Young children are human beings

11th September 2017 was a big day for Tommy, my four-year-old nephew in England: it was the day he started school. Tommy is the middle child of three in his immediate family; he is an active, inquiring little boy, disposed to becoming deeply involved in activities that interest him. He likes playing outside, he loves playing with his toy cars and he enjoys baking cakes. But at 4.5 years old, Tommy’s opportunities to engage in activities that he values have already diminished. Now, he must focus on another agenda: learning to use phonic knowledge to decode and read words, on spelling correctly and on counting and ordering numbers to 20. These are examples of the ‘schoolified’ knowledge that Tommy must acquire in preparation for the English National Curriculum which he will follow from next September when he reaches 5.5 years old. Tommy has entered a space where he is viewed, measured and valued according to what he will become, rather than the human being he is now (Qvortrup, 1994)

‘The social life of cultural value’

Culture and cultural development are now internationally recognised as important dimensions of contemporary governance and public policy. The production of accurate and relevant data has become central to cultural policy and how the cultural lives of citizens are understood. Conceptual and practical developments in measurement tools, such as cultural indicators, have the potential to enrich our understanding of culture's role in wellbeing, vitality and citizenship. From UNESCO's benchmarks for cultural freedom, through to comparative measures of cultural provision and creative cities indices, diverse approaches to quantifying cultural value and measuring societal progress now exist. But how useful are all these measures? Are they helping us to keep track of what matters? What opportunities exist to contest, refine or democratise these systems of cultural measurement? Making Culture Count brings together diverse perspectives from scholars, policy-makers and creative practitioners to explore the burgeoning field of cultural measurement and its political implications

Older people and creativity: What can a social pedagogical perspective add to this work?

While for some older people longevity is a blessing, for others it is a curse. This article draws on the author’s experience of working through the National Lottery Fund’s Ageing Better programme with groups of older people in Leicester, many of whom are marginalised in terms both of society and under-represented in research. Four psychosocial challenges are identified from this experience: handling change; chronic loneliness; meaninglessness; and loss of a social role. The article explores the significance of creativity whether linked to the participatory arts or creative thinking and problem solving in addressing these challenges. It acknowledges the value of the participatory arts but highlights problems of accessibility and sustainability. The article explores briefly the concept of ‘everyday creativity’ and touches on the underexplored areas of how creativity can link to freeing up some rigidities in mindset and opening older people up to new possibilities. Finally, it examines the principles and practices of social pedagogy. Despite there being very few examples of practice with older people in the UK named as social pedagogy, it is suggested that the perspective is highly relevant to this area of work. Not only do the values and skills match what is needed, but adopting a social pedagogical perspective across the sector might enhance the self-confidence of staff and volunteers, the quality of the work, and provide a much-needed common language. Psychosocial knowledge and skills could, with benefit, be integrated