Arts and culture

These are the proposals that came out of our people’s assembly on culture held on 22 one in Hove

ARTS

Fund holiday activities for all children – youth sailing trusts, theatre, music – 3 weeks each summer

Support community theatre groups

Create community spaces in all neighbourhoods as spaces for non-commercial, grassroots culture

Reduce working week to 4 days so people have time and energy to engage in culture

Universal basic income to replace many means tested benefits – much cheaper to administer and far less demeaning

Create funded arts apprentices for low income young people

Treat the arts as an essential part of British economy and national life

Make high arts and culture accessible through compulsory affordable ticketing for all events, eg ballet, opera, theatre.

EDUCATION

Include music as part of compulsory school curriculum. Fund music, art and drama in school timetable, not as extracurricula.

Make creative GCSEs compulsory as well as STEM. Arts and sciences to have parity in education

Decolonise the curriculum and education system. Teach the British Empire and colonialism objectively and critically.

Teach politics from the age of 10 – understanding key political movements and history eg socialism, birth of democracy, feminism, gay rights, black power movements, anti-colonial movements, slavery.

Teach critical thinking and philosophy to all students

Libraries – offer free music lessons, drama, art.

Arts – diversity within literature, arts and humanities, with teaching of global cultures.

Stop measure based targets for success

Adult education with everyone allowed to take one-year, and short term funded sabbaticals during working life.

End academisation – bring schools back into local authority control

Universities – abolish fees and restore direct funding of universities and education grants. Cap student rents. End private control of universities. 

Ensure full access to education for people with special educational needs, neurodiversity, and disabilities

Recognition of play as a necessary means for learning

Match UK budget for the British Council and the Arts to the defence budget (2.5% of GDP)