Latest News May 2025

Another packed news edition this month, in which we cover a new Sutton Trust report on social mobility; government changes to careers and workplace experience at Key Stage 3; news of pupils and parents in Sheffield resisting their school’s efforts to move Arts subjects to a carousel model; an update on the development of the National Youth Strategy; a new report tracking trends in Arts and culture workforce and engagement in England; news of a rise in home schooling; opposition to Ofsted’s proposed changes to the inspection of schooling in England; news of the government investigating the reasons for an increasing demand for SEND support; the latest survey insights on teacher recruitment; and finally, exciting news from CLA – we’re recruiting new trustees from the education sector – see below for details on how to apply!

New report on England’s social mobility from the Sutton Trust

In a report which mirrors the socio-economic factors highlighted in our own CLA 2025 Report Card, the Sutton Trust has identified that the top 20 constituencies with the best social mobility are all in London, starkly revealing the regional divide in a child’s life chances.

The Trust has put together an opportunity index which analyses six measures of mobility, including the share of children on free school meals who achieve passes in GCSE maths and English; who complete a degree by age 22; and who make it into the top 20% of earners by age 28.

As well as all the top-scoring 20 constituencies on this index being in London, so are 42 of the top 50. The highest-ranked constituency outside the capital is Birmingham Perry Bar, in the West Midlands, in 23rd. other highlight findings are:

• In terms of GCSE grade 5 for FSM pupils, there is a 30% points gap between the highest ranked area (East Ham) and the lowest (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) in English and Mathematics
• 18% of pupils in receipt of free school meals from London are in the top 20% of earners at the age of 28, while only 7% from the North east, North West and Yorkshire and Humber are
• Pupils in receipt of free school meals from East Ham are 35% more likely to have a degree by age 22 compared to Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West at 10%

As we also make clear in our Report Card, the Trust states that “Opportunity is not evenly spread across the country. A young person’s socio-economic background – including the income level of their family, their parents’ educational qualifications, and their family’s wealth – all play a critical role in shaping their future.”

In examining the geography of opportunity and social mobility, the report identifies that “Britain is also highly divided geographically”. Our own Report Card identified that there is a clear relationship between the poverty of an area and pupils in that area not studying the Expressive Arts in school. Expressive Arts take up at GCSE and A Level is lowest in regions and local authorities with the highest level of free school meals and highest levels of deprivation.

There is a clear socioeconomic disparity in young people’s study of the Arts at both GCSE and A Level: we call this an ‘Arts entitlement gap’. Where a child grows up, and their family’s socioeconomic status, are significant social determinants in whether or not they will pursue Expressive Arts options from the age of 14.

However, it is worth noting that for both Arts GCSE and Arts A Level entry data, London seems to challenge the pattern of a relationship between free school meals eligibility and Expressive Arts entries, as the capital has the lowest percentage of A Level entries in Arts subjects (3.5%) but has a relatively lower proportion of pupils on free school meals compared to other regions.

As we say in the 2025 Report Card, this may be explained by the fact that London has the highest percentage of A Level entries in STEM subjects (40%, compared to 35% at the national level), suggesting there might be specific demographic and structural reasons separate from poverty leading to pupils in London pursuing STEM subjects over Expressive Arts subjects. Although it is difficult to present a general picture across London, it is the region in England with the highest proportion of young people from an ethnically diverse background, and there is evidence that these young people are more likely to study STEM subjects at A Level (FFT Datalab, 2023).

What is clear, however, is that the geographical and socio-economic barriers to opportunity identified by the Sutton Trust and by our own research must be eliminated if we are to develop a more equitable society.

As Gina Cicerone, CEO of the Fair Education Alliance, said in response to our Report Card, “No child’s success should be limited by their socioeconomic background, but the Fair Education Alliance knows that systemic disadvantage gaps persist right across society. This report provides clear evidence of what has been long suspected – that there is an undeniable link between child poverty and access to the vital personal and societal benefits that the Arts provide. Poverty limits access to Arts education. This educational inequity in access to Arts subjects must now be addressed through systemic change.”

