The North East is well known for its vibrant and varied cultural scene, including everything from cutting edge contemporary art at the Baltic Centre and MIMA, to world heritage sites such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian’s Wall. But are North East schools fully exploiting the region’s cultural assets?
An independent review of cultural education commissioned by the Government and released today, aims to make England's cultural education "the envy of the world”.
The review led by Darren Henley, the managing director of Global Radio's national classical music station, Classic FM, covers all areas of cultural education and suggests 24 major recommendations to ensure that all children leave school as "well-rounded individuals with a knowledge of the world, past and present, around them.”
To enhance the quality, range and accessibility of cultural education, the review recommends changes to the curriculum, Ofsted guidance and teaching training. In particular, Henley expresses concerns that the introduction of the EBacc has undermined cultural education in the school curriculum. He asks Government to make it mandatory for students to study at least one cultural subject (aside from English literature and history) to GCSE level and introduce a culture subjects category as a sixth strand to the English Baccalaureate.
The report also outlines the expected cultural experiences every child should have accessed at different ages in their education. It then recommends ideas to improve current provision including the development of a cultural education passport scheme for every child and the creation of a single website to signpost schools to cultural education opportunities in their area.
The findings of the review have been welcomed by Education Secretary Michael Gove and Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, who have committed £15 million of funding over three years to make the recommendations a reality.
Responding to the review, Education Secretary Michael Gove said, “Many children, especially poorer children, do not visit museums or art galleries, or go to concerts or the theatre, with their families. That is why we must strengthen what is offered in schools. Cultural education must not be a closed shop for poorer pupils. I want to end any suggestion that high culture is only for the privileged few.”
Yesterday, Gove announced that English Heritage would receive £2.7m over the next three years to develop a programme of ‘Heritage Schools’ involving the recruitment of local heritage experts to work with clusters of schools. Newcastle was identified as one of the “regional historic centres already being considered as part of the programme”.
Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: "Outside every school there is a rich history. In the high street, the housing estate, the park, riverside and field, every town, city and village is full of places in which significant events have taken place. "Our Heritage Schools initiative will bring history to life both in the classroom and out of it, weaving it into the life of the community and endowing present and future generations of children with a vivid understanding of the place in which they grew up."
Ways to get involved
The report specifically highlights the importance of ‘Bridge Organisations’. Their purpose is “to make a step change in improving the delivery of arts and cultural opportunities for children and young people, acting as a bridge between the arts, culture and education sectors.” SCHOOLS NorthEast Commercial Supporter, The Sage Gateshead, will be the Bridge organisation for the North East from April 2012 until March 2015. To help them achieve their aims The Bridge would like to consult with school leaders from across the region about how they currently engage with arts and culture. To contribute to their research please click the following link to take part in a short online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NDTHJTV
In addition, SCHOOLS NorthEast is currently developing a number of projects to support schools to better exploit the region’s assets. The Asset Rich North East programme includes the development of an area based curriculum for the region (the Great North Curriculum), NEtitled – an experiences entitlements scheme for children and young people and an Alumni programme linking schools with employees in North East businesses, cultural sector and beyond. If you would be interested in hearing more about these plans please email Beccy Earnshaw r.earnshaw@schoolsnortheast.com