ARTS and teaching unions were not invited to form an expert panel creating a plan to improve cultural education for young people.

The general secretaries of the National Education Union, Equity, Musicians’ Union, Bectu and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain today wrote to the chair of the government’s Cultural Education Plan expert advisory panel to express their disappointment.

They said: “Despite terms of reference which require the panel to represent those responsible for delivering cultural education and wider related sectors such as arts, no trade union representatives in the arts, entertainment or education were invited to participate since the panel was established in July 2023.” 

Equity’s general secretary Paul Fleming said: “The complete lack of engagement calls into question the robustness of any recommendations which the so-called ‘expert’ advisory panel makes to government in advance of the proposed Cultural Education Plan.”

The departments for education and culture have been approached for comment.