PRESS RELEASE : Baroness Bull CBE appointed Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Cultural Education Plan

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 29 August 2022.

• Baroness Bull to draw on her long and successful career in the arts and higher education to convene and chair expert panel which will oversee the development of the new plan
• She brings a wide range of expertise, first as a dancer in The Royal Ballet, then as a creative leader at the Royal Opera House and also having served on the boards of the South Bank Centre and Arts Council England

Schools Minister Will Quince and Arts Minster Lord Parkinson have jointly appointed crossbench peer Baroness Bull as the Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel for the upcoming Cultural Education Plan.

The plan was announced in the Schools White Paper, Opportunity for All, in March 2022 and will be published next year. The full panel membership will be announced later this year, and will include school and cultural sector leaders, and other experts in cultural education.

The plan aims to articulate and highlight the importance of high-quality cultural education in schools, promote the social value of cultural and creative education, outline and support career progression pathways, address skills gaps and tackle disparities in opportunity and outcome.

The Government will work closely with Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund on the project.

Baroness Bull has had extensive expertise in the arts, both as a performer in the Royal Ballet, within creative leadership at the Royal Opera House and in governance roles on the boards of the South Bank Centre and Arts Council England. Over the last decade she has also worked in higher education, developing partnerships between the university sector and arts and cultural organisations. She co-chairs the APPG on Creative Diversity.

In addition, Baroness Bull has served on the boards of the South Bank Centre and Arts Council England, was a governor of the BBC, a judge for the 2010 Booker Prize and a member of the governing body of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The Cultural Education Plan Expert Panel members will be appointed in Autumn 2022.

Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel Baroness Bull said:

“Every child should have the opportunity to explore their individual and creative potential through high-quality cultural education.

I’m delighted to be appointed to the role and look forward to working with the panel to develop a rich and diverse Cultural Education Plan that will deliver for children right across the country.”

Notes

• This is a voluntary position and there will be no remuneration for the role.
• The expert advisory panel for the Cultural Education Plan will be appointed by the Minister for School Standards and the Minister for Arts.
• Baroness Bull is a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, so serves in a non-party political capacity.