Creative leaders call on the government in a petition, #MAKECREATIVITYMATTER, to invest in arts education and avoid the risk of a creative talent shortage while avoiding the deepening of the class divide

Creativity, design, and visual arts collectively add beauty, transcending barriers of region, language, and beliefs. Appreciated for its aesthetic values, design thrives on the passionate dedication of creative minds. And, within packaging design, creativity not only imparts beauty but also infuses products with profound meaning, enriching the daily lives of consumers.

A group of ‘concerned leaders’ in the UK's creative industries wrote to the government, urging consideration of the impact of underinvestment in art and design subjects in state schools.

Sean Thomas, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Ritchie and D&AD President, quoted, ‘ My concern largely relates to what I see happening to my children and my friends in education, and fast forwarding 10 years, the first teachers that are being culled amongst my friends right now are those who teach arts subjects. At the last parents' evening I attended, we asked why the kids hadn’t done any art all term. It was largely because of staff cuts and a lack of materials.'

The creative industry significantly contributed over £115bn to the economy from 2010 to 2019. With a successful record of its booming contribution to the economy, the current limited access to art and design in state schools has become a growing concern. This could impact not just the economy’s growth but also diminish the harnessing, nurturing, and developing of diverse young creative talents.

'We see an ever-increasing proportion of applicants from fee-paying school backgrounds where it is possible to study and gain qualifications in subjects like art and design, and fewer from state school backgrounds where these subjects are increasingly rare,' write the signatories, which include designer Neville Brody, Pentagram’s Marina Willer, Kate Stanners from Saatchi & Saatchi, and Aaron Garbut, head of development at Rockstar Games.

The creative industry thrives on diversity, perspective, and local innovation. Recruiting diverse talent is a growing challenge. Learning art and creativity is common in private educational institutions, and the numbers keep declining in state schools, thus limiting a diverse talent pool.

Issue

- Reduction in funding for arts subjects in UK state schools since 2010

- Lack of recruitment and retention of teachers for arts subjects

- Changes to qualifications and league tables de-prioritising arts subjects

- Careers advisers at state schools are often unaware of opportunities in creative industries—animation, brand strategy, filmmaking, client service, illustration, copywriting, and so on—as well as the pathways into them.

Resolution

- Restore funding for arts subjects in UK state schools to real-term 2010 levels

- Establish a task force to reverse the decline in arts teacher recruitment and retention

- Initiate a review of creative education assessment and qualifications to ensure that valuable qualifications are protected and new models of creative education that respond to emerging practices and new markets are explored

- Deliver funding for a large-scale programme of cross-sector knowledge and opportunity sharing between state schools and the creative industries.

Why should you be concerned about ‘MAKE CREATIVITY MATTER’?

Chris Wilson, co-founder and creative partner at Scriberia, highlights that the absence of creative thinkers with innovative skills in various sectors, such as fintech apps, engineering firms, or NHS trusts, hinders the innovation potential. The lack of creative skills makes effective communication, iteration, and engagement challenging. Despite the opportunity to cultivate these valuable and versatile skills in the curriculum and apply them across industries, they are frequently underestimated. As a result, students often exit school with the mistaken belief that these skills hold no significance for their future pursuits.

Read the full letter and sign the petition here. We have, will you?