I would say that Government have taken leave of their senses over this new barmy idea for kids to spend 5 hours a week doing something cultural, but I don't think they've had any sense for about 40 years when it comes to education:
Schoolchildren in England are being promised high-quality cultural activities in and out of school and the chance to pursue creative careers.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families says each child will have access to "at least five hours of high-quality culture per week".
So if we consider this 5 hours plus 5 hours on sport plus 1 hour or whatever it is on sex education plus social skills plus every other diktat the governments passes down is there any wonder kids can't read or write.
When the Tories first discussed the idea of having a national curriculum for the 3-R's I applauded as it would focus on the core skills a child needs. This was soon hijacked by the education establishment and they added music and every other subject that the education establishment deemed critical to bring up well balanced children. Sadly nobody wanted to add more hours to the teaching day and the reasons for the national curriculum were lost forever.
Don't get me wrong, I think these subjects are good for kids, but not at the expense of the core subjects of maths and English. By all means take kids to the theatre, opera and museum, but as extracurricular activities or once they have mastered the core subjects.
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