NYT welcomes Government response to the Curriculum Review
This week’s move by the Government to put the arts back at the heart of schools is good news for young people and welcomed by the National Youth Theatre. These important changes will support our mission to provide access to life-changing arts opportunities for all young people.
This week’s Government announcement includes
- changes to the curriculum to give Arts equality with humanities and languages in the curriculum
- a new oracy framework to ensure more young people become confident and effective speakers
- a new enrichment entitlement for every pupil prioritising arts and culture around the curriculum
For the enrichment entitlement, the Department for Education are building on the work of the wider sector to develop a new Enrichment Framework to support schools and colleges. They are working alongside a working group consisting of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations and research, including NYT CEO & Artistic Director Paul Roseby OBE.
Paul Roseby said; ‘This is very welcome news, reclaiming and rebalancing the necessary steps to give equity, agency, curiosity and confidence to every child and young person in schools and colleges. These changes clearly endorse our tried and tested experience of the positive and life-affirming impact creative learning has if it’s encouraged and supported at the heart of education.'
'One of the greatest assets in the UK both culturally and financially is our globally recognised skill of storytelling. We expect a lot of our sports and entertainment heroes on the world stage, yet the art of the possible has often felt too impossible for so many young people back home. That journey should begin at school, and I believe thanks to these changes that it now can.’
The Government’s response to the Curriculum Review published yesterday states:
‘Government is not doing this alone. We recognise that philanthropy and civil society have a unique interest and ability to innovate, mobilise quickly and reach communities in ways government alone cannot. There are a broad range of partners that work alongside schools and colleges to help deliver a high-quality enrichment offer for all children and young people.'
'We welcome the commitment from organisations such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, National Youth Theatre, Clore Duffield Foundation, Into Film, Raspberry Pi Foundation, Young Enterprise, Youth Sport Trust and Natural History Museum to bring their expertise, passion and programmes to enable schools and colleges to deliver a strong and well-rounded enrichment offer to all pupils. We will continue to work with these partners and more to help strengthen enrichment opportunities for all young people.’