Tuning In, Giving Back
March 18, 2025
Creativity at the Heart of Learning
A Curious response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report – March 2025
Curious Minds is a national force for change in education. We work at the intersection of arts, culture and enrichment learning to unlock creativity, curiosity and opportunity for every child - especially those furthest from it.
We know that creativity transforms lives. When children and young people experience high-quality cultural learning, whether through a theatre visit, a dance workshop, or a classroom project that sparks curiosity, they gain more than knowledge. They develop curiosity, confidence, character, and connection. They learn how to think, feel, and contribute to the world around them.That’s why the Curriculum and Assessment Review matters. It offers a long-overdue opportunity to shape a national education system that truly works for every learner, not just those who already thrive within it. This moment invites bold thinking, radical inclusion, and sector-wide collaboration. But turning ambition into action will require more than vision – it demands leadership, infrastructure, and courage.
Squeezed Out: The Arts Under Pressure in Schools
The Review confirms what arts practitioners and data have shown for over a decade: that arts subjects are in long-term decline. Drama, music, dance, design, and media - once central to a broad curriculum - are being pushed to the margins. As the Cultural Learning Alliance’s 2024 Report Card shows, this isn’t a dip, it’s a structural failure.We challenge the Review’s claim that falling GCSE arts entries are offset by rising uptake of Technical Awards. CLA data tells a different story. While these alternatives are valuable, overall arts participation is falling, especially in schools serving low-income communities.
"The legacy of 'Fatima’s next job' still casts a shadow."
This isn’t about demand, it’s about access, pressure, and policy signals. When the system deprioritises the arts, it tells young people - especially those from low-income backgrounds - that these subjects don’t matter or lead anywhere meaningful. The legacy of “Fatima’s next job” still casts a shadow. Arts are increasingly seen as optional extras, not serious, skills-based pathways into good jobs. Meanwhile, access to high-quality provision is quietly becoming a paid-for privilege.
Policy choices over the past decade have quietly shaped a two-tier system, where access to the arts depends on what families can afford and on the bravery of headteachers willing to bend the system to make space for creativity.
At Curious Minds, we refuse to accept that inequality in cultural access is inevitable. We work to challenge this imbalance by supporting schools, by empowering Teaching Artists and by designing programmes that put high-quality creative opportunities within reach for all young people, not just the fortunate few. We believe a truly fair education system must make space for curiosity, culture and creativity at every level, for every learner.
At Curious Minds, we refuse to accept that inequality in cultural access is inevitable. We work to challenge this imbalance by supporting schools, by empowering Teaching Artists and by designing programmes that put high-quality creative opportunities within reach for all young people, not just the fortunate few. We believe a truly fair education system must make space for curiosity, culture and creativity at every level, for every learner.
The EBacc Effect: Narrowing Choices, Limiting Life-Chances
We welcome the Review’s recognition that EBacc performance measures restrict student choice and school flexibility. This is an issue arts advocates, including Curious Minds and CLA, have raised for over a decade.When seven of nine GCSE slots are pre-filled, creative subjects are squeezed out. The implicit message? Some knowledge matters more than others. The arts are treated as optional extras; nice to have, if time and money allow.
Too often, the arts are framed as a break from ‘real’ learning: fun, but not fundamental. But this reflects the joylessness of a system driven by high-stakes exams, where knowledge-led curricula can become content-heavy and creativity-light. Enrichment gives way to booster sessions; learning becomes test preparation.
In this climate, meaningful cultural experiences such as artist residencies, off-site visits and creative partnership are increasingly out of reach. Teachers tell us how hard it is to justify time away from the classroom. And when every hour is weighed against exam prep, the most formative, horizon-expanding opportunities are lost.
Too often, the arts are framed as a break from ‘real’ learning: fun, but not fundamental. But this reflects the joylessness of a system driven by high-stakes exams, where knowledge-led curricula can become content-heavy and creativity-light. Enrichment gives way to booster sessions; learning becomes test preparation.
In this climate, meaningful cultural experiences such as artist residencies, off-site visits and creative partnership are increasingly out of reach. Teachers tell us how hard it is to justify time away from the classroom. And when every hour is weighed against exam prep, the most formative, horizon-expanding opportunities are lost.
The result? A curriculum that doesn’t spark curiosity, enable self-expression, or connect to the wider world. We lose not just joy; we risk losing people altogether (learners and teachers). Rising absenteeism, disengagement and teacher vacancies are telling signs. We must not underestimate the role a narrow, joyless curriculum plays in this.
At Curious Minds, we work directly with young people most at risk of cultural disengagement. Through our Curious Citizens programme, we’ve seen how access to the arts rebuilds engagement, boosts attendance, and reignites a love of learning (and teaching). After just five cultural experiences, 77% of participants felt more positive about school.
That’s the power of cultural learning. But right now, the young people who need it most are least likely to access it.
At Curious Minds, we work directly with young people most at risk of cultural disengagement. Through our Curious Citizens programme, we’ve seen how access to the arts rebuilds engagement, boosts attendance, and reignites a love of learning (and teaching). After just five cultural experiences, 77% of participants felt more positive about school.
That’s the power of cultural learning. But right now, the young people who need it most are least likely to access it.
Cultural Capital: a lost opportunity for clarity and equity
One omission from the Review that we regret is the absence of the term ‘cultural capital’. Whilst often misinterpreted, cultural capital has served as one of the few formal prompts for schools to take responsibility for learners’ cultural lives.At Curious Minds, we found the concept of cultural capital to be a useful motivator and conversation starter. It helped schools think seriously about how they were preparing students to access, understand and contribute to the cultural world around them, especially those whose families could not afford to do so outside school.
