Creative Education Access Bill [HL]: HL Bill 17 of 2026–27

Approximate read time: 10 minutes

The Creative Education Access Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat). The bill’s second reading in the House of Lords is scheduled to take place on 11 September 2026.  

The bill would establish a minimum standard of access to creative and cultural education. Pupils at key stages 1 and 2 would receive no less than five hours of creative education per week, and pupils at key stage 3 would receive no less than four hours of creative education per week. The bill would introduce a requirement for schools to take reasonable steps to develop partnerships with the creative sector. 

Other measures in the bill include duties for schools to publish policy statements on their creative and cultural curriculum and to provide access to live creative experiences, opportunities to share creative work, and information about routes into creative and cultural careers. The bill would enable the secretary of state to offer financial assistance and guidance to support compliance.  

The government has not commented specifically on the bill, but it has announced plans to introduce measures to support creative education. The government intends to introduce a new national curriculum, reform performance measures to include creative subjects, and support access to arts enrichment activities.

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