ISC: 'Blanket approach' to taxing education risks limiting arts access for pupils at independent and state schools
A spokesperson for the ISC has warned that the government's Music and Dance Scheme is at risk amid plans to impose VAT on school fees, threatening access to the arts for pupils at both independent and state schools.
The comments follow the findings of a new report that suggests class “inequalities” persist in creative industries in the UK where high-profile figures are more likely to have gone to independent schools and top universities. According to data from the Sutton Trust, 43 per cent of top classical musicians went to an independent school - six times higher than the UK average of 7 per cent - and Bafta nominated actors are five times more likely to have attended an independent school than the average population. The report also found that among those aged 35 and under, individuals from working-class backgrounds are around four times less likely to work in the creative industries compared to their middle-class peers.
Speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson for the ISC said: “Many independent schools provide life-changing opportunities for talented youngsters under the government’s Music and Dance Scheme.
"These and other schools that emphasise the arts work in partnership with their local state schools and community to ensure more young people can experience and study dance, drama and music.
"We are very concerned that the government’s blanket approach to taxing education will reduce opportunities for pupils in both state and independent schools to access the arts.”