Henley to put the spotlight on cultural education

An independent review of cultural education is to be led by Classic FM Managing Director Darren Henley, following his widely acclaimed review of music education which reported to ministers earlier this year. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has gone on record as saying that all children, regardless of background, should have a solid cultural education, and the review will explore the opportunities they have to take part in performance and visual arts and learn about the UK’s cultural, architectural and film heritage. Henley has issued an open invitation to anyone who wants to contribute to the consultation and feed into his review. He will aim to create a definition of what a solid cultural education should comprise and how to make sure that all young people benefit from it. Announcing the review, Vaizey said: “Our culture brings audiences from across the world and we are particularly adept at producing world-leading performers and artists. To remain in such a strong position we need to be sure that we are giving children the best start in their cultural education. This should not just be an optional extra, but an essential part of every child’s school life… Darren Henley did a fantastic job with his review of music education and is perfectly positioned to lead this review.”