Cultural education for London schools

The future of education in London should include schools engaging with cultural institutions, teaching about the city’s cultural significance and recording children’s cultural engagement, according to the report by a panel of leading educationalists who have led the Mayor of London’s Education Inquiry. As part of the proposed ‘London Curriculum’ students would learn about London from a number of perspectives, including its cultural impact, and should be offered the chance “to take forward a creative project with support from a professional arts company, creative adult or cultural organisation and present the end work to others, in exhibition or performance”. The value of ‘accrediting and celebrating’ achievement in the arts is seen as important, and the report echoes the recommendation made by Darren Henley in his Review of Cultural Education in England earlier this year for a passport scheme in which children’s engagement with cultural and sporting activities is recorded throughout their school career.

The Mayor's Education Inquiry