Next government should make arts 'a necessity' in state schools

The erosion and devaluation of the arts in state schools must be addressed as a priority by the next government, leading theatre figures in England have urged.

- Chris Wiegand

Sir Nicholas Hytner, who ran the National Theatre in London for 12 years, said that state schools "have been robbed❞ and that restoring arts education was urgent to ensure that there was "not just a new generation of artists but a new generation of audiences". Nancy Medina, the artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, said the arts should be a "necessity for all pupils" and not just the "preserve" of independent schools. Theresa Heskins, the artistic director of Staffordshire's New Vic, said the next government should commit to providing every schoolchild a theatre trip.

Data released last month by the Cultural Learning Alliance revealed that there had been an overall decline of 42% in the number of arts GCSE entries and 21% in arts A-level entries since Michael Gove's introduction of the Ebacc system, which excludes all arts subjects, in 2010. In that time, teacher recruitment in music has fallen by 56% and 42% of schools no longer enter any pupils for music GCSE, while 41% no longer enter any pupils for drama at the same level.