Commenting on the passing of Motion 8 at the Annual Conference of the National Education Union, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Arts education should be a right for all students. But to many students, it is a right denied.
“The glaring inequalities in provision have become a national scandal. While many schools in the independent sector have increased their spending on art, music and drama, state schools have experienced a draining away of resources. Specialist music provision is deprived of instruments, performance spaces and specialist staff. Art and drama struggle for curriculum space; English as a creative subject is under constant pressure.
“The NEU will seek to work with unions in the creative sector to expose and resist this closing down of opportunity. It calls on an incoming government to commit to a broad and balanced curriculum, with arts education having a central place, and to increase the funding for arts available to schools.”
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2023-046-NEU