further headroom and make a 6.5% rise over three years manageable.
As reported in Schools Week, Pepe Di’lasio head of ASCL, decried the idea of headroom: “There will be some schools who have more than the 2.7% headroom, and the vast majority who haven’t,” the former school leader said. Dozens of ASCL members have told him they “can’t manage” such a rise, he added. The pay decision will also impact schools’ capacity to deliver the government’s white paper reforms, Di’Iasio added.
The National Education Union is carrying out an indicative ballot to gauge if members would be prepared to strike over the proposal for an unfunded 6.5% rise. ASCL is not yet considering a similar ballot. “I would prefer to consider [that] once we know what the parameters are,” Di’Iasio said. “At the moment it’s a cloud, but we don’t know whether it’s going to be a raincloud, or if some sunshine might break through.”
CLA COMMENT
Flat funding and falling rolls are big risks for schools in the coming years. CLA is currently consulting on all the barriers to delivering an Arts-rich education in schools. Whilst accountability measures, the status of Arts subjects and workforce are all emerging as important barriers, funding remains a perennial issue, whether for the Arts teaching workforce, teaching artists, Arts enrichment, transport for trips to galleries or performances, or resources. We are being very mindful of this as we develop our new policy asks for the implementation of the Arts recommendations within the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Teacher Development Trust merges with Chartered College of Teaching
The Teacher Development Trust (TDT) is to become part of the Chartered College of Teaching, the professional development charity has announced. TDT will be absorbed by the professional body for teachers this summer, in what its leader described as positive move that will “protect the legacy” of the 14-year-old charity.
TDT CEO Gareth Conyard said the decision “follows a period of thoughtful reflection about how best to protect and grow our mission in the long term”. He said TDT has “achieved significant impact” since it was founded in 2012 as a charity focused on improving professional development, working with more than 10,000 teacher and school leaders. “We believe the most responsible next step is to place this work into the stewardship of a larger, values-aligned organisation with the scale, infrastructure and reach to take it further.”
In SchoolsWeek, Conyard described the wider schools market as “a tough place”, adding: “Rather than waiting until circumstances force change, we have chosen to act proactively and strategically, ensuring that our learning, resources and impact can continue and grow.”
Charity Commission records show TDT brought in £2.76 million in the year to April 2025, of which £2.32 million came from government contracts and around £97,000 came from donations and legacies. Its total expenditure was £2.81 million. The charity will gift its assets and reserves to the Chartered College as part of the move.
TDT runs training courses and also carries out research around professional development such as its valuable report on CPD published last year.
Dame Alison Peacock, CEO at the Chartered College, said: “I am delighted that, as stewards of the TDT’s legacy, we will continue their important work,” she said. “TDT has had a significant impact on the CPD landscape, supporting teachers and leaders, monitoring the quality of professional development, and challenging the thinking of policy makers and partners.”
CLA COMMENT
CPD for Arts teachers is at the forefront of our thinking at the moment due to our consideration of the implementation of the Curriculum Review after years of Arts workforce erosion, and because the new National Centre for Arts Education will have a core purpose of supporting excellent teaching through a new online CPD offer for primary and secondary school teachers. The Centre will also support access to existing high-quality teacher development provision available from others. The TDT move to the Chartered College makes sense in the current climate. We look forward to talking to the Chartered College as our workforce policy work develops.
Government launches student loans inquiry
Young adults in the UK face a “perfect storm” of economic challenges, the head of the Treasury Select Committee has warned as it launches an inquiry into student loans. The cross-party committee’s investigation comes as the government considers ways to help students and graduates amid a growing backlash about high interest rates and hefty repayments. Rachel Reeves’ decision in her November budget to freeze the threshold at which loans start to be repaid for three years from 2027 reignited anger over the system.
The Select Committee is asking people to contribute their experiences through an online portal. The Committee chair, Meg Hillier, said she saw the burden of student loans as part of a wider squeeze facing people in their 20s and 30s.
As reported by the Guardian, Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch in London since 2005, said: “I represent a young borough. One of my concerns is the layering and layering of challenges on that generation.” She cited the eye-watering cost of housing, inadequate pensions saving, and the looming jobs threat from AI. “Every government will make what seem like rational decisions in their own silo. So you can look at student loans, you can look at renting, you can look at home ownership, you can look at pensions. But cumulatively, the 20-to-30 generation has had a lot piled on them. It’s about fairness in the end.”
