National Drama’s Response to the Government’s Proposed Cultural Education Plan

National Drama’s Executive were invited to meet two members of the DfE on July 13^th 2023. Clive Fischer and Amajit Basi presented  a position paper with a series of questions from the DfE.

Zeena Rasheed, Vice Chair of National Drama presented ND’s response to the DfE via power point. This power point is highly relevant to current debates on culture, wellbeing and the sustainability of arts education.

After the two presentations, Executive shared their responses to the following questions:
“What are the key outcomes which every child should achieve through their cultural education?
In ten years, what difference should this plan have made?”
The following represents a summary of our responses:

• To develop of sense of empathy, curiosity, desire to learn more, confidence to speak up for themselves. Drama is naturally good at developing these aspects. It provides rounded development for human beings and essentials for human beings to participate in society.
• Knowledge is important but skills development is also important, especially people skills, communication skills with people from different cultures.
• Drama can support skills on learning how to learn.
• To ensure students have the opportunity to question the world, develop cultural capital and experiences, apply the knowledge learners learn.
• To develop oracy skills, critical analysis, and empathy, to raise awareness of people that art can offer more than just a market of creative industry.
• To provide learners with opportunities to explore the world art, developing attitudes and responsibilities.
• To help develop future literacy and nurture imagination and creativity; this echoes UNESCO’s advocacy for developing learners’ future literacy and create a hopeful future that can copy with crisis.

Our full response can be viewed below.