Cultural education ‘at risk’ following ACE shakeup

The end of an Arts Council England (ACE) programme designed to connect children and young people with arts and culture has resulted in an absence of infrastructural support between the cultural and education sectors and risks affecting the quality of provision, a study has warned.

The report, written by freelance consultant David Parker, found that Bridge Network organisations, which were jointly funded by ACE and the Department for Education between 2012 and 2023, worked with all National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) that identified young people as a strategic focus and 87% of all NPOs.

At a cost of £10m a year, the network of 10 organisations worked to increase creative opportunities for children and young people and leverage new funding into their region. But the programme came to an end when ACE stopped funding the Bridge Network in March 2023 to coincide with the start of its new National Portfolio round.

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Parker’s report evaluates the legacies that remain from the network and what stands to be lost if replacements do not emerge. It says the decision to not collectively fund the Bridge organisations means that “for the first time in over 40 years, cultural learning has no form of infrastructural support that explicitly recognises the need for linkage between the cultural and education sectors.”

Seven of the Bridge organisations now receive funding as NPOs, but the report says that as they are operating under different auspices, “there is [now] no network that can claim to aggregate and organise a national young person-focused offer”.

“Moreover, those important, subtle ways of working within the liminal spaces between education and cultural sectors will likely be lost as a coherent national offer," the report states

“Consequently, there is a greater risk of patchier arts provision and more variable coverage for young people as well as less consistent quality of delivery.”

Attracting additional investment

The report found that during their existence Bridge organisations mobilised and supported Local Cultural Education Partnerships, of which there are now 151 in England, attracting £24.3m through partnership investment.

Meanwhile, 59% of schools in England engaged in Bridge activity and 20.2% of schools embarked on their Artsmark accreditation, which is estimated to have involved more than 1.9m children.

Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings in England. The report calls Artsmark a “great ACE success story”, adding “it was made possible by the reach and receptivity of the Bridges, which advocated for the programme and built demand locally”.

The Artsmark scheme is now continuing independent to Bridge funding, with Goldsmiths, University of London recently announced as a new activity partner.

“The network of regional Bridge organisations achieved huge impact for young people’s cultural education,” an infographic produced by the CLA reads.

“Policy makers and funders must recognise what can be achieved through coordinated local brokerage and knowledge.”

An ACE spokesperson said: “We will continue supporting organisations working strategically, and investing in more organisations delivering creative opportunities for children and young people.

“This investment includes 78% of the organisations in our National Portfolio for 2023-26, who will deliver work for children and young people.”

Full list of Bridge organisations, 2012-2023

A New Direction
Artswork
Arts Connect
Curious Minds
IVE
Norfolk & Norwich Festival
The Mighty Creatives
Real Ideas Organisations
Royal Opera House
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums