A new report calls for cultural learning to have a higher place in government policy.

It also calls on schools and cultural organisations to give more priority to cultural learning, with schools making culture part of the core curriculum and arts bodies recognising cultural learning at senior management and board level.

The report, Culture and Learning: a new agenda for advocacy and action, was commissioned by the Culture and Learning Consortium which includes Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Libraries and Archives Council and arts foundations like Calouste Gulbenkian, Clore Duffield and Paul Hamlyn.

A steering group involves senior arts professionals like the National Portrait Gallery’s Sandy Nairne, Paul Collard of Creative Partnerships and Katherine Zeserson of the Sage.

The publication of the report follows a series of consultation seminars with an array of culture an arts organisations and interviews with teachers.

The report aims to underpin existing initiatives such as Creative Partnerships, Find Your Talent and the government’s commitment to five hours of culture for every child but suggests that there’s a need to change the way that cultural learning is valued.

Ten key recommendations suggest that central and local government give cultural learning a higher priority, call for more leadership and professional development programmes in this area and suggest the establishment of a Cultural Learning Alliance to create a national strategy. The consortium plans a symposium on the report early in 2009.

Culture and Learning: a new agenda for advocacy and action, is available on www.cultureandlearning.org.uk.