Changes to careers and workplace experience at Key Stage 3

The government has updated statutory guidance for careers – with implications for creative careers. Schools will have to arrange a week of work experience “activities” for pupils in years 7 to 9 and at least one placement in years 10 to 11 under new careers guidance published by the government. School leaders have been told to begin “planning and, where able, reforming their work experience programmes” from September to meet the new duty.

The document states the two weeks should be broken down into one week’s worth of “activities” in years 7 to 9 and a week’s worth of placement in years 10 to 11. Activities in years 7 to 9 should consist of “multiple, varied and meaningful employer-led activities”, for example, visits involving employer-set tasks, work-shadowing or talks in workplaces.

Schools will also have to follow updated Gatsby benchmarks for good careers guidance from September. The Careers and Enterprise Company has also published guidance to help schools which indicates that governors must “understand” and back careers education. Careers programmes will also need to be “tailored to the needs of pupils, sequenced appropriately, underpinned by learning outcomes and linked to the whole-school development plan”.

Where previous guidance stated pupils should access and use information about career paths “by the age of 14”, the update states this should happen “during each key stage”. Careers programmes should now seek to “challenge misconceptions”, and schools will be required to keep systematic records of the “participation of pupils in all aspects of their careers programme”. Schools will also have to use “sustained and longer-term destination data as part of their evaluation process and use alumni to support their careers programme”.

Previous benchmarks stated that STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of their subjects for a wide range of future career paths. The new benchmarks widen this responsibility out to all subject teachers. The new guidance also states that “every year, in every subject, every pupil should have opportunities to learn how the knowledge and skills developed in that subject helps people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers. “Careers should form part of the school’s ongoing staff development programme for teachers and all staff who support pupils.”

Gatsby’s guidance for schools has been updated to state that young people “should encounter employers of different sizes and specialisms, including the self-employed, that reflect trends in the labour market, regionally and nationally”. The updated benchmark also adds pupils’ “own part-time employment where it exists” to the “range of enrichment opportunities” schools can offer.

The change to ensure that STEM careers are not prioritised above creative careers is important and welcome, but the implications come at a time when schools will also be dealing with Ofsted changes and – as yet unknown – implications of the Curriculum and Assessment Review. It’s understandable that a new government is pushing out on so many fronts but the pressure on schools to implement changes is going to be significant and challenging.

The cultural sector needs to be prepared for this welcome shift in careers guidance, and ready to be responsive to school needs in this new careers and workplace experience context. Do let us know how your organisation is responding.

School faces backlash over cuts to Arts provision in Sheffield

Pupil agency and commitment to Arts subjects in Sheffield are revealed in a news story picked up by local and national media. Pupils and parents have criticised a planned reduction in teaching hours for Arts subjects at Newfield Secondary School in Sheffield. In a letter to parents, the School said there would be an increase in teaching time for maths and English to boost core subject attainment from September. This increase would be mirrored by a decrease in time for computing, design technology, music and drama classes for years 7 to 9.

Around 300 pupils and parents gathered at the school gates on to protest against the move, with many carrying home-made signs. Under the plan, other subjects were set to move to a rotating “carousel model” to allow more curriculum time for maths and English.  A number of pupils and parents commented on their concerns about losing Arts subjects and the importance they played in their lives.

The news emerged in March after the school reportedly told music education partner Sheffield Music Hub that it was planning to change its curriculum. Thereafter is was picked up by local paper The Star in early May and then by the BBC. Mercia Learning Trust, the multi-academy trust which runs the school, said: “We remain fully committed to a broad and balanced curriculum. All pupils will continue to receive full coverage of the national curriculum, and all current GCSE option subjects in years 10 and 11 – including music, drama and art – will continue to be offered with lesson time above national guidance”.