Hillier hailed the rising proportion of her own constituents who now go to university, helped by the significant improvement in London schools since she was first elected. BBC analysis has found “that the amount of money graduates are voluntarily paying to try to clear their debt has risen, while some graduates told us the combination of loan repayments and income tax has led them to slash their salaries”. The DfE said it had inherited a student loans system “devised by the previous government” and the freezes were there to “protect taxpayers and students”. It said the system “protects lower-earning graduates” with income-linked repayments and balances that are written off after a certain period of time.
On Wednesday, Reeves told MPs there was a “hierarchy of priorities”. “I do recognise that we inherited a broken system when it comes to student finance, as we inherited a broken NHS, a prison system and much more,” she said. The National Union of Students said it was “ready to take this opportunity to work together to fix student loans”.
The Rethink Repayment group said the inquiry would hear from a “huge number of our campaign’s supporters who are being held back by these punitive student loans”.
The committee is inviting anyone over the age of 16 to share their experiences of the system via an online survey. It will look at the system in England but will welcome submissions from other parts of the UK. The link to the inquiry and request for evidence can be found here.
CLA COMMENT
It is becoming more and more challenging for young people who want to pursue study to HE level to shoulder the financial burden of the costs of course fees and living expenses – the cost of accommodation is a particular issue for students studying in more high-cost urban areas. In May, CLA will report on progression to higher education in England for Creative, Arts and Design subjects in 2024/25 and this new data will enable us to examine for the first time the extent to which socio-economic determinants are a factor in Arts subject take-up post-18.
As we reported when we last covered student loans back in January, it is also why bursary routes into teacher training – for those wanting to become teachers – are appealing: after years of borrowing to learn, to be awarded a bursary for Initial Teacher Training in a subject is quite an incentive. But as we reported in October, £10,000 bursaries for Art & Design and Music were cut for 2026/27.
Government consultation on social media ban for under-16s
The government has opened its public consultation on social media for under-16s. A link to the consultation can be found here. Young people and their parents and guardians are invited to submit comments ahead of a government decision on the proposal on whether to ban social media for this age group. The Online Safety Act brought in strong protections, but there is growing agreement that more needs to be done and contributions to this consultation will determine how the government will decide what that looks like.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the consultation would help establish how young people could “thrive in an age of rapid technological change”. As well as gauging opinion on an outright ban, the government wants the public’s views on less dramatic interventions.
Those include:
- Whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features like infinite scrolling and autoplay
- Whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better
- Whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction
- How age verification enforcement should be strengthened.
Alongside the consultation, pilots will be conducted testing some of the proposed interventions to provide “real-world evidence” of their effectiveness. “We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. This is why we’re asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation,” Kendall said.
The BBC reported various views on the launch of the consultation, including the Molly Rose Foundation, which welcomed the consultation, saying it was a “crucial opportunity to decisively strengthen online safety laws and stand up for children and families”. Several other charities and campaign groups, including the NSPCC, have said a full ban on social media for under-16s risks “unintended consequences” and have called instead for stronger enforcement of existing child safety rules. “It would create a false sense of safety that would see children – but also the threats to them – migrate to other areas online,” the organisations wrote in a joint statement in February. Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, told the BBC: “What everyone wants to see is better safety from Big Tech companies, and then children could express themselves and connect online as they want to.”
CLA COMMENT
We reported on the guidance to prohibit use of mobiles in school back in January and this consultation is a further step to consider online harms, reflecting the failure of big tech companies to control access for minors. It will be interesting to see where the consultation comes to land. In the government response to the Curriculum Review there was an emphasis on the need for young people to “think critically and act thoughtfully, armed with the digital, financial and media literacy they need to thrive in the modern world” so digital access and literacy must be balanced with a need for digital protection.
Youth Endowment Fund podcasts on keeping children and young people safe
The Youth Endowment Fund have released a series of podcast and videos as part of their ‘Safe’ project which are conversations about preventing violence from affecting children and young people. The latest one is about keeping children in school and safe.
The podcast introduction states that “School absences, suspensions, and exclusions have reached record highs in recent years. Behind the numbers is a complex story of trauma, vulnerability and unmet needs.” The link to all the podcast and videos for Project Safe can be found here.
