Supporting schools facing financial or systemic barriers to cultural engagement.
A huge congratulations and welcome to our Clore Schools Connect cohort who have had their first meeting at the Garden Museum in London to kickstart the new 3-year programme. The organisations are:
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Historic Royal Palaces - Hillsborough Castle & Gardens
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Shakespeare Company
Turner Contemporary
The grant programme is designed to support organisations to work together as a cohort to test and innovate new approaches to working with schools facing financial or systemic barriers to engagement. We're excited to see what's to come...
Thank you to the Garden Museum for hosting us in their Clore Learning Space and to Cairns Crump for facilitating.
Find out more
Background
The programme responds to new research* from teachers commissioned by the Foundation which shows how school trips have suffered since the pandemic.
1. 46% of primary state funded schools will go on 2 or fewer trips per year compared to 22% of private primary schools.
2. Over half of state funded schools in London (53%) will be going on 3 or more trips per year compared to 34% nationally. The lowest proportion going on 3 or more trips per year is the Midlands at 30%.
3. 79% of state funded primary schools say budget stops them running more trips compared to 43% of private primary schools.
Dame Vivien Duffield said: “Many young people particularly those in state schools and outside London are not getting the cultural capital they deserve. School visits have dropped off dramatically particularly in rural areas. This is why we are launching the Clore Schools Connect programme to support a cohort of Clore Learning Spaces to work with schools with low cultural engagement.”
The Clore Duffield Foundation was established by Sir Charles Clore in 1964 and is now chaired by his daughter, Dame Vivien Duffield. It supports UK charities working in the arts, education, social welfare and health. The Foundation enhances Jewish cultural life through support for JW3, the Jewish arts and community centre in London.
Since 2000, the Clore Duffield Foundation has provided funding to support the development of Clore Learning Spaces in museums, theatre and heritage sites across the UK. We have funded around 80 Clore Learning Spaces with grants of up to £2.5m to create Clore Learning Centres in national museums and performing arts centres, to donations of less than £50,000 to fund small Clore Studios within local museums and libraries.
*Research conducted in March 2026 by Teacher Tapp on behalf of the Clore Duffield Foundation. 9,722 teachers responded to the survey.