Agenda item

This report provides an update on the work of the York Cultural Education Partnership, REACH.

The Assistant Director, Education and Skills, and the Chair of REACH (the York Cultural Education Partnership Reconnecting Education, the Arts, Culture and Heritage) presented the report.

The Chair of REACH discussed how essential the arts were to education in the United Kingdom (UK) and how enrichment and needed to be improved.

The Chair of Reach then informed the committee that REACH had not received any recent government or local authority funding as it was viewed as being successful, however funding would help to improve access to the arts and reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children in York. Also, REACH was working with various organisations in York to spread its influence more widely across the city.

Members discussed the work of the REACH partnership and in response to questions from members, the Assistant Director, Education and Skills, and the Chair of REACH confirmed that:

·       Since funding for the partnership ended in July 2024, the partnership had not been able to retain employment of their manager.

·       The REACH partnership believed that schools’ curriculum needed to have a balance of maths and English as well as the promotion of the arts.

·       It was essential to work with parents and carers in improving accessibility of the arts for children and young people, as an example a recent event at York Barbican received great engagement from parents and carers.

Resolved: That the work undertaken by the REACH partnership be noted.

Reason: So that members were aware of REACH’s progress.