Analysis

Privatisation of visitor services gathers pace in museums and galleries

Cultural organisations are looking to outsource an ever wider range of services to private companies. Geraldine Kendall assesses the pros and cons

Labour sets outs culture plan

Consultation document proposes plan for cultural learning and calls for an end to unpaid internships. Gareth Harris reports

Schools opt to forgo visits to museums

Report finds trend has been fuelled by changes to national curriculum. Gareth Harris reports

Museums gear up to tackle pensions

Only one in 50 small employers in arts sector plans to contribute more than auto-enrolement statutory minimum. Patrick Steel reports

Scottish sector pulls together

Museums Galleries Scotland has completed its first year as the national development body. Patrick Steel assesses its progress

Good year affords the SMG breathing space

Only a year after threatening to close one of its sites, the Science Museum Group is back on a firmer footing. Geraldine Kendall reports

Science report may ‘unlock resources’

Survey shows that museums and science centres can reach out and engage disadvantaged children and under-represented audiences. By Gareth Harris

ACE to assess MPM artistic programmes

Major Partner Museums to undergo assessment from October. Gareth Harris reports

Staffordshire Hoard to be showcased around the world

Talks are under way about taking items from the collection on a global tour to raise money and to boost the profile of the Anglo-Saxon treasure. Gareth Harris reports

Scottish arts vision unveiled

Creative Scotland's 10-year plan sets out five key priorities for the cultural sector and simplifies funding streams. Gareth Harris reports

No hiding place

Report is damning of the way in which ACE is distributing lottery funding. By Geraldine Kendall

Scale of heritage crime still unclear

Anecdotal evidence suggests that theft from collections could be falling. Patrick Steel reports