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Written question asked by Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 January 2026. It was answered by Baroness Twycross (Labour) on Tuesday, 27 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Crafts: Children

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide funding for (1) a scheme based on the expansion of the National Saturday Club provided by the National Trust at Coleshill, and/or, (2) a scheme based on the expansion of the summer school provided by the King’s Foundation, to provide taster experiences in heritage building crafts for school-age children across the county to tackle inequalities of access to those careers.

Answer

Whilst we do not have specific plans relating to those schemes, the Government is committed to supporting young people in accessing the skills they need to thrive, including in heritage skills. The Department for Education, which is responsible for skills and education, is working with secondary schools and colleges to develop their careers programmes, with the input of over 3,500 business volunteers. This provides young people with insights into a range of jobs and careers across all sectors, including heritage crafts and skills.

DCMS, working with our arms length bodies and wider government are introducing school aged children to future heritage careers. Through Government funding, Historic England delivers the Heritage Schools Programme which brings local heritage to schools across England, broadening access to local history and raising awareness of the many future job opportunities in the heritage sector. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) funds a range of programmes that support heritage crafts, high-quality training and paid training placements in heritage careers. This includes the Future Heritage Leadership programme, launched in November 2025 to help young adults (18 - 30 year olds) get into the heritage sector with a strong focus on those from diverse backgrounds.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13534
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Children Finance Crafts Summer schools
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk