"Schoolchildren will be taken to the opera and theatre under plans to offer all teenagers at least five hours of culture a week."
Whether or not an hour of culture a week, as proposed by Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, is really a good idea for students is a question it will be hard to study empirically, even after £10 million is spent on pilots. There may not be a single answer for all parts of the country, all schools or all students. Politicians in Whitehall stand no chance at all. Why exactly is Andy Burham, in yet another target culture initiative, wading in and deciding on the requirements for cultural education across the entire country?
This Government's absurd attachment to centralising schemes appears to know no bounds. Teachers, children and taxpayers all pay the price.