Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh back arts education plan

A review of performing arts GCSEs and A Levels and more arts practitioners in schools are among the recommendations made by an industry education body’s first manifesto, supported by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. 

The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre’s inaugural manifesto proposes "a review of GCSE and A Level provision" in the performing arts to tackle what it called a "concerning" reduced take-up of dance, drama and music in schools.

It cited a 42% decline in completed GCSEs in performing arts subjects in the last decade, despite entries for these qualifications having increased during the same time. 

Uncovered last month by the Cultural Learning Alliance’s ’Report Card’ into arts education, the decrease in uptake in arts GCSEs has caused alarm throughout the sector, with Roundhouse chief executive and artistic director Marcus Davey saying it demonstrated the "systematic reprioritisation" of the arts. 

Key among the manifesto’s other recommendations is a call for the Department of Education to put more arts practitioners in schools in order to address a more than 20% reduction in both the number of performing arts teachers employed in "mainstream schools" and the curriculum hours for these subjects. 

The manifesto adds that these teachers "often work in isolation and outside currently nationally understood systems of teacher qualifications". 

Extending music hubs’ model to embrace dance and drama and integrating freelance performing arts practitioners into schools are suggested by the CDMT’s manifesto as solutions to this problem. 

The manifesto also calls on the government to "better celebrate" the creative industries’ contribution to the UK economy and its global reputation, noting that the creative and cultural industries generated £125 billion for the UK economy in 2022. 

Sponsored by both the Lloyd Webber and the Mackintosh Foundations, the manifesto is based on the findings of the CDMT’s 2023 report entitled ’Securing Access to Performing Arts Education for All: Building a Stronger Future’. 

Cameron Mackintosh commented in the CDMT’s manifesto: "For years the CDMT has fought to maintain standards in an area of education of which Great Britain can be rightly proud. I am pleased to be able to support them in this ongoing endeavour."

A spokesperson from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation added: "Quality performing arts education for all is critical to support the next generation of talent and can have a transformative impact on young people’s lives. 

"We applaud CDMT’s manifesto and mission."