A cultural apartheid is being created in which children from state schools are missing out on theatre and the arts, according to National Theatre director-in-waiting Nicholas Hytner.

A generation of children is being denied the chance to learn about "the pillars of British culture" because of lack of funds, he told a fundraising event for the London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts.

Mr Hytner said pupils were being "forced" to read the classics without ever having been to the theatre.

Are children missing out?

"There are children leaving our schools who have not seen a play, let alone performed in one," he said.

Mr Hytner, who directed the Oscar-winning The Madness of King George, said arts organisations were being forced to pay for educational work to make up for what schools and the government were no longer doing.

Robbed

A spokesman for the National said the theatre had voluntarily taken on "more and more responsibility" to develop new audiences.

"A whole generation is being robbed" National Theatre spokesman

"But there is only a certain amount we can do," he said.

"There is no money to help state schools pay for the tickets, let alone transport to and from the theatre.

"A whole generation is being robbed."

Mr Hytner, who takes over from Trevor Nunn at the National in March, said the withering away of arts education had been still more disastrous for music.

"The dearth of classically-trained actors is one thing but at least it is possible to decide to be an actor at 18," he said.

"You can't decide to be a violinist at that age. You have to have early exposure."