Sally Bacon OBE, formerly Director of the Clore Duffield Foundation

“Despite all we know about the value of the arts for children and young people, there is a lack of value ascribed to these subjects, access to which can no longer be assumed in the compulsory education sector. A coherent and comprehensive rationale for what schools teach has been largely replaced with narrow accountability measures, which in turn marginalise the arts in every aspect of the system, from initial teacher training to inspection and league tables. This damaging situation is peculiar to England, with a more arts-rich and inclusive approach evident in both Wales and Scotland, as well in the independent sector, where it leads a two-tier system in which many young people are excluded from participation in the arts”.