The Stage

Burnham launches plan to encourage children to take part in arts

Published Wednesday 13 February 2008 at 16:15 by Lalayn Baluch

A new government initiative to ensure that children experience at least five hours of arts every week has come under fire from teaching unions, who have described the plans as unrealistic and naive.

The criticisms follow today’s announcement by new culture secretary Andy Burnham and children’s minister Ed Balls that £135 million will be invested in a scheme entitled Find Your Talent, designed to encourage children to participate in cultural activities.

The three-year programme will be initially piloted by ten local authorities around the country and will be implemented by a new organisation called the Youth Culture Trust. The trust will receive £110 million over three years, as well as £25 million to pilot the programme, and will also be responsible for a creative partnership project working with 2,000 schools annually.

Speaking at the launch, Burnham said: “I am clear in my mind that by giving young people the opportunity to take part, to work with professionals in the arts world, even if they don’t then develop a talent that they go further with, it gives them life skills, it gives them communication skills, presentational skills, that will stand them in great stead for the rest of their lives.”

Find Your Talent will give children the opportunity to perform on stage and attend professional shows, get hands-on experience of creative industries including film, radio and TV, and learn a musical instrument with a view to performing in front of an audience.

However, the plans have been met with scepticism by the teaching world.

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Everyone would want young people to engage more in positive activities and schools play their part in encouraging pupils to do worthwhile things. Many of these activities are already offered in schools - music groups, drama productions, theatre visits for example. But it is not possible for schools to make provision for every pupil to have an entitlement to do five hours per week of such activities.”

Meanwhile, National Union of Teachers general secretary Steve Sinnott warned that in order for the scheme to work, extra cash has to be plugged into schools and arts centres, and the “excessive testing regime” must be lifted from schools to allow for creativity.

Professional Association of Teachers national chairperson Geraldine Everett said: “This is an admirable intention, but naive. It is fine-sounding rhetoric but demonstrates little understanding of the practical issues.”

The plan is part of a range of 20 schemes drawn up by ministers which are intended to promote creativity in Britain. The full plans are expected to be unveiled in a government Green Paper next week.

Outlining commitment to the arts and creative industries, the document is reported to include suggestions for initiatives such as developing a Davos-style “world creative economy forum”, setting up an academy for creative arts aimed at 14 to 25-year-olds and introducing 1,000 apprenticeships. A five-year strategy to make the country more competitive in creative industries could also be in the pipeline.