Museums have launched a manifesto calling for a five-year programme of government investment into their facilities.
The document, published this week, highlights the contribution museums make to education, in the hope that this will help generate a pound;115 million annual grant from the government.
It claims that 73 per cent of teachers believe that their pupils acquire relevant subject knowledge from museum visits, while 85 per cent of parents believe that museum visits should be part of the national curriculum.