CLA has always resisted the carousel model on the basis that there should be a weekly entitlement to Arts subjects, as set out in our Blueprint for an Arts-rich education. An entitlement on that basis cannot happen if there is limited access to Expressive Arts subjects through the school year. Children need mandatory and strengthened Arts provision and a minimum weekly entitlement within the national curriculum – and delivered within the school day, not through rotating, optional, or extra-curricular provision. It’s good to see children in Sheffield agreeing.

National Youth Strategy

The National Youth Strategy consultation closed last month. This was a “national listening exercise to let young people have their say on support services, facilities and opportunities they need outside the school gates.”

Ahead of the National Youth Strategy, those aged 10-21 years old, and up to 25 years old for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), were asked to take part in a survey to hear what support services, facilities and opportunities they need outside school to benefit their lives and futures.

Young people could submit their views on a range of topics including what issues matter to them in their local area, what services they think should be available to young people, and how money should be spent in their area. There was an online survey, in-person events and workshop sessions.

The new Strategy will prioritise delivering better coordinated youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level. It aims to ensure decision-making moves away from a one-size-fits all approach, handing power back to young people and their communities, and rebuilding a “thriving and sustainable sector”.

The government appointed 13 young people to form a Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Members span multiple sectors and have experience across key areas including advocacy, violence prevention, social mobility and mental health – but an Arts specialism is not evident. Girl-guiding, sport, youth justice and the sea cadets are all represented.

An Expert Advisory Group is sitting alongside the group of young people to provide “expertise and challenging thinking throughout the National Youth’s Strategy development”. Again it’s an impressive group, but we can’t see any specific Arts expertise on the group. One member, Jamie Masraff, is CEO of national charity OnSide, which offers Arts experiences within its Youth Zones across the country and has said he wants the new strategy to recognise “the importance of youth work and enrichment up and down the country”.

In September we published an article by Manchester-based artist and creative practitioner, Kirsty Gbasai, who shared her experience as creative practitioner and community artist in a youth centre in Bolton. Kirsty works in the art room at BLGC, a children’s and young person’s charity that has been serving the local community of Bolton for more than 130 years. BLGC was the blueprint for the growing network of Youth Zones which have been developed by Onside.  

We hope that the Arts will be more visible in the final Strategy, given their evidenced value in young people’s lives. On 15 May Baroness Twycross, speaking in the House of Lords, repeated the Culture Secretary’s statement on the Strategy and suggested that an interim report – ‘Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Nation’ – would be published in the “coming weeks”. We look forward to reporting more soon.

Recent trends in UK Arts and culture workforce and engagement in England

In another new report focused on inequalities, May saw the launch of Creative PEC‘s latest State of the Nations report: ‘Arts, Culture and Heritage: Recent Trends in UK Workforce and Engagement in England’. This presents a deep dive into the geography of audiences for Arts, culture and heritage in England. The report doesn’t address or provide data for under-16s but is still helpful in providing a detailed snapshot of the wider context for the Arts workforce and adult engagement.

The report reveals persisting inequalities in the UK Arts, culture and heritage workforce. While participation data for England shows that the public’s engagement in Arts and culture increased in 2023/2024, inequalities in engagement along class and ethnicity lines have increased back to pre-pandemic levels. Here are the key findings:

