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Every so often something happens in our sector that feels less like an announcement and more like a quiet shift in the weather. This month was one of those moments: PiPA (Parents and Carers in Performing Arts) marked its 10th anniversary by launching the PiPA Pledge ( click here ) – and 80 organisations have already signed up. That’s a sizeable chunk of the UK’s creative ecosystem saying: “Yes, this matters, and we’re going to do something about it.” And it does matter. Becau

Earlier this month, Arts Professional and Baker Richards published Arts Pay Survey Report 2025 - a weighty, 174-page assessment of pay, conditions and culture across the UK arts workforce. It’s a sobering read. And for those of us who’ve recently crossed the threshold into freelance life, much of it feels uncomfortably familiar. Access the report here . Worth a read if you haven’t already. After thirty years in organisations, leading teams and commissioning hundreds of bril

Well, it finally happened. The government has announced a curriculum review that, for once, gives the creative arts a proper seat at the table - and I’ll admit, I did a double take when I saw drama actually named as one of the four discrete art forms. After years of watching the subject shuffled about like the spare chair at the end of the table, that recognition feels, frankly, overdue. Of course, let’s not get too carried away just yet. The reforms aren’t radical but the

I’ve been having meetings with drama schools over the past few weeks – and they’ve been engaging on so many levels. The overwhelming majority are very tuned in; some are so enthusiastic about my genre of TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) but it still sadly surprises me how little curriculum time is dedicated to unpacking this area of work with their students. But I guess that’s more to do with pressure on the overall curriculum than anything else. Not being on the inside, it