On 27 November 2014, the House of Lords is scheduled to debate the following motion: “that this House takes note of the case for arts education in schools”
The Case for Arts Education in Schools (336 KB , PDF)
On 27 November 2014, the House of Lords is scheduled to debate the following motion:
“that this House takes note of the case for arts education in schools”
Information presented in this Note has been compiled to provide background reading for Members ahead of the debate.
Commentators have stated that the value of the arts and culture, both in schools and more generally, is difficult to quantify. However, despite this, several studies using an evidence based approach have been conducted on the issue. A selection of these studies is summarised in this Note, together with an outline of government activity relating to arts education, the Opposition position on this issue and a brief synopsis of sector opinion on government reforms to arts education in schools.
The Case for Arts Education in Schools (336 KB , PDF)
Schools are currently required to actively promote British values. These values were taken from the 2011 Prevent strategy. The Education (Values of British Citizenship) Bill [HL] would require any statement relating to British values for education purposes, made by public authorities in England and Wales, to include certain values, some of which are different from those currently set out.
![Education (Values of British Citizenship) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 12 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Education-568x426.jpg)
In its manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election, the Labour Party stated that if elected it would remove the current exemption from VAT and business rates for independent schools. The impact of this measure has been debated; some estimate a net benefit to the government of £1.3bn to £1.5bn, while others argue it could result in a net cost.
In recent years, many universities have faced financial challenges. This has been attributed to several factors, including the impact of inflation on the real-terms value of tuition fee income from undergraduates, a dependence on international student numbers and increases in the cost of living. These challenges have led to some universities reducing their education provision and staffing allocations.