CLA COMMENT
One of the government’s six missions in its Plan for Change is safer streets, alongside breaking down barriers to opportunities. As we addressed in our Latest Thinking article on the National Youth Strategy in January, the government has a big focus on “places to go and things to do” for young people; safety links to richer lives and health and wellbeing. In some cases, for example at the Whitworth in Manchester, we are seeing young people specifically identify knife crime and gang violence as concerns when they are asked to consider how Arts projects might support their personal, social and creative wellbeing. The National Youth Strategy provides an opportunity to raise awareness and recognition of the impact of Arts and creativity on the social and emotional development of young people within non-formal education settings.
London Theatre: launch of new report at the House of Lords
On 12 March, the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre released their latest report on the state of theatre in the UK. The report highlights a paradox in the UK theatre industry: record-breaking audience demand alongside growing financial strain.
Attendance is at an all-time high, with more than 37 million UK theatre visits in 2025. The West End reached a record 17.64 million attendees, surpassing Broadway. However, rising production costs (labour, materials, energy, maintenance) are squeezing finances, and compromising theatres’ ability to keep ticket prices relatively affordable to maintain accessibility. This creates a “structural squeeze”, where theatres are busy but financially vulnerable – 36% expect deficits, rising to 51% in subsidised theatres.
The report describes theatres playing a vital role in supporting creative industries, local economies, jobs, and community programmes. It calls for policy reforms such as business rates changes, enhanced Theatre Tax Relief, incentives for philanthropy, and inflation-linked public funding, arguing that these are investments, not subsidies, noting theatre’s strong economic impact (e.g. £1 spent generates £1.40 in local spending).
The call is for targeted government support to enable UK theatre to remain both a “cultural cornerstone and a driver of economic growth” despite current financial pressures. Arts Professional coverage is here.
CLA COMMENT
CLA attended the launch event for the report in the House of Lords and was pleased to hear actor Cush Jumbo, former Brit School student, talking about the importance of the Arts throughout her own childhood in South London. Cush quoted CLA Report Card data for 2024 and 2025 about access to Arts subjects, contrasting the recent decline in Arts engagement to her own Arts-rich childhood. Cush spoke movingly about growing up in educational context which enabled her love of the Arts to flourish, and she and leading theatre producer Sonia Friedman both talked about growing up in a different funding context in which they could afford to progress to study the Arts after they left school.
Cush’s speech made clear the value and credibility of CLA data and evidence for analysing the health of the Arts education landscape, and it was good to see it shared publicly at the event. As we address in our piece on council funding for the Arts below, theatres form a vital part of the Arts education ecology. If they are struggling, then their learning teams will be impacted and an important link between the Arts in schools and the cultural sector and creative industries compromised. CLA stresses the importance of learning as a core function within the theatre sector.
Local council funding of the Arts has halved since 2010
Equity is warning that universal access to the Arts is “disappearing” as new research finds local government Arts funding has plummeted 55% across Britain since 2010, down from £1.19 billion to just £539 million in 2024-25.
The new analysis of local government Arts and entertainment budgets, produced by the Autonomy Institute, shows an unequal fall in each nation:
- England – council Arts spending fell by 61%, with £660m less in real spending per year in 2024 compared with 2010. Current spending is a mere £6.47 per person, per year, or just over 50p a month. This is down from £18.67.
- Wales – has seen a 46% fall, losing around £30m a year for the Arts locally. This represents a nearly 50% cut in per capita annual funding on local Arts and culture since 2010, from £21.03 to £10.85.
- Scotland – councils have reduced real spending by 18%, seeing £25m a year less invested in their Arts. Scotland has the highest spending per capita, at £20.73 per person, per year, but this is still 22% lower than it was in 2010.
60% of the 136 English councils up for election in May have cut their real Arts funding by more than half since 2010, with at least eight down to zero net Arts spend. Only 14% have protected real Arts funding over the period.
Historically, local government has been the largest source of Arts funding across the UK, including theatres, live performance, museums, galleries and more. Equity is calling for investment in Arts spending ahead of voters going to the polls on 7 May, saying “defending and extending local Arts offers is an essential part of councils’ future success.” The UK government must set out a roadmap for Arts spending to reach 0.5% of GDP, which is the European average. This could provide additional resource for local government Arts funding.
