Baroness Deborah Bull to chair expert panel for Cultural Education Plan
Royal Ballet School alumna Baroness Deborah Bull CBE will chair the Expert Advisory Panel for a new Cultural Education Plan, to start in autumn 2022.
The plan was announced in the Schools White Paper in March 2022, with the aim of ensuring access to a diverse range of cultural education and activities for all children and young people. Baroness Bull will oversee the plan’s development, with the panel comprising leaders from the school and cultural sector and experts in cultural education. The plan, to be published in 2023, is tasked with highlighting the importance and value of high-quality cultural and creative education in schools, addressing disparities in opportunity and outcome. The government will also collaborate with Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund on the plan.
Of the appointment, 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.
Deborah Bull joined The Royal Ballet School at White Lodge in Year 7, graduating into The Royal Ballet in 1981 and rising to Principal in 1992. With the Company, she had roles created on her by choreographers including David Bintley, Wayne McGregor, Ashley Page and Twyla Tharp. At the end of her professional career in 2001, Baroness Bull joined the Royal Opera House’s Executive team, working to commission diverse works by new creatives and reach a wider audience away from the main stage. She was appointed Creative Director of the Royal Opera House in 2008.
In 2012, Baroness Bull took up the position of Director of Cultural Partnerships at King’s College London, and was subsequently appointed the University’s Vice President, responsible for their local and national engagement. She has also served on the boards of Southbank Centre and Arts Council England and on the governing body of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She has been a passionate advocate for the arts throughout her career, championing experimentation, collaboration and inclusion, and continues this work in her role as a cross-bench Peer in the House of Lords.
