Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne

The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves to receive. Under this government, the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.

Music is in the current National Curriculum, which is compulsory in all maintained schools from the age of 5 to 14 years. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will be chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, and one of the aims is to deliver a broader curriculum so that pupils do not miss out on subjects such as music. When the review has concluded, and subject to Parliament passing the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, the department will require all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, to follow the National Curriculum.

The department additionally supports children to learn music through the Music Hubs programme, which supports instrumental teaching in schools, as well as providing continuing professional development for teachers and access to local, regional and national ensembles. In 2022/23, Music Hubs provided support to around 90% of primary schools across England.

The department has not made a specific assessment of whether promoting music education in the National Curriculum for primary schools would help diminish pressures on the NHS arising from children’s mental health. However, studies show that music education has a wide range of wellbeing benefits for children.

The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves to receive. Under this government, the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.

Music is in the current National Curriculum, which is compulsory in all maintained schools from the age of 5 to 14 years. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will be chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, and one of the aims is to deliver a broader curriculum so that pupils do not miss out on subjects such as music. When the review has concluded, and subject to Parliament passing the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, the department will require all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, to follow the National Curriculum.

The department additionally supports children to learn music through the Music Hubs programme, which supports instrumental teaching in schools, as well as providing continuing professional development for teachers and access to local, regional and national ensembles. In 2022/23, Music Hubs provided support to around 90% of primary schools across England.

The department has not made a specific assessment of whether promoting music education in the National Curriculum for primary schools would help diminish pressures on the NHS arising from children’s mental health. However, studies show that music education has a wide range of wellbeing benefits for children.

The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

Ministers and officials in the Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work closely with colleagues at the Department for Education, as part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and that supports the mental health needs of children of primary school age.

We are working with our colleagues at NHS England and the Department for Education to consider options to deliver our commitments to recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services, and to introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school, so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. Ministers have not yet met to discuss this particular topic, but there are plans to do so in the future.