Over the past decade, government cuts to arts education funding have had a sizeable impact on working-class communities. Not only are young, talented individuals facing more barriers when it comes to pursuing their dreams - teachers are being overworked whilst facing cuts to their salaries, and entire creative departments are being slashed. Since 2010, Arts Council England has had their budget cut by roughly 30%, leaving many extracurricular creative programmes unfunded.
Children and young adults who are unable to access specialised training for their desired creative outlet due to a lack of time or money are consequently at a professional disadvantage. Inaccessible creative careers cultivate a bubble of nepotism and reproduce
class inequalities within the industry. Who would you rather hire for a music show: the piano player who has been privately trained for the past 10 years and has an array of performing experience, or the piano player who can’t afford lessons or a piano so they practice during school lunchtimes for 30 minutes a day, using YouTube videos as their only guide?
Within the education system, teachers and lecturers are consistently stretched beyond their capacity due to the lack of staff, meaning that they must take on more work. Additionally, those who teach within creative fields have to grapple with the fact that funding cuts are likely to hit their subject the hardest, unless they work within a specialist arts school. Ian Reeves, Head of Journalism at the University of Kent, says that after 16 years of lecturing and founding the journalism centre, it will no longer be a taught subject at the university from September 2024 onwards.
Due to funding cuts, the university had to make the decision to remove departments - which has so far only impacted arts and social sciences. Ian also discussed how cuts to arts education funding disproportionately impact the working-class, and how the system is operating on a ‘broken foundation’. Students from wealthier backgrounds will be able to afford to study arts subjects because they can pick an institution that prioritises them. They also do not have to worry about future employability to the same extent that working-class students do. Therefore, students who have to stay at home for financial reasons are at a disadvantage compared to other students: “it’s a tragedy that a student from Kent who wants to study journalism can’t have that now.”
For the teachers who still work within their arts subject, things are not the same as they were 10 years ago. Chris Brown, a Media teacher at a sixth-form in Haringey, noted the ‘hostile environment’ that teaching has become, directly due to the lack of funding. He discussed the disproportionate funding cuts made to arts subjects under the Conservative government - leading to material impacts on his work. All media departments in schools
used to have a dedicated technician. This is no longer the case due to schools having other financial responsibilities they have to prioritise. Therefore, Chris is working more than he would have a decade ago to make up for the lack of a technician within the department. Without an adequate rise in pay to accommodate the overworking
that many teachers in the arts are forced into, it is incredibly unsustainable for educational institutions to expect their employees to be content under these circumstances.
Chris also delved into how things in his classroom have changed over the past decade, the ramifications of Covid being a large factor. Since the pandemic, the sixth-form teacher has noticed more students are quiet in the classroom, tending to have some social anxiety - “all teachers have picked up on this” he noted. During lockdown, students went from learning and socialising in the classroom to online at home. This often meant that those who took specialised classes for arts education - such as dance or theatre lessons- were no longer able to attend, removing a core expressive outlet. This, alongside the isolation of being at home and the dependency on social media for all socialising often had a harsh impact on the mental health of young people.
Many young people struggled with forming social connections and being active participants in the classroom when back in-person. And, in returning to the classroom, fewer students were eager to pick up arts subjects because they no longer saw it as the place to express their creativity. Instead this was done on social media through TikTok or YouTube. According to AQA, since 2010 enrolment in arts subjects has declined by 47% at GCSE and 29% at A-level.
This may be partially influenced by students no longer feeling comfortable to explore their desired creative avenues in the classroom, instead they choose more highly regarded subjects in order to pragmatically adapt to social and economic pressures. Proper access to support makes a difference.
A-level student Ben studies Film at Shrewsbury Colleges Group. The college does not specialise in the arts, but his institution takes pride in offering enriching art courses. They have a separate campus building for those who study arts subjects in order to curate a creative and inspiring environment. Ben said that his teachers are very supportive in helping him to achieve his goal of working in the film industry, specifically his Religious Studies teacher who is ‘determined’ to help Ben access his dreams.
He explained that although it may be easier to build connections or break into the film industry if he went to a specialised film school, he never feels at a disadvantage because his teachers offer him a quality education that is of the same calibre. His school also provides plenty of enrichment to students who study arts subjects, from talks with industry professionals to trips to Berlin for film studies.
The degree of care and enrichment that Ben’s school puts into creative subjects allows him to be optimistic about career prospectives in the film industry. This is why it is integral for all schools to adequately fund arts departments; quality teaching and enrichment are often what make the difference between a student deciding whether or not to pursue their passion.
Those who have the financial capability to take specialised arts courses are often at a professional advantage to those who do not. Emma, who takes dance classes through a charity called Déda, pointed out that it is practically impossible for someone to pursue a career in dance without having taken any lessons. This puts students who have a passion for dance but have to work full time, care for family members or do domestic work on top of their studies, in a position where they are unable to pursue their passion and therefore not able to explore pursuing it as a profession.
Although Emma enjoys her dance classes, she expressed that she would not pursue it as a career because ‘it is a hard industry to go into’ and she was ‘concerned it wouldn’t amount to anything’. Emma explained that there is a lack of job opportunities within dance: ‘If I felt more confident in the industry I would have looked into it more’. However, Emma still has her heart set on a creative job: she studied Film and Media at A-level and aspires to go into a career in film.
The class disparities within arts education are rampant as ever, with funding cuts only making creative subjects less accessible to working-class creatives. This is why it is essential to give platform to charities and initiatives that work tirelessly to bridge this class gap. Elizabeth is the founder of Everybody Loves Music, an organisation that teaches music to disadvantaged young people, then later offers them employment opportunities within the organisation. Everybody Loves Music is funded through local authority grants and commissions. Elizabeth mentioned that when applying for funding - ‘it is a very stressful time’ and ‘we are not a priority’.
The impact of finances goes beyond the organisation itself. Elizabeth said she often has to buy new music equipment out of her own money because there is no funding for it: ‘It can be very disheartening’. Music is a difficult industry to break into, especially for young working-class individuals with no family connections. To combat this, Elizabeth explained that within her education she embeds teaching about legality, copyright, royalties and rights - she believes it is integral to equip young people to avoid being exploited within the industry.
Although the force of pragmatism often steers people away from pursuing artistic jobs, especially at an economically challenging time like the one at the present, it is important to know that pathways to these jobs are there and that these are valid professional avenues. Over the past decade, so many things have changed within the arts but three things remain the same: creative jobs will always be needed, new innovative talent is always emerging, and hopefully there will always be someone willing to help you get your foot in the door.
Since this article was written, Déda, the charity supporting Emma’s dance lessons, has been forced to declare voluntary insolvency.
Shenice is an Arts Emergency Young Community member currently studying for an NCTJ Level 3 certification in Foundation Journalism.