Cheltenham is a town renowned, amongst other things, for its wonderful programme of festivals, some internationally feted, such as the Jazz Festival, and drawing in famous speakers and talent from all over the UK and the world.
Many of these festivals make use of the excellent performance spaces provided by the private schools, such as the Parabola Arts Centre. Throughout the year, other performance spaces owned by these schools, such as the theatre at Dean Close, are used for concerts, plays and shows.
We applaud the role these venues play in our cultural life, and the talented young people who have developed their skills in them. However, the schools in the state sector have found it increasingly difficult to provide a full range of arts education and experiences for their pupils, after significant cuts in funding under successive Conservative governments, and as a consequence of the exclusion of arts subjects in the EBacc performance measure for schools after 2010, since when there has been an overall decline of 42 per cent in arts GCSE entries and a 21 per cent drop in arts A-Levels entries.
As our new Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, recently noted, wealthier parents can afford to buy their children life chances in the form of extra sport, music or drama at weekends or after school. For her, policy must be “about working-class kids having every chance to succeed, because they are the people who need a brilliant education”.
So we look forward to an increase in funding for these activities and subjects. Meanwhile the curriculum review just announced will, according to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, ‘ put creative and sports opportunities back at the heart of a richer, larger life for every single child.’
Investment in every way in the arts also makes economic sense. As Lisa Nandy also said: “Through our partnerships with our mayors, councils, businesses and charities, we’re putting rocket boosters under our growing industries – film and theatre, TV, fashion, video games, heritage and tourism – to take the brakes off the economy, create opportunity for every child and to export our incredible talent across the world.”
Expanding opportunities by broadening the school curriculum to include more drama, art, music and sport, alongside core academic subjects is a priority for the Labour government. It is a first step in opening up exhilarating careers in this exciting industry for all Cheltenham’s young people.
And I look forward to the time when Cheltenham’s state schools can provide venues for festival events that rival those of the private schools.
Julie Farmer, Chair, Cheltenham Labour Party