4.5b What are the barriers to access cultural education, and what are the most effective interventions to close participation gaps, including the role of formal, informal and community provision?

Background

The department is keen to understand how cultural education, whether in educational settings or through less formal routes/environments, helps improve children and young people’s attendance and attainment at school. We are also interested in understanding the value of cultural learning, via the approach set out in the Culture and Heritage Capital programme. In addition, we remain interested in whether cultural learning and enrichment supports children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, supports community cohesion, and supports them to develop key life skills like creative thinking, resilience, and teamwork. We are interested in how impact can differ, for example depending on the art form or frequency. We are looking to build our evidence base on how specific cultural education approaches can boost skills, support the growth of the cultural sectors and make cultural professions more accessible and impactful on the lives of children and young people.

Next steps

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