"I believe that we live in the most creative country in the world. A country which fizzes with skill, incentives and ideas. But to keep that creativity alive in the future, we have to engage anew every generation, to pass on old skills and help them learn new ones." The Rt. Hon Tony Blair, Prime Minister, endorsing Creative Partnerships.

This flagship £40 million initiative, is set to be the most important cultural and creative programme in a generation. It will give thousands of school children in deprived areas throughout England the opportunity to develop creativity in learning and participate in cultural activities. Based at the Arts Council of England, Creative Partnerships will develop long-term partnerships between schools and cultural and creative organisations including galleries, museums, architects, theatre companies, cinemas, historic buildings, dance studios, recording studios, orchestras, web-site designers and many others. It is envisaged as a tool for change which can genuinely capture the imagination of children, parents and carers, teachers and communities, transforming expectations and invoking shifts in thinking and doing in the wider education system in the longer term.

To quote Jo Brand: "Culture is an essential part of a child’s education because it anchors them to their society and enables them to see why Lucien Freud is good, for example, and Jeffrey Archer isn’t."

Further information from Creative Partnerships website.

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