Serota moots early education ‘Arts Start’ programme

The Labour government should provide universal access to creative activities for preschool children in order to address barriers to opportunity and strengthen the place of arts and culture in society, Arts Council England (ACE) Chair Nicholas Serota has said.

Setting out a five-point plan for a "cultural reboot to fix the arts", Serota said it is necessary to "begin at the beginning" by providing children with access in their early years.

This would involve the establishment of a national “Arts Start” programme – a universal offer for preschool children with art and creativity at its heart, delivered via services that families use every day – such as GP surgeries, nurseries, and libraries.

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"As well as enhancing educational outcomes, the arts invest children with lifelong cultural capital," Serota, who has been Chair of ACE since 2016, said in a comment piece published in The Observer.

"Currently, however, this capital is unevenly distributed – and that unevenness throws up further barriers to opportunity for those already on the back foot. 

"We need to ensure that all children, everywhere, have access to the inspiration and joy that culture and creativity bring: for their benefit, and ultimately – as they grow into happier, healthier, more productive adults – for ours."

'Ready to expand'

Serota said the programme could be built on the learnings from the Sure Start programme – a government drive beginning in 1998 to establish a network of children's centres and other services to support local families with children under 5, including health services, parenting support, early learning and childcare, and parental employment support.

Under Sure Start the number of children's centres rose to around 3,620 in 2010, but the Conservative government ditched the concept and the number of children's centres has since fallen to 2,204 in 2023.

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said in an interview for the Rest is Politics podcast last month that Labour could not promise to reinstate Sure Start because of the wider economic position.

But Serota says the "building blocks are in place" for an 'Arts Start' programme. 

"Many excellent organisations and artists work in early years settings and stand ready to expand their creative offer," he said. 

"We have the tools at hand to set this in motion, and are ready to work with government to deliver it."

Alongside a focus on early education, Serota is also calling for an overhaul of the specialist pathways available to young people who want to become professional performers and artists, cultural infrastructure to be part of new housing developments, the country's standing as a cultural powerhouse to be maintained and an end to "the culture wars".

Moment of transition

"These are not new ideas; nor is this the first time we have advocated for them," Serota said. 

"I believe that, by committing to these five areas, we will be committing to changing our approach to culture and creativity: to recognising their value and validity; investing in them as engines of economic growth and social change; and promoting the exceptional, inspirational work they produce every day. 

"In doing so we will pave the way for a revitalised cultural sector, tuned into its communities’ needs, hopes and dreams, with the power to change our country’s future, and its citizens’ lives."

Serota's plan has received a mixed reaction on social media, with some people welcoming his ideas while others say the public body's previous action are in conflict with his comments.

Louis Coiffait-Gunn CEO of CILIP, The Library and Information Association, said there was "much sense" in the article.

"Nice to see recognition of libraries' role as a network of cultural delivery organisations at the heart of our communities, of the importance of intellectual freedom, and of the urgent need to address local authority funding," he said on Linkedin.

Arts writer and academic Alexandra Wilson, writing on X, said: "Some good points here, but in the light of the ACE cuts, some nerve too…

"Some irony in the freedom of expression plea too, I think?"

And cultural academic Dr Marc Garrett said Serota is "far too distant and posh to reboot culture"

"He's miles away from what's really happening on the ground," Garrett said.

"We need a diverse grassroots revival beyond elitist hegemonies to regrow the links beyond comfy specialists."