But cultural capital only works when it’s understood in its full, expansive sense; not just as a list of ‘important works’ or a nod to tradition. True cultural capital is about exposure, confidence, taste, and belonging. It’s about supporting young people to develop the knowledge, experiences, and critical skills they need to navigate and shape the world. It’s also about making sure that where a child starts in life doesn’t limit where they end up.
That’s why ‘high quality’ cultural education matters - because quality and equality go hand-in-hand. Good enough isn’t good enough, especially when we’re trying to close disadvantage and attainment gaps. Cultural learning needs to be brilliant, relevant, and delivered in ways that help young people see themselves reflected and valued.
That’s why Curious Minds doesn’t just advocate for incredible cultural education opportunities, we help make them happen. We broker partnerships, build infrastructure, and invest in the people who make these moments possible. Cultural education shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be part of what every young person is entitled to experience and to shape.
Teaching Artists – a vital workforce
It’s no surprise the Curriculum and Assessment Review makes no mention of Teaching Artists or creative practitioners. They’ve long been absent from national education conversations - despite their proven value in classrooms and communities.
Teaching Artists are practising creatives - musicians, dancers, theatre-makers, designers - who are also skilled and experienced educators. They work in schools, youth settings and cultural venues, sparking curiosity and translating their artforms into powerful learning experiences.
Teaching Artists are practising creatives - musicians, dancers, theatre-makers, designers - who are also skilled and experienced educators. They work in schools, youth settings and cultural venues, sparking curiosity and translating their artforms into powerful learning experiences.
Teaching Artists are already part of the education ecosystem but rarely acknowledged in policy. That must change!
Teaching Artists bring subject expertise, cultural insight, and fresh pedagogy. In schools where capacity is stretched, they co-design learning that is rich, relevant, and rigorous. Their contribution aligns closely with the Review’s call for enrichment, adaptability, and creativity.
Yet they remain undervalued. Many are freelance, working in isolation, without access to professional development or workforce planning. Without infrastructure and investment, their talent is underused - just when it’s most needed.
Curious Minds has spent over a decade championing this workforce; offering training, brokerage and partnerships that connect Teaching Artists meaningfully with schools. Our work with Goldsmiths, University of London, is building the evidence base for their impact on learning, engagement, and creative confidence. Their contribution isn’t a luxury; it’s part of the solution.
We urge the final Review to recognise Teaching Artists as key to access and quality in cultural education. We stand ready to support government in shaping policy that invests in this vital workforce.
Teaching Artists bring subject expertise, cultural insight, and fresh pedagogy. In schools where capacity is stretched, they co-design learning that is rich, relevant, and rigorous. Their contribution aligns closely with the Review’s call for enrichment, adaptability, and creativity.
Yet they remain undervalued. Many are freelance, working in isolation, without access to professional development or workforce planning. Without infrastructure and investment, their talent is underused - just when it’s most needed.
Curious Minds has spent over a decade championing this workforce; offering training, brokerage and partnerships that connect Teaching Artists meaningfully with schools. Our work with Goldsmiths, University of London, is building the evidence base for their impact on learning, engagement, and creative confidence. Their contribution isn’t a luxury; it’s part of the solution.
We urge the final Review to recognise Teaching Artists as key to access and quality in cultural education. We stand ready to support government in shaping policy that invests in this vital workforce.
Teachers need more than a mandate - they need support
We know teachers want to deliver brilliant arts education. But too many are under-equipped, under-supported, and overstretched. The pressure to prioritise core subjects leaves little time or energy to innovate or collaborate.That’s why Curious Minds invests in building capacity where the system can’t. Through our SLiCE® programme and Leading the Arts in Your School, we support school leaders and teachers to lead with confidence. We connect schools with artists, cultural organisations, and community partners. We create space for the arts to thrive again.
Because meaningful change doesn’t come from policy alone. It comes from professional educators who are empowered, equipped, and connected.
A new definition and a shared responsibility
We welcome the Review’s attempt to rearticulate the purpose of the national curriculum. Framing it as a “teleological endeavour” with holistic aims is ambitious and refreshing.But let’s be honest - teleological is not plain English. It’s not a term likely to resonate with pupils, parents or even most teachers. If we want to rebuild trust in education, we must speak in ways that are inclusive, clear, and human.
That said, the intent behind the words matters. We fully support a curriculum that aims to develop intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, and spiritual growth. We’re especially pleased to see cultural education named explicitly, opening the door for the arts to be recognised as essential, not additional.
"Schools cannot deliver this alone. They need access to cultural partners, investment in enrichment, and recognition for creative teaching."
But ambition needs scaffolding. Schools cannot deliver this alone. They need access to cultural partners, investment in enrichment, and recognition for creative teaching. They need a system that values creativity, not just in rhetoric, but in structure.
A curriculum for the future - rooted in creativity
As the Review notes, we are educating for a world of unprecedented change. AI, climate, media literacy, global citizenship. These are not abstract challenges; they are shaping the lives and futures of every child in every classroom.The knowledge, skills and experiences needed to meet this moment will not come from traditional subjects alone. They will come from an education system that fosters curiosity, imagination, and collaboration. One that teaches young people not only how to pass tests, but how to live, work and participate with purpose.
The arts are not a distraction from this vision - they are central to it!
This is our moment. Let’s not waste it!
We are heartened to see the voices of the arts and cultural learning sector reflected in this Review. But acknowledgement is not enough. Now we need action.As the Review moves into its next stage, Curious Minds offers not only support but evidence, energy, and ambition. We’re ready to help shape what comes next.
Because when we invest in arts, culture, and creativity, we invest in possibility. And every child deserves the chance to dream, discover and create.
Derri Burdon
Chief Executive
Curious Minds
