Dame Arlene Phillips today tells of not having enough cash for food growing up – as she backs a call to widen access to the arts in schools. The ex-Strictly judge opened up about enduring hardship, including heading to her grandma’s for grub when money was scarce. It comes as she highlights how creative subjects “feed the soul” – and can be “the biggest gift” for youngsters. Dame Arlene is among celebrities who have got behind an “Arts and Minds” campaign launching next week.
Famous faces are pressing for all kids to have the right to study creative subjects regardless of background – and for school arts funding to be fully restored. Dame Arlene, 81, who grew up in Manchester in post-war Britain, won a grant aged 16 to attend dance school – and recalled having holes in her shoes. She worked different jobs to pay for dance lessons – including a paper round aged 10 and toiling in a bakery at 12.
Shedding light on her working class upbringing, Dame Arlene told the Mirror: “It was tough. There were the haves and have nots, clearly… We shared things. We shared things between us. It was never one each of things. Yes, obviously food… often we went to my grandma’s to eat if there wasn’t enough money for food. “My father wasn’t in good health so he was in and out of working as a barber. But we were all very, very close. And, really, our mum was the rock, the gentle rock, if there’s such a thing, that held us all together. And my sister did give up her once-a-week ballet class so I could take a second class.”.
Tragically, her mum died after being diagnosed with cancer when Arlene, the middle of three siblings, was just 15. She added of growing up: “I was working, if you like, far too young. My paper round, I was 10. Working in a bakery on a Sunday morning, I was 12. I just would do anything, anything to get money to go to dance classes.”. The acclaimed choreographer – who landed a prestigious Olivier award only last year – also spoke about the positive impact dancing has had on her two granddaughters, Lila, six, and Emme, four. “They’ve discovered something, discovered something that they will both keep with them,” she said.
The campaign is a coalition of over 20 organisations led by the National Education Union. It comes as nine out of ten (87%) school leaders in England say lack of funding has had a negative impact on creative subjects, according to a survey. The campaign cites figures showing between 2010 and 2023 there was a 42% drop in entries to GCSE and A level arts subjects. Dame Arlene added: “I am committed to the Arts and Minds campaign because I believe that an education that embraces arts is vital. The arts feed the soul and the realisation that your life can be in the arts is the biggest gift for young people that desire it. To give everyone that chance through their school life will be life-changing for so many.”.
A campaign spokesperson said: “Between 2010/11 and 2023/24, core school funding fell by £3.2bn in real terms. Funding cuts this deep force schools to make difficult choices about the subjects they are able to offer, with arts often the first to suffer. What is more, arts funding from UK arts councils has been cut by 16% in real terms.”. The campaign is asking the government to make five commitments including a right to study arts and creative subjects for kids – regardless of backgrounds. The campaign also wants funding to be restored to allow schools to invest in arts education, as well as the ending of exam factory culture. Other commitment asks include restoring the status of arts and creative education, as well as a call to equip the education system to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum.
A campaign spokesperson added: “Our evidence suggests that a quarter of school leaders say they do not have enough funding for teachers or resources for arts and creative subjects, and that GCSE entries in arts and creative subjects are falling at an alarming rate. The first step in restoring the status of creative subjects, giving students the chance to study the subjects they want to study and demonstrating investment in the future of the UK’s creative industries would be to commit to ensuring school funding and other streams of funding for arts are put on a sustainable trajectory.” Others backing the campaign include actor Steve Coogan, EastEnders star Kellie Bright and Billy Elliott writer Lee Hall.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The Budget delivered on the government’s commitment to put education back at the forefront of national life, protecting key education priorities including core funding for schools. High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and we are committed to ensuring art, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few. To help achieve this our curriculum and assessment review will seek to deliver a broader curriculum, so that every child has access to subjects such as music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects.”.
