Children may soon have to go to acting school in London rather than expect drama lessons to be part of their curriculum if they go to state school, thanks to the government's drive to push the majority of students to study the English baccalaureate subjects.

According to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), if pupils in England take a minimum of seven GCSEs in EBacc subjects by the year 2020, only 20 per cent of their time will be left for technology and creative courses.

Consequently, this will result in a drop in the number of students opting to take subjects like music and drama, both of which are especially vulnerable because the uptake of these is already below that of a lot of other courses.

ASCL interim general secretary Malcolm Trobe said: "It would be a tragedy if an unintended consequence of EBacc is that it becomes impossible for schools to run music and drama courses. The danger is that these subjects will then end up becoming the preserve of the elite, accessible only to those who can afford private tuition."

Bear in mind, however, that if your child is desperate to take drama lessons and they're not on offer at school, there is always another option - tuition outside the traditional scholastic environment. Here at City Acting, we run beginner courses that would be perfect for young people to try out, as well as voice and communication classes that have been tailored to suit those who have no previous experience in acting.