Commenting on the findings of the research, Equity’s General Secretary, Paul W Fleming, said: “We are watching universal access to Arts and entertainment disappear across Britain as this new research shows the dramatic fall in local authority Arts funding. For the first time in a generation, people across large swathes of this island will not have the opportunity to visit a theatre. Meanwhile, as funding dries up, it becomes ever harder to make a living as a performer, reducing access to the industry for working class creatives. The Arts play a vital role in local economies, anchoring night life and driving tourism. Shared stories have the power to bring communities closer together, and Arts workers make a huge contribution to our economy and our society.”
CLA COMMENT
CLA’s news coverage tends to focus on school funding, but of course the cultural sector is a major partner in delivery of Arts experiences for children and young people in and out of school, and any funding erosion impacts on its ability to be responsive to the needs of schools and children in their communities. The challenging fiscal environment for culture impacts education partnerships. It is important that Arts organisations maintain Arts education as a priority or a value/action gap emerges, whereby Arts leaders talk about its importance but fail to adequately resource learning teams to work effectively with schools.
Hodge Review of Arts Council England: Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee oral evidence session on 17 March
The Hodge Review of Arts Council England (ACE) was published on 16 December 2025, and the government published its response on 26 March – we will report on that in our April newsletter. On 17 March, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee – led by the Committee’s chair, Dame Caroline Dineage – held an oral evidence session to explore the findings of the Review with Baroness Hodge.
The Review made recommendations relating to strengthening ACE’s independence from government and reducing administrative burdens for grant applicants. It also proposed a range of fiscal and structural reforms to support the Arts sector.
A link to full transcript for the session is here. Hodge reported that she was confident that the Review reflected the responses of the sector; that ACE is needed; and that the arms-length principle is important: “Having said that, there has to be a radical review of the way Arts Council England works. It has to look at how it uses the money, its role in relation to the organisations it supports, and its role in the wider Arts and cultural landscape. The time is right for a radical review.” Hodge also reported on the loss of confidence in how ACE serves its own community.
In her opening remarks Hodge talked about how the Arts should be better funded. She also talked about how there needs to be a “move from Let’s Create [the current ACE strategy] to a new way where the underpinning principle and purpose of Arts Council England is to fund excellence. It is a word the Council does not use very much, and it ought to give it birth again. It should also fund access to excellence. It is not just access; it is access to excellence.” She talked about proposals for supporting individuals: “This is a workforce who are very low paid. A lot of them are freelancers, and the support we can give to individuals is important.” She also said that it was important to “look at the underserved areas and localism … You want to empower local people.”
At the end of the session, we were glad to hear that Hodge did stress the importance of Arts education – although she was not specifically asked this, and her Review gave education cursory attention across very few pages and only two recommendations. She said “We must build the next generation and build the pipeline. Look at the decline in kids doing A Level cultural and Arts subjects.”
The Committee will take evidence from Arts Council England at a later date.
CLA COMMENT
CLA will comment on the Review in April now that we have the government response and the ACE response, which was also published on 26 March. We have already stated that very few pages of the Review focused on Arts education, and there were only two recommendations in the education section. In CLA’s response to the Hodge Review original call for evidence, we addressed the following points in relation to Arts education – there was no evidence within the Review that these had been considered:
- Strengthening accountability for learning and participation
- Supporting the cultural education workforce
- Positioning Arts education to build a future-ready workforce
- Supporting sustained partnerships with schools and responding to the crisis in Arts teaching
- The importance of 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
- Balancing supply and demand for Arts learning
Reminders of consultations or calls for evidence
Young Creatives Commission: The Young Creatives Commission, led by the Centre for Young Lives in partnership with the Roundhouse, has a call for evidence closing on 19April, so do share any research, data or reports that will be helpful to boost access, participation and progression in the Arts, supported by youth work. CLA will be submitting evidence to the Commission.
KS4 performance measures: The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking views on proposals to improve key stage 4 academic performance measures and to extend school improvement support from the DfE’s Targeted RISE service. They are seeking views on:
- Improving Progress 8 and Attainment 8 measures through a refreshed Progress 8 curriculum model.
- A better way to recognise the progress of pupils with low prior attainment as part of improvements to the wider suite of additional performance measures.
- Extending DfE’s Targeted RISE support to primary and secondary schools with low achievement.
This consultation is open until Monday 4 May 2026 and we will share more information on CLA’s submission in our next newsletter.
