Debbonaire: Labour will make creativity central to curriculum

Creative education will be at the heart of the school curriculum under a Labour government, Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire has said.

Speaking at the opening of the Big Creative UK Summit yesterday (6 March), Debbonaire said she wants "every child to have the best music, art, drama and dance".

She said she is currently working alongside Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on plans to "tear down barriers to opportunity", should Labour win the next general election.

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"We want every child to have the best music, art, drama dance – the bulwarks – because creative industries need workers equipped with the skills to take on the dynamic jobs in the future," she said.

"It's not just about preparing young people for the jobs of the future. It's also about the joy it brings now and later, and that's so important for mental health, for resilience. 

"Whatever it is that you're good at, being able to discover it, and then enjoy it for your full life course is so important. We know that it makes us happier and healthier physically and mentally. 

"So I'm working with [Shadow Education Secretary] Bridget Phillipson to make sure we get creativity back into the heart of the curriculum and sort out training and apprenticeships so that they work better for people who want to work in these industries."

She said the party also wants to adapt apprenticeships so they can more easily provide a route into the highly skilled jobs the creative industries rely on.

Concerns have previously been raised over lack of focus on creativity in schools across the UK.

The Conservative Government is currently working on a cultural education plan, first announced in the Department for Education’s Schools White Paper in March 2022, which is intended to ensure access to a diverse range of cultural education and activities for all children and young people and had been due for publication by the end of last year.

Labour leader Kier Starmer has previously said every child will be given the opportunity to take arts subjects until the age of 16 as part of the party’s plans for education policy. 

Economic growth

Debbonaire also said that while she highly values the joy that arts and culture bring, the sector can be central to Labour's plans to grow the economy.

"Labour sees the creative industries as essential for economic growth," she said.

"Economic growth is really important because we need it to invest in our schools, our hospitals, everything that we want to achieve the public services that need rebuilding. 

"We need more money in the arts and the creative industries. I am rooting for us in the budget today. I want to see a government that invests in arts, culture and creative industries. Trust me, we will. 

"Whatever happens [with the budget] today, I'm constantly working on how we can gain more money, especially in a context where people and the country as a whole face huge financial challenges."

Expanding on comments made earlier this year when she pledged to identify new funding sources for arts and culture if Labour is elected to power, she said she is exploring opportunities to increase income from sponsorships, philanthropy, the National Lottery and private sector investment.

"If we win the general election, Keir Starmer will lead a decade of national renewal. Arts and culture are central to that. The creative industries can and should be the engine of our economic growth," she said.