The Durham Commission is a joint research collaboration between Durham University and Arts Council England to look at the role creativity and creative thinking should play in the education of young people. 

Established in 2017, the Commission developed a vision for promoting teaching for creativity in education for all young people, whatever their background. Its first report was published in October 2019.

Advocating for a creative curriculum

The Commission suggested that teaching for creativity should be practised across the curriculum and accessed by all. It should not be confined to certain subjects; creativity in science is different to creativity in drama but is valuable in both. Through engaging in opportunities for creative learning, grounded in subject-knowledge and understanding, students’ creative capacity will be nurtured, and their personal, social and academic development greatly enriched. 

Refreshed vision for a creative education

In April 2021, the Durham Commission Literature Review was published with a refreshed outlook. It looked forward to the next three to five years, asking what children and young people will need and how we can best equip them to manage their futures. This report considered the pandemic and reflected on the aims of the Commission, asking what learnings were still right to take forward, or perhaps needed to be taken forward with even more urgency.  

The Commission continued to build on its original foundation but sharpened its focus to work on six of the original 10 recommendations which address the most pressing needs.