Without arts education, summer schools won’t do a thing to shield disadvantaged children from inequality

After years of stripping it of funding, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to bring artists, musicians, actors, and others into our schools to support learning

School closures risk widening already stark attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers. In order to prevent the shutdown from resulting in long-term educational and employment drawbacks, we need to revisit accepted norms.

There is consensus building across the sector that targeted action needs to be taken. The Children’s Commissioner has called for schools to remain open to enable children to catch-up on learning, and Nick Gibb, the schools minister, has said his department is looking into "school summer camps", particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

But if schools are to open for the summer, we need to focus as much on what students will be taught as much as when and where it happens. The government must adhere to its own mantra and follow the science. And research shows that arts education is a powerful tool to help students catch-up and close educational inequality. It should be at the heart of efforts to close the attainment gap as part of summer “catch-up” plans.

To improve arts education, schools and teachers will need support. The quantity of arts education in primary schools has reduced since 2010 – a fact this government cannot hide from. The result of this was laid bare in a YouGov survey for the Fabian Society where 56 per cent of primary teachers said they lacked the resources and support needed to deliver a high-quality arts education.

With the arts and culture sector likely to be closed over the summer, there is an unprecedented opportunity to bring artists, musicians, actors, and others into our schools to support learning and tackle educational inequality. Students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to access the educational experiences that come from participation in the arts, including visits to theatre, museums, or galleries. But we can bring those experiences to schools, allowing everyone to participate – and gain the educational benefits that art brings.

The power of arts education to address educational inequality is huge. Our recent Fabian Society research, backed up by an Arts Council England review, found that attainment in all subjects, especially English and maths, is improved if participation in arts is at the heart of learning. The government needn’t just take the word of thinktanks and cultural organisations: teachers also told us that children are more willing to apply themselves and more likely to engage in independent learning if arts is a prominent part of the school day.

Arts activities are proven to help encourage a child’s language development and work well for the most disadvantaged. By the time they start school, disadvantaged children in the UK lag behind their middle-income peers by nearly one year in vocabulary – and they struggle to catch up. There is evidence from the United States, for example, that music programmes help counteract the negative impact of disadvantage on children’s literacy development.

Education in music, dance, drama, and the visual arts can also give children the confidence to adapt in an ever-changing world and promote their personal resilience and development. In the post-Covid-19 world, this will be an increasingly important part of education. In the words of Ben Elton: "The arts open minds, broaden horizons and help children to learn."

The evidence is clear: arts education helps disadvantaged children. If this government is serious about "levelling up", the potential of arts education must be harnessed. A special programme is needed this summer to bring the arts sector and teachers together, sitting at the heart of school catch-up plans.

Andrew Harrop is general secretary for The Fabian Society