Thousands call on government to deliver 'missing' £90m arts premium for schools

Nearly 14,000 people have called on the government to ensure its promised ‘arts premium’ is delivered to schools, amid fears it could be scrapped in next week’s spending review before ever being implemented.

A petition from Public Campaign for the Arts is warning that secondary schools remain without £90 million of pledged government funding for arts programmes, which it says was due to be in place for this academic year.

"Secondary schools are missing £90 million of pledged government funding for arts programmes and activities this academic year.

"It was due to reach schools last month at a crucial moment in young people’s recovery from the pandemic," the campaign states.

The scheme is now "subject to this year’s spending review", according to former schools’ minister Nick Gibb, who addressed the funding in a written reply to a question about it last month.

The arts premium was part of the Conservative Party’s 2019 election manifesto and promised to fund cultural activity for secondary school pupils in a similar way to the existing PE and sport premium for primary schools.

The initiative was later confirmed by chancellor Rishi Sunak, who announced in the 2020 Budget that a £90 million arts premium would be introduced "to fund enriching activities for all pupils".

This would see the average secondary school receive £25,000 a year for three years.

However last month, Gibb, who has since left the schools’ minister role, said: "Due to the focus on new priorities as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the arts premium is now subject to this year’s spending review." This concludes on October 27.

The Department for Education declined to comment.

The Public Campaign for the Arts’ petition states: "Young people have suffered enough during the pandemic, which has taken a devastating toll on mental health and educational inequality. Now more than ever, every child must have the opportunity to express and develop their creativity, inside and outside school."

13,931 people have so far signed the petition calling on Sunak to keep the government’s manifesto promise and deliver an arts premium of at least £90 million a year, as well as increase national investment in the arts.

It also demands the government maintains plans for a £500 million Youth Investment Fund – also a 2019 manifesto pledge – which will include support for youth centres to provide extracurricular arts activities.