• There are only 13 local authorities in England where more than 50% of the population has been to an art exhibition in the 12 months prior to the survey and all 13 are in London.
• The local authority with the highest percentage of residents visiting an art gallery in the 12 months prior to the survey is the City of London, at 70%; the local authority with the fewest is Boston, Lincolnshire at 11%. Other local authorities where the figure is high are Brighton and Hove (49%) and Oxford (46%); outside of the south of England, the highest figure is for York (37%).
• There has been a widening gap in the last year between who engages with Arts and culture by socio-economic background.
• There is large variation in engagement in cultural activities by socio-economic background, e.g. 51% of people in managerial/professional households have been to the theatre in the last 12 months the figure for semi-routine/working class is 26%.
• Class differences are largest for museums and galleries, with 54% for managerial or professional and 31% for semi-routine/working class. In nearly all cases Black and Asian people are less likely than people in other ethnic groups to have engaged in the DCMS categorised Arts, culture and heritage activities for example 23% of Black people and 19% of Asian people had attended live music, compared with 42% of White people. 
• Local authorities with more people working in Arts/culture also have greater rates of engagement in most forms of Arts and culture. For example, six out of the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people working in Arts, culture and heritage occupations are also in the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people having visited an art exhibition.
• Activities most strongly associated with people working in Arts, culture and heritage and people ‘engaging’ are visuals Arts (attending exhibitions) literary events and live dance.

As with the Sutton Trust Opportunity Index at the top of this Latest News, and our own Report Card, this new report adds to the growing amount of evidence on Arts access and engagement – and can only be helpful in terms of guiding policy in relation to breaking down barriers to opportunity in accessing the Arts.

Home schooling on the rise

The number of children in London being educated at home has gone up from 9,540 in 2022-2023 to 11,780 in 2024-2025 as the latest DfE figures show. The biggest rise has been seen in Tower Hamlets, with a 63% increase from 240 to 390. Bexley follows with a 58% rise, from 260 children to 410 and then Barking and Dagenham, from 350 to 550 – a 57% increase.

According to England-wide statistics released at the end of 2024, around 23% of parents or guardians say their reasons for home-educating are a result of lifestyle, philosophical or preferential choices or to move away from exam-based education. Around 13% of families say it is because of school dissatisfaction, including a lack of support for special educational needs and disabilities and school bullying. In addition, 14% say it is due to their child’s mental health.

This is the first time the data has become mandatory, which the DfE said may account in part for the increase. A DfE spokesperson said: “In the vast majority of cases, children can achieve and thrive best in schools; but we support parents’ right to home educate when the education is suitable, and it is in the child’s best interests. We want children to have the best life chances no matter the education setting.”

Overall parents across England are choosing home education for reasons including lifestyle choices, religious or cultural beliefs, a rejection of an exam-based education or wanting to give their child more support with their educational needs or mental health, according to government data. The fastest growing reason though from 2023-24 to 2024-25 is mental health.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill – currently going through parliament – is set to include all children not being educated in school so that local authorities can identify all these children in their area and ensure that that they are receiving a suitable education.

These new findings data made us reflect on our submission to the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for Education call for evidence on a ‘Love of Learning’ which opened in March and closed in April. The APPG set out evidence in March to suggest that engagement in education warranted further investigation:

• The OECD reported in PISA 2022 that the life satisfaction of 15-year-olds in England is lower than the OECD average – and the second lowest in Europe
• Absenteeism remains a sticky issue in spite of concerted efforts by schools and the government, the number of consistently absent pupils is 19.2% – 8.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels
• The DfE’s annual National Behaviour Survey has found that incidents of behaviour issues have increased annually
• Teachers job satisfaction and related challenges with recruitment and retention within the workforce continue to be a significant issue. Research from NASWUT has shown that poor behaviour is strongly linked to a teachers morale and enthusiasm for their job – with over half of teachers indicating that they have seriously considered leaving their role due to bad behaviour

Our submission to the enquiry, led by our Senior Evidence Associate, Professor Pat Thomson, focused on how Expressive Arts subjects foster a love of learning, contributing to personal expression and agency; process over product: multiple pathways to success; integration of cognition and emotion; joy in discovery; risk-taking in a safe space; and visible growth. The Arts can contribute to making school a desirable place for many children and young people – and can play a valuable role within home education for those who select this path for whatever reason.

