Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department taking to fund performing arts education for young people under 18 years-old.

Performing arts education is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum and should not be the preserve of the elite, but the entitlement of every child. Between 2016-20, the Government is providing almost £500 million funding for a range of creative and performance arts education programmes including the Music and Dance Scheme, and the Dance and Drama Awards.

The Government is also funding performing arts education through their Youth Performance Partnerships scheme which brings arts organisations and schools together to teach practical performance skills both on and off stage. The scheme is providing £5 million in funding between 2018-21 and aims to provide new opportunities for children and young people (aged 8-18) from areas of low cultural engagement and high levels of deprivation to take part in putting on productions, as well as developing backstage and technical skills including dance, art, creative writing, lighting, sound and set design. The Youth Performance Partnerships will be delivered by Arts Council England and will reach 10,000 young people.