Major new report calls for the government to build on its support for the National Saturday Club, expanding access to free creative education, as a “low-cost, high-impact intervention that would build skills, improve wellbeing, and open pathways to creative careers to everyone”. 

‘Framing the Future: The Political Case for Strengthening the Visual Arts Ecosystem’, launched today at the House of Commons, cites that “visual arts education can […] equip children with essential skills for the 21^st century, improve school performance and attendance, and develop specific skills that underpin careers in the UK’s £124.6 billion creative industries”. The paper, backed by the APPG for Visual Arts & Artists, calls for urgent, strategic investment in one of the UK’s most dynamic and globally respected sectors, setting out four recommendations to secure the future of the UK’s visual arts sector — and unlock its full potential to deliver the Government’s national priorities around economic growth, education and public health. 

We are delighted that one of these key recommendations is for the government to build on its support for the National Saturday Club, expanding access to free creative education, as a “low-cost, high-impact intervention that would build skills, improve wellbeing, and open pathways to creative careers to everyone”. 

Since its launch in 2009, the National Saturday Club has evolved from a small pilot scheme to a nationwide organisation with a far-reaching impact. By design, the Saturday Club model was built with future growth in mind, embedding connectivity and scalability into the blueprint. This has steadily shaped a growing network powered by tried-and-tested methods, supported by the sharing of best practice from experts within leading organisations across education, industry and the cultural sector that make up the National Saturday Club’s powerful network. 

Over the last 15 years, the transformational impact the programme has on young people has been recorded by the National Saturday Club’s own evaluation and monitoring initiatives, strengthening the value of the programme and providing an evidence-backed framework for the current 122 Saturday Clubs held at universities, colleges and cultural institutions across the UK. The established model has seen a total 18,000 13–16-year-olds graduate from the National Saturday Club programme, with a particular focus on reaching young people from underserved communities and underrepresented backgrounds. The programme has been proven to support pressing societal economic and social challenges faced in the UK today, ensuring its offering: 

Breaks down barriers: Unlocking opportunities for underserved young people to thrive through free and inclusive extracurricular education that is proven to tackle inequities. 

Empowers young people: Transform lives, nurture skills, improve mental health and wellbeing, raise educational attainment, and open doors to further education and fulfilling careers. 

Bridge the skills gap: Addressing critical skills shortages by building a diverse talent pipeline, introducing career pathways early on and equipping young people with problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills.  

Fuels economic growth: Contributes to securing the future of the UK’s innovation powerhouse by investing in the next generation’s skills, talent and ambitions. 

The report references the National Saturday Club’s vision for a universal offer of free, extracurricular creative education, accessible to young people in every community across the UK. The National Saturday Club’s scalable existing infrastructure and evidenced strong track record has been recognised as a “low-cost bridge to sustained creative education”, highlighting it as a “useful tool in preparing the next generation for careers in the creative industries and beyond”.  

Chief Executive of the National Saturday Club, Lucy Kennedy comments: “We welcome this compelling report which recognises the National Saturday Club’s potential to expand free access to extracurricular creative education for young people nationwide. Our research reveals that 80% of young people from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds are not taking part in any other arts or cultural activities. Alongside our remarkable network of partners and supporters, the National Saturday Club steps into this gap, offering a free, year-long programme that provides 13–16-year-olds with enriching learning opportunities in subjects they love. These positive experiences are not merely supplementary; they are essential in providing a safe space outside of school that develops vital social, emotional and academic skills, and makes pathways to further study and future careers more visible. Together, we can continue to bridge the gap in educational equity, fostering a brighter, more inclusive future for all young people.” 

The National Saturday Club’s existing strategy is one of sustainable growth, year-on-year, working with its valued partners, with the support of generous funders to incrementally increase access to the benefits of the programme for young people across all four nations. Since 2022, the number of Saturday Clubs has increased by 65%, from 74 to 122 in 2025, with continued increases projected over the next five-years. This continued growth will require additional funding and the continued support of the charity’s committed partners.  

The report presents an ambitious proposition, based on a paper developed by the National Saturday Club in January 2025, to establish 1,000 Saturday Clubs across the UK by 2030. The delivery of this proposal would call for substantial investment from government and private funders, as well as support from the education and cultural sectors, and industry. Providing equitable opportunity to creative education for young people at this scale would require a £33.6m investment from government, which would be match funded by the higher education, further education and cultural sectors alongside industry, trusts and foundations, in turn, further growing the powerful cross-sector network that’s dedicated to support the development of the next generation. 

By empowering today’s young people with equal access to opportunities such as this, we can create a future where every individual can flourish and realise their full potential, across the creative industries and beyond. 

Read the report: Framing the Future: The Political Case for Strengthening the Visual Arts Ecosystem 

Commissioned by CVAN Contemporary Visual Arts Network and John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, in collaboration with a-n The Artists Information Company, DACS (Design and Artists Copyright Society) and Plus Tate, this sector-wide report developed and authored by creative industries expert Eliza Easton, Director of think tank Erksine Analysis, puts forward the economic, cultural and social case for strategic investment in the visual arts. 

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