Teaching union launches legal challenge to Ofsted

In early May a school leaders union was reported to be taking legal action against Ofsted’s proposed changes to the inspection of schools in England. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) had asked for a judge to review plans for new school report cards, which are due to be introduced in the autumn to replace one or two-word judgements. Its general secretary, Paul Whiteman (NAHT), said the plans amounted to “another crude grading system to hang over the heads of leaders”, and should be scrapped.

Ofsted said supporting mental health was an important part of the proposals and described that the union’s legal claims as untenable. The NAHT said it had issued a claim for a judicial review with the High Court for a judicial review. The decision came after the sister of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after an Ofsted inspection, called for the new system to be delayed. A letter signed by Professor Julia Waters and 30 others, including the general secretaries of four teaching unions, warned the changes would “continue to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of education staff and hence on students’ school experience”.

Ofsted plans to introduce new report cards, with schools being graded on 11 evaluation areas with a five-point grading scale. The public consultation that ended in April had more than 6,000 responses. Ofsted is planning to publish a report on the consultation findings in the summer before rolling out the new framework in November, but many think the timeframe is not realistic in terms of preparing schools or inspectors.

Shortly after this news emerged, Schools week reported that “Ofsted may postpone the roll-out of its new school inspections until 2026. While the proposal is only on the table and no decision has been made, it comes after the inspectorate promised wider changes to its inspections amid fierce backlash from the sector” It went on to report: “The inspectorate has already confirmed it is making a series of other concessions following feedback to its consultation and pilot inspections. It is working to clarify the difference between the middle ‘secure’ grade and higher ‘strong’ grade, following confusion.”

We made the point that itwould be helpful to see “cultural and Arts” specifically mentioned in curriculum as an indicator of a genuinely broad and balanced curriculum and it would be helpful to have “Arts rich” as an indicator for “Strong and exemplary”. Otherwise an entire area of the curriculum which has significant and evidenced personal and social benefits for children and young people (see our Capabilities Framework) is being neglected.

There must be some element of Ofsted scrutiny which covers breadth and balance and examines whether all curriculum areas are being covered; if not, school curricula can be distorted and can deny Arts opportunities to pupils. Ensuring that the Arts and culture are referenced in the curriculum section would address this.

Department for Education to look at rising SEND numbers

The government has pledged to investigate the reasons for increasing demand for SEND support and provide a “costed” plan for reforming the system later this year. The DfE has pledged this in response to the recent Public Accounts Committee report in which the Committee concluded that DfE’s ability to reform the system is “hindered by a lack of data, targets and a clear, costed plan”. It also called on the department to “urgently improve its data, and then use this information to develop a new fully costed plan for improving the SEN system, with concrete actions, and clear interdependencies, alongside metrics to measure outcomes”.

The government has agreed, saying it had already taken steps to improve its data: “The government intends to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail later this year.” As reported in Schoolsweek, the DfE has also given itself a deadline of this summer to meet a recommendation to “urgently involve local authorities in conversations to develop a fair and appropriate solution for when the statutory override ends in March 2026.” The statutory override is a mechanism that keeps SEND deficits off councils’ balance sheets, effectively preventing them from going bankrupt.

The DfE said it was unable to set out plans by March 2025 as requested by the Committee. When it sets out its plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail this will include details of how the government will support local authorities to deal with their historic and accruing deficits and any transition period from the current system to the reformed system. “This will inform any decision to remove the statutory override. It will be underpinned by our objective to ensure local authorities can deliver high quality services for children and young people with SEND in a financially sustainable way.”

While we’re on the topic of SEND it’s worth reporting that CLA responded to DfE’s Inclusive Practice call for evidence (which closed on 5 May) in which we stated that the fundamental inclusivity of Arts education stems from a set of core values that position the Arts as inherently accessible to all children. These values create a distinctive foundation that sets Arts education apart from other curriculum areas. Core values included four important beliefs. These – which Pat Thomson fully evidenced in our submission) – are that:

• Every child is an artist
• Every child has good ideas
• Every child is capable of learning Arts knowledges and skills, albeit in different ways
• Difference is an asset

We will share more on this submission – and on all our recent submissions to various government consultations – very soon.

