Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will reverse their decision to end funding for the computing hubs programme run by the National Centre for Computing Education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The fiscal situation this new government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Given this, the decision to end funding for the computing hubs remains.
The government will continue to fund the National Centre for Computing Education to support the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science qualifications. Teachers will still be able to access high-quality continuing professional development and teaching resources to support and enrich computing lessons. Funding beyond 2025/26 financial year to support computing education will be considered through the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will reverse their decision to end funding for the Latin excellence programme; and, if not, whether they will defer the cessation of funding until pupils currently in the programme have completed their qualifications.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The fiscal situation this new government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Given this, the decision to not extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the agreed initial three-year contract remains.
The department will work closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme on 28 February, to ensure pupils’ continuity of learning. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources once the programme ends.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 26 September (HL846), what additional funding they will provide to schools to ensure that every child between the ages of 5 and 14 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
This government is clear that music and the arts should be part of every child’s education.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how we deliver a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as music, art and drama. The government will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.
School music provision is supported through the £79 million per annum grant provided for the Music Hub programme, which is led by Arts Council England. Music Hubs are partnerships that provide a suite of services to schools to support the delivery of music education, including instrumental teaching, whole class ensemble teaching, instrument hire, continuing professional development for teachers and access to national and regional music opportunities.
To further support access to learning a musical instrument, the government is also providing a £25 million capital grant for musical instruments, equipment and technology. This funding will be distributed to the 43 Music Hub lead organisations by Arts Council England.
The government has also announced the Music Opportunities Pilot, expanding Young Sounds UK’s existing programme – Young Sounds Connect – which offers disadvantaged pupils across primary and secondary schools the opportunity to learn to play an instrument of their choice or learn how to sing to a high standard by providing free lessons and supporting young people to progress. The four year pilot will be delivered across 12 areas in England, and this is backed by £2 million from the government and £3.9 million from Arts Council England and Youth Music.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards helping every child to learn to play a musical instrument.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are significant 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.
One of the aims of the existing National Curriculum programmes of study for music from age 5 to 14 is to ensure that all pupils in England have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. However, academies and free schools are not required to follow the National Curriculum. The government has established an independent review of the curriculum and assessment from ages 5 to 18, which will be led 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, 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 to play instruments through the Music Hubs programme which support instrumental teaching in schools, including whole class ensemble teaching, instrument tuition, an instrument hire service, continuing professional development for teachers and access to local, regional and national ensemble. In 2022/23, Music Hubs provided support to around 90% of schools across England.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to abolish the current system of Ofsted inspection grades and, if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises that effective accountability has the potential to make a real contribution to breaking down barriers and helping to support improvement for the benefit of children, students and learners across the country. That is why the department is committed to reforming Ofsted and improving the inspection system. This will include moving away from the single headline grade to a richer system through a report card. The department will work in partnership with schools and the wider sector to ensure that its reforms maximise the potential to improve the life chances for every child and young person. The department is carefully considering the timing of any changes that it makes.