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Leading figures from business, the cultural sector, policy and academia have been appointed to the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education.

The Commissioners will lead the joint project between Arts Council England and Durham University to determine the role that creative thinking and cultural education play within education.

The Commissioners are:

• Sir David Adjaye OBE, architect and lead designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Lauren Child MBE, Children’s Laureate, writer and artist
• Jon Coles, Chief Executive of United Learning
• Althea Efunshile CBE, non-executive director of organisations spanning education, culture, media and health
• Dame Reena Keeble, retired primary head teacher and former National Leader of Education
• Lord Kerslake, former Head of the Home Civil Service
• Akram Khan MBE, award-winning dance artist
• Imran Khan, Head of Public Engagement at the Wellcome Trust
• Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE, award-winning filmmaker, and co-founder of the educational charity Into Film
• Professor Roger Kneebone, Professor of Surgical Education and Engagement Science, Imperial College and a London Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow.
• Anne Longfield OBE, Children’s Commissioner for England
• Professor Linda Merrick, Principal of Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music and Chair of Conservatoires UK.
• Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Education at the Royal Shakespeare Company
• Kat Pugh, Head teacher at the St Marylebone Church of England School
• Paul Roberts OBE, Chair of The Innovation Unit
• Phil Stokes, Assurance Leader for Entertainment and Media Practice, PwC
• Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children’s and BBC North

The Commission will be chaired by Sir Nicholas Serota from Arts Council England with Professor Alan Houston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at Durham University as the academic lead.

The Commission will collect evidence from across the UK and beyond on creative thinking and cultural education, to explore whether there is a gap in what is currently provided. The research will draw evidence from existing literature and interested groups, such as schools, arts organisations and businesses, to identify examples of best practice and to analyse the benefits of an embedded creative education within the curriculum.

As part of the first stage of the research, interested organisations and members of the public are encouraged to register their interest via the Commission’s website which launched yesterday and can be found at www.durham.ac.uk/creativitycommission. This will be followed by further detailed investigations and a final report in the summer of 2019.

The benefits of a creative education will be looked at within the following themes: economic growth, skills, and social mobility; community identity and social engagement; and personal fulfilment and well-being.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, said: “Creative thinking is crucial to the development of young minds, encouraging the growth of confidence, adaptability and self-expression.  We will set out to examine and define the value of creativity in all subjects, as well as the particular contribution made by cultural education. We shall look at the impact that creativity can have on social mobility and well-being and in encouraging all young people from across the whole of our diverse society to find fulfilment in their future lives and jobs.”

Professor Stuart Corbridge, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said: “Universities, colleges and schools have a responsibility to develop engaged, global citizens, capable of fulfilling their full career potential – both for their own benefit and for society. We need to ensure that creativity and creative thinking are properly embedded in our education systems.

“The Durham Commission will explore how creativity and creative thinking can be cultivated across the curriculum from nursery school through to higher education and beyond.

“We look forward to working with our colleagues at Arts Council England and the Commissioners to build on the UK’s existing strengths in this area and to maximise our potential in a globally competitive market.”

In addition to the work of the Durham Commission, the Arts Council is also working with De Montfort University on developing a pilot scheme which will explore the potential of a 25-Year Creative Talent Plan, designed to offer creative opportunities at critical life stages for children and young adults, both in schools and extra-curricular activities. Both projects will feed into the development of the Arts Council’s next 10 year strategy which will be published in late 2019.

Since 2012, the Department for Education and the Arts Council have invested over £425 million in a range of music and cultural education programmes including Music Education Hubs and In Harmony.  The Arts Council continues to champion the Cultural Education Challenge, aimed at creating a step change in the way in which children and young people access cultural education and address barriers to participation. It delivers Artsmark, the Arts Council’s flagship award to encourage and celebrate high quality arts and cultural education within schools.

For more information contact:

Arts Council England:

• Eleanor Hutchins, Head of Media & Stakeholder Relations, Arts Council England, Tel: 0207 268 9584, Email: eleanor.hutchins@artscouncil.org.uk
• Duty Press Officer, Tel: 07595 091334, Email: duty.press@artscouncil.org.uk

Durham University:

• Dionne Hamil, Communications Officer (Research), Durham University, Tel: 0191 334 6078, Email: communications.team@durham.ac.uk

Notes to editor

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

About Durham University

• A world top 100 university with a global reputation and performance in research and education (QS 2018 and THE World University Rankings 2018) https://www.dur.ac.uk/about/rankings
• Ranked fourth in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and fifth in the 2018 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
• A member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities.
• Research at Durham shapes local, national and international agendas, and directly informs the teaching of our students.
• Ranked the world top 40 globally for the employability of its students by blue-chip companies world-wide (QS World University Rankings 2017/18).

Highest rate of employment and further study in the UK for undergraduates completing their first degree (Higher Education Statistics Agency 2017/18).