Schools: Music and Drama Access

Lord Bishop of Guildford Excerpts

Tuesday 17th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend and completely agree with her. I live in Stoke-on-Trent and engage actively with my local schools. Fundamentally, we have to ensure that any curriculum and extracurricular activities, and our investment in arts and culture, allow children to dream, and that they are rounded students who can engage properly in society afterwards.

[The Lord Bishop of Guildford]

My Lords, as a young teenager, I was privileged to play in the National Youth Orchestra, a group which drew together musicians from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom have gone on to contribute substantially to the creative arts in the country. Given that music is being squeezed out across many parts of the state sector, what steps will the Government take to ensure that able musicians have access to the best possible quality tuition and opportunity, not least with specialist music schools, regardless of their ability to pay for it?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the right reverend Prelate for his question and I envy his talent, which I do not share. There are multiple programmes that the Government are doing, not least the music hub partnerships, which cover each area of England and were developed on the recommendation of the noble Baroness, Lady Fleet—we thank her for her work. Some £79 million pounds per year is spent on those hubs, and £25 million will be spent next year on capital projects. Spending on the music and dance scheme, which supports 2,000 students, will be £32 million going forward.