The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced that it wants every schoolchild in England to have access to 'high quality arts and culture' by 2015.
As part of its Five Year Plan, launched this spring, the idea, called Creative Sparks, is to ensure that all children have a creative future, no matter what their background.
Phil Clapp, head of arts policy at DCMS, said: 'Our aspiration is that no matter where you [young people] live in the country, you will have access to a range of high-level activities.'
One way Creative Sparks may be delivered is through cultural hubs (different from the Renaissance in the Regions hubs), a new pilot devised by Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
The scheme will initially involve three cultural hubs in Telford, Durham, and Bournemouth and Poole. Each is based in a Renaissance Phase one region. The pilot will run for three years from September 2005 and be funded to the tune of £1.5m each year by DCMS.
Clapp said the three towns/cities were 'areas it was felt had little cultural activity'. Each hub will be made up of a consortium of arts organisations. The organisations have been meeting since February and have the freedom to decide, by the autumn, how to work together to identify the cultural activity they can offer schools.
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is a member of the Telford cultural hub. Glen Lawes, the chief executive of Ironbridge, said: 'We are delighted to sit down with the region's great orchestra, theatre and dance com-pany to find out how to work together.'
Lawes said the consortium aims to identify gaps in cultural activity available to children. The schools would then respond and their interest will be measured when they are asked to contribute financially in years two and three.
Clapp said the cultural hubs would build on the work of Creative Partnerships and Renaissance in the Regions. He admitted that the new scheme overlapped in places with Creative Partnerships.
Lawes said that it was unclear at this stage what the difference was between the Creative Partnerships and cultural hubs. But he said: 'Given that this [cultural hubs] is an experiment, we will see what we can learn.
I can't see anything wrong with that.' And he added: 'From Ironbridge's point of view, we have wanted to find a way to work more closely with other cultural organisations in the area. We have done a bit in the past, but this gives us a wonderful opportunity.'
As part of its Five Year Plan, launched this spring, the idea, called Creative Sparks, is to ensure that all children have a creative future, no matter what their background.
Phil Clapp, head of arts policy at DCMS, said: 'Our aspiration is that no matter where you [young people] live in the country, you will have access to a range of high-level activities.'
One way Creative Sparks may be delivered is through cultural hubs (different from the Renaissance in the Regions hubs), a new pilot devised by Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
The scheme will initially involve three cultural hubs in Telford, Durham, and Bournemouth and Poole. Each is based in a Renaissance Phase one region. The pilot will run for three years from September 2005 and be funded to the tune of £1.5m each year by DCMS.
Clapp said the three towns/cities were 'areas it was felt had little cultural activity'. Each hub will be made up of a consortium of arts organisations. The organisations have been meeting since February and have the freedom to decide, by the autumn, how to work together to identify the cultural activity they can offer schools.
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is a member of the Telford cultural hub. Glen Lawes, the chief executive of Ironbridge, said: 'We are delighted to sit down with the region's great orchestra, theatre and dance com-pany to find out how to work together.'
Lawes said the consortium aims to identify gaps in cultural activity available to children. The schools would then respond and their interest will be measured when they are asked to contribute financially in years two and three.
Clapp said the cultural hubs would build on the work of Creative Partnerships and Renaissance in the Regions. He admitted that the new scheme overlapped in places with Creative Partnerships.
Lawes said that it was unclear at this stage what the difference was between the Creative Partnerships and cultural hubs. But he said: 'Given that this [cultural hubs] is an experiment, we will see what we can learn.
I can't see anything wrong with that.' And he added: 'From Ironbridge's point of view, we have wanted to find a way to work more closely with other cultural organisations in the area. We have done a bit in the past, but this gives us a wonderful opportunity.'