Teacher recruitment: latest insights from Teacher Tapp and SchoolDash

The Teacher Tapp and SchoolDash annual report on teacher recruitment and retention, funded by the Gatsby Foundation, has just been published. This provides insights into the current state of the teaching profession in England by monitoring job advertisements and conducting surveys with more than 10,000 teachers and presenting key trends and challenges. Here are the key findings.

• No. 1: Secondary teacher recruitment activity is significantly lower than in recent years. Job advertisements for secondary school roles are down 31% compared to last year, and 22% lower than in the pre-pandemic 2018/19 academic year. Recruitment levels were typical in autumn but activity has slowed markedly since January, suggesting a quieter spring term for hiring – though some of this may yet appear in April/May data, to be captured in their summer update.
• No. 2: Both supply and demand factors are contributing to the current slowdown in secondary teacher recruitment. Fewer teachers are changing jobs following a period of high post-pandemic turnover, while schools – particularly in areas like London – are anticipating future declines in pupil numbers and are responding with more cautious staffing plans. Schools face serious budgetary pressures and 44% of secondary headteachers expect to reduce their teacher headcount in September, suggesting a contraction in the workforce may begin even before student enrolment numbers fall.
• No. 3: Falling pupil numbers are reducing demand for primary teachers, particularly in certain regions. Primary schools, particularly in London and the North East, are responding to demographic decline and budgetary pressures by reducing staff numbers, merging classes, or increasing senior leaders’ teaching responsibilities. Only 5% of primary headteachers expect to increase teacher numbers next year, while 36% expect a reduction, contributing to a subdued recruitment picture.
• No. 4: Teachers’ long-term commitment to the profession remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels. The proportion of teachers who expect to still be in the profession in three years has fallen from around 75% before the pandemic to approximately 60% today. Although this figure appears to have stabilised, it reflects a sustained shift that will remain challenging through higher turnover and greater staffing instability. Underlying concerns include limited flexibility, alternative career options, pay, accountability, and pupil behaviour.
• No. 5: Detailed socio-economic context beyond free school meal eligibility can matter. While traditional measures of disadvantage, such as free school meals and Pupil Premium, explain much of the variation in school recruitment activity and survey responses, other socio-economic factors appear to have effects too, for example in the relative demand for teachers across different subjects and for technicians of all types, as well as for survey responses about commitment to teaching, job satisfaction and pupil behaviour.

As we reveal in our 2025 Report Card, despite very slight increases in the number of Arts teachers for most Expressive Arts subjects (2022/23 to 2023/24), the picture for Arts Initial Teacher Training recruitment is extremely concerning. There have 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 look forward to sharing a full analysis on the evolving 2025 picture for Arts teacher recruitment in our next Report Card. In the meantime – as Baz Ramaiah states in our latest edition – if the government is to revalue the Arts through its Curriculum and Assessment Review in the autumn, it will require commensurate investment in Arts teacher recruitment to meet increased demand.  

CLA seeks new Trustees from the education sector

We are looking for a minimum of two new Trustees to join us now that we are established as a new charity after more than a decade of working as an informal alliance. We are specifically seeking applicants with experience of working in the education sector – and are interested in hearing from people with experience of Primary, Secondary, Further Education or SEND. We would welcome applications from younger applicants and those with no previous board experience – but equally don’t let this deter you if neither of these applies to you. We are committed to inclusion and diversity, and particularly welcome applications from individuals with an ethnically diverse background.

If you are passionate about the value of Arts education and think that you have the skills, qualities or experience to help us deliver our mission on behalf of all children and young people, then we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email telling us why you’re interested and summarising your relevant skills and commitment in no more than 500 words. To apply, email the Co-Chairs before 12 June 2025: info@culturallearningalliance.org.uk. For more information you can find our CLA Trustee Application Pack here.