‘Slap in the face’: backlash against National's primary school tours cut

Speaking on behalf of more than 1,700 schools represented by his union, Kebede told The Stage: "Supporting theatre tours into schools is of course a particular benefit to children who otherwise might not get to a theatre production. It’s a real shame the NT haven’t got the capacity to keep its touring programme up."

"More art and drama is needed within the primary school experience as it is so important for children’s lives and enjoyment," he added.

Alex Duarte-Davies, director of theatre careers website Get Into Theatre, agreed that cash-strapped primary schools should not be the lone providers of theatre for children under the age of 11, telling The Stage: "It is unfair to put sole responsibility on the schools’ time and budgets to ensure primary-aged theatre exposure."

"Without these types of programmes, we will continue to see only the privileged entering into the industry, sitting in our audiences, or even being aware of what theatre is," she continued.

Duarte-Davies’ words underscore concerns raised by the Sutton Trust’s recent report, which indicates that working-class artists aged 35 and under are outnumbered by their middle class counterparts four to one.

Meanwhile, acclaimed children’s playwright David Wood said the National’s cut represented a "slap in the face" for efforts to tackle this imbalance, and also warned that, once lost, the primary school touring programme would be difficult to salvage. 

"Our flagship theatre has taken the step of cutting work for the youngest ones," Wood remarked, adding that the move set a "depressing example" for other theatre companies that he hoped would not catch on.

Wood said: "I would hope [the NT] might reconsider because of the protest being made. There’s a lot of quite dramatic statements being made – my feeling is disappointment... It’s very sad to nip [the touring] in the bud, and it will be difficult to get back."

Helen Matravers, artistic director and joint chief executive of children’s venue Polka Theatre, called on the National to "serve the national interest and engage people in theatre who wouldn’t otherwise be engaged".

"To take theatre out to schools is so key, because schools just don’t have the resources to do that any more," she told The Stage. 

In a ‘Top Trumps battle’ between struggling areas of the theatre sector for limited resources, primary schools must be prioritised, Matravers said. 

"We are acutely aware of the financial pulls on schools at the moment and disengagement of students from the arts, but [students of] primary school age are being left behind in all the conversations," she said.

"I have no idea where you take that money from, but there’s got to be a way it can be prioritised and the value in it really shouted about."   

Meanwhile Equity’s Class Network added in a statement: "In uncertain times, it is the tired narrative of austerity to punish those most in need while claiming there was no other choice. 

"The National Theatre must urgently reinstate this work, ringfencing the budgets to protect these opportunities for a generation."

Equity was one of a number of creative unions to back the open letter alongside the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, BECTU and the Musicians’ Union.   

In response to the letter, as well as highlighting real-terms cuts to its funding, the National Theatre said its schools programme would reach a "record" number of young people this year, pointing in particular to its upcoming secondary schools tour of The LeftBehinds and a new module it said was now engaging 2,500 primary schools. 

The NT also highlighted how 1.3 million students in the UK have access to the National Theatre Collection with use of its primary collection, in partnership with the Unicorn Theatre.

“We are continuing to explore how we bring productions to primary schools and are currently working in partnership with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education on a targeted primary schools project, [titled] Power of Play, to explore building creativity across the curriculum and inform our future work in primary schools. We continue to consult with schools and teachers across the UK to determine how best to support school needs and reach the widest audience possible," it said following the open letter.

Responding to the outcry in a further letter to The Stage, the NT’s co-chief executive Kate Varah added: "At all times we pledge to give a rounded and exciting offer to schools, and work with dedication to secure ever more funding to develop our programmes further and support the next generation of theatremakers as a priority.

"We fail to see anything embarrassing about that."

The NT Letter in full

The National Theatre’s schools programme will this year reach a record number of young people in a huge variety of ways, including student conferences, specialist teacher training, youth theatre programmes, training opportunities and digital learning, of which schools touring is one part.
Each year we reflect and review the National Theatre’s offering to ensure that we best support the needs of schools and reach the widest audience possible. In 2024, one focus is our schools tour of a brand-new production, The LeftBehinds, taking over a different school hall every day for 10 weeks across England reaching 10,000 pupils. Simultaneously, we are working with our touring partners throughout the nationwide tour of War Horse to engage with schools, offering ticket subsidies and leading workshops, talks and teacher CPD sessions. We currently have Young Technicians training across the UK, apprentices embedded backstage and are welcoming students on T-Level placements this month broadening pathways into the industry.
We are working in partnership with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education on a primary schools project, Power of Play, to explore building creativity across the curriculum. In the new year over a thousand children from priority primary schools will visit the Olivier theatre for our production of Ballet Shoes, accompanied by associated in-school workshops.
Above all, the National Theatre is committed to enabling every young person in the UK to experience the NT before they leave school. 89% of secondary schools are signed up for free access to the National Theatre Collection reaching 1.3 million students across the UK; and we’ve invested in a new primary module – now reaching 2,500 primary schools in partnership with the Unicorn Theatre and specifically designed to introduce primary students to theatre. And it is worth noting that the impact of the 2023 touring production of Hamlet was fantastic and ambitious, reaching over 7,700 pupils in 100 schools across the country.
We’d like to run all our programmes simultaneously but due to funding constraints across our organisation and the drop in ACE funding, we have to make choices each year. However, at all times we pledge to give a rounded and exciting offer to schools, and work with dedication to secure ever more funding to develop our programmes further and support the next generation of theatre-makers as a priority.
I fail to see anything embarrassing about that.

Kate Varah
Co-chief executive of the National Theatre