Jess Brown-Fuller MP: The arts are at the heart of Christmas

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This December, my diary is full of wonderful events across the constituency to celebrate the festive season. When walking through Chichester, I have enjoyed music from the Chichester City Band, Bishop Luffa School’s Choir and the Big Noise Samba Band! My daughter and I had a fantastic time at the Priory Park Pantomime and this week we’re off to see the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre production, ‘Cinderella’, on the Festival Theatre main stage.

I even managed to squeeze in an evening, singing with my local community choir that I founded with my Mum back in 2017, in their Christmas concert.

I will finish the week at Chichester Cathedral’s Carol Service. Music, Dance, Theatre and Art are at the heart of this time of year and can make us feel better in every sense of the word.

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That is why I was so pleased to secure a debate in Parliament on the importance of a creative arts education and the decline we have seen in recent years. As the graduate of the University of Chichester’s Conservatoire with a Performing Arts degree, I am testament that a creative education can lead you anywhere, including Parliament!

Jess Brown-Fuller at the Priory Park PantomimeJess Brown-Fuller at the Priory Park Pantomime
Jess Brown-Fuller at the Priory Park Pantomime

In the debate, I highlighted that since the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) in schools, that required children to take up GCSEs in several subjects, none of which are in the arts, arts subjects have seen a drastic decrease in the number of students taking them further. Between 2010 and 2023, entries for GCSE arts subjects in England fell by nearly 40%.

This has had a real impact locally, with Chichester College cancelling its Drama A-Level this coming academic year, due to a lack of take-up. There is also growing evidence that arts have a significant positive impact on citizens with mental and physical health problems. Given that tackling the mental health crisis in schools is one of the priorities this Government has laid out, using arts education to help with this is essential.

I called for the reintegration of an arts education into the core curriculum and for the government to commit to a timeline for this. I also called for OFSTED to have the power to monitor the curriculum so that schools continue to provide a rich and well-rounded education for students as they go through their learning journey.

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The Government is making the right noises on reform of the English Baccalaureate, but we shall see if they deliver the reforms necessary to ensure our young people can thrive in a variety of disciplines.

I hope everybody gets the chance to enjoy a fun-filled and creative Christmas season.

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