Arts and creative education can have a transformative impact on children and young people and should be at the heart of education from primary school. It can improve CYPs health and wellbeing, cognitive, social and emotional development and can help increase school engagement, attendance and attainment. This is especially true for the most disadvantaged children. Creative industries are also key to the economy and arts and creative education can develop skills and pathways to employment. But 93% of children in state schools are excluded from arts and cultural education. The focus of the school curriculum is narrow, and many young people are disengaged. It is the poorest and most vulnerable children who are hardest hit and whose families can least afford to compensate for a lack of access to arts and creative education in schools.