Every primary school should become a “singing school” where music, drama, and visual arts are just as integral as literacy and numeracy, a new report suggests.
The Centre for Young Lives think tank and the Child of the North initiative say teachers should be given the time and resources to nurture children’s creativity through singing, music, painting, drawing and acting.
Among its recommendations is a call for the Government to put creativity and the expressive arts “at the heart” of the primary school curriculum.
“A career in the arts, music, and cultural industries must not become the preserve of only the most advantaged,” former children’s commissioner for England Baroness Anne Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said.
“Creativity and the expressive arts should be part and parcel of every child’s education from primary school, not just a small minority.”
The report has called for a £150 million “arts premium fund” to develop the existing primary school workforce and train new teachers to provide arts learning.
It added that the Government should expand arts and music education – including offering free music or singing lessons for three years for every primary school child who wishes to learn.
The report said: “A cultural shift is required to create inclusive schools and give the next generation the skills they require to grow the UK’s economy—one that places creativity and the arts at the heart of education and gives the creative industries the workforce they require.
“Schools should not merely be places of ‘reading, writing and maths’ but spaces where young people can express themselves, explore diverse identities, and develop the critical thinking skills needed to thrive. Embedding creativity into the curriculum is essential.
“Every primary school should be a ‘singing school,’ where music, drama, and visual arts are as integral as literacy and numeracy.”
The organisations have called for the arts to be integrated in subjects like history and science, and for Ofsted to recognise the importance of creativity and the arts in its inspections.
Baroness Longfield added: “Britain’s children have got talent – but we are often too slow to nurture it and we are frequently failing to harness the innate skills in our communities through our education system.
“This is hindering the ability of our country to flourish and thrive.
“Many of our most successful musicians and bands have benefited from a rich, cultural, and creative education in the private school sector.
“We need to invest in boosting the opportunities of children in our state schools, from all backgrounds, as part of a bold ambition to develop truly inclusive education, support creativity throughout childhood and to tackle problems like the attendance crisis and attainment gap.”
Camilla Kingdon, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “We cannot afford to continue to squander the innate talent that exists everywhere in our country.
“We must encourage our future Benjamin Zephaniahs, Ed Sheerans, and Bridget Rileys – we have a rich cultural heritage to nurture. We want a society where children of all abilities and talents can flourish.
“That relies on creating an environment that enables a child to discover their hidden musical talent, or their under-developed dramatic skills, or their untapped artistic ability – and this cannot be reliant on having parents who have time and resources to nurture these talents.
“We must have an education system that sees investment in art and creativity as equally important to languages and maths or science.
“There cannot be a hierarchy of talents – all of them are important and should be collectively nurtured by society.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “High and rising standards are at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and we are committed to ensuring access to the arts is no longer the preserve of a privileged few.
“To support this, we are investing in music education through our £79 million music hubs programme, a £25 million investment in instruments and equipment and our music opportunities pilot.
“The curriculum and assessment review is also bringing together leading education experts, leaders and staff, to consider how to ensure young people get the opportunity to access a broad and balanced curriculum.”
