‘End school trips to middle-class museums and theatres’ curriculum review told

Schools should reduce “middle-class activities” such as museum and theatre trips and remove references to them from exam questions; a government curriculum review will be told.

A consultation on the curriculum and assessment review, commissioned by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson earlier this year, closes today (22 November).

Speaking to The Times, Lee Elliot Major, a professor of social mobility at Exeter University, said: “National directives encouraging schools to boost cultural capital have prioritised middle-class pursuits – visits to museums, theatres and high-brow art galleries, while our creative industries remain stubbornly elite preserves.”

Instead, Major suggests school trips could take place at local football clubs, allowing pupils to learn how they have served local communities or attend graffiti art workshops.

He also said references to middle-class activities should be removed from exam questions.

“Every year, I’m angered by the middle-class biases that continue to plague questions posed in national examinations. We’ve had questions set in ski resorts, theatres and classical concerts, problems based on rocking horses, strawberry jam-making, savings and house purchases,” said Major.

“Pupils who have enjoyed the stage or slopes and come from owned homes are much more likely to be able to infer the answer than those who haven’t, whatever their actual proficiency in a subject may be.”