Opinion with Eleanor Pead

Between the ages of four and 24, I was almost continuously in some form of artistic education, whether it was extracurricular clubs, A Level Drama or an MA at drama school. In that time, I can probably count on one hand the amount of financial education I received. The limited budgeting experience I had was during my time in a theatre society at university.

While I've had many opportunities to write lengthy essays on the characters of Blood Wedding, nobody ever sat me down and explained how to create a budget for a show or how Arts Council funding works. Baffling.

While a massive overhaul to the education system would be helpful, there are several simple additions that could be made to the current structures to help support our young arts students. For instance, our GCSE or A Level students could submit a hypothetical budget as part of their devised pieces of coursework. We don't need to throw money at them, but instilling the knowledge of what goes into making and financing a piece of theatre could be incredibly useful to students at a younger age. Budgeting is a vital life skill, so it would still be beneficial for those students who aren't seeking a career in the arts. With a workforce more heavily populated with freelancers than ever before, we should be teaching our young people how to complete a tax return and balance multiple income streams.