Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1382 on Music: Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to Music Education Hubs of increased employer contributions to the teachers’ pension scheme.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department will announce further details on the increased employer contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), including the approach for centrally employed teachers, and funding rates and allocations, in due course. In the meantime, the department can confirm that the existing TPS grant to non-local authority Hub Lead Organisations will continue to the end of August 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of state-funded secondary schools had their own music performance facilities in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2019 and (d) 2022.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Arts Council England is leading the Music Hubs investment programme at the invitation of the department. As the programme is ongoing, information about the number of applications is commercially sensitive so cannot be published. The plan is for applicants to be informed of the outcome of the investment programme by April 2024, although they will be informed earlier if this is possible.
In relation to music performance facilities in secondary schools, the department does not collect this information. The National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, sets out the department’s strategy to 2030 and maintains the government’s commitment to high quality music education for all. Starting in September 2023, all state-funded schools are asked to teach music to 5- to 14-year-olds for at least an hour a week each term, supported by co-curricular learning and musical experiences. It is for schools to decide what facilities are required to meet this expectation, including the specific expectation in the Plan in relation to space for rehearsals and individual practice.
In relation to the Cultural Education Plan, the department has been working closely with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and has conducted extensive engagement with external stakeholders across the education and cultural sectors and appointed an Expert Advisory Panel in July 2023. Both the Panel and the stakeholder engagement are helping to inform the development of the Plan and its emerging proposals. The department will publish the Cultural Education Plan in the coming months.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s planned timescale for launching its Cultural Education Plan is.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Arts Council England is leading the Music Hubs investment programme at the invitation of the department. As the programme is ongoing, information about the number of applications is commercially sensitive so cannot be published. The plan is for applicants to be informed of the outcome of the investment programme by April 2024, although they will be informed earlier if this is possible.
In relation to music performance facilities in secondary schools, the department does not collect this information. The National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, sets out the department’s strategy to 2030 and maintains the government’s commitment to high quality music education for all. Starting in September 2023, all state-funded schools are asked to teach music to 5- to 14-year-olds for at least an hour a week each term, supported by co-curricular learning and musical experiences. It is for schools to decide what facilities are required to meet this expectation, including the specific expectation in the Plan in relation to space for rehearsals and individual practice.
In relation to the Cultural Education Plan, the department has been working closely with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and has conducted extensive engagement with external stakeholders across the education and cultural sectors and appointed an Expert Advisory Panel in July 2023. Both the Panel and the stakeholder engagement are helping to inform the development of the Plan and its emerging proposals. The department will publish the Cultural Education Plan in the coming months.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications have been received for funding from the music hub investment programme (a) in total and (b) in each geographic area as of 22 November 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Arts Council England is leading the Music Hubs investment programme at the invitation of the department. As the programme is ongoing, information about the number of applications is commercially sensitive so cannot be published. The plan is for applicants to be informed of the outcome of the investment programme by April 2024, although they will be informed earlier if this is possible.
In relation to music performance facilities in secondary schools, the department does not collect this information. The National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, sets out the department’s strategy to 2030 and maintains the government’s commitment to high quality music education for all. Starting in September 2023, all state-funded schools are asked to teach music to 5- to 14-year-olds for at least an hour a week each term, supported by co-curricular learning and musical experiences. It is for schools to decide what facilities are required to meet this expectation, including the specific expectation in the Plan in relation to space for rehearsals and individual practice.
In relation to the Cultural Education Plan, the department has been working closely with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and has conducted extensive engagement with external stakeholders across the education and cultural sectors and appointed an Expert Advisory Panel in July 2023. Both the Panel and the stakeholder engagement are helping to inform the development of the Plan and its emerging proposals. The department will publish the Cultural Education Plan in the coming months.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of contacting successful applicants to the Music Hub Investment Programme before April 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Arts Council England is leading the Music Hubs investment programme at the invitation of the department. As the programme is ongoing, information about the number of applications is commercially sensitive so cannot be published. The plan is for applicants to be informed of the outcome of the investment programme by April 2024, although they will be informed earlier if this is possible.
In relation to music performance facilities in secondary schools, the department does not collect this information. The National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, sets out the department’s strategy to 2030 and maintains the government’s commitment to high quality music education for all. Starting in September 2023, all state-funded schools are asked to teach music to 5- to 14-year-olds for at least an hour a week each term, supported by co-curricular learning and musical experiences. It is for schools to decide what facilities are required to meet this expectation, including the specific expectation in the Plan in relation to space for rehearsals and individual practice.
In relation to the Cultural Education Plan, the department has been working closely with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and has conducted extensive engagement with external stakeholders across the education and cultural sectors and appointed an Expert Advisory Panel in July 2023. Both the Panel and the stakeholder engagement are helping to inform the development of the Plan and its emerging proposals. The department will publish the Cultural Education Plan in the coming months.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of apprenticeships in the music industry in each academic year since 2018-19.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the academic years 2012/13 to 2020/21 and are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. These data use the Office for National Statistics’ two-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) of the UK workforce.
There is not a two-digit SIC code for ‘the music industry’. The following table shows the number of apprenticeships starts covered by the two-digit SIC code for ‘motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities’ in England between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 academic years.
Academic Year | Apprenticeship starts |
2018/19 | 380 |
2019/20 | 170 |
2020/21 | 190 |
Data for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years will be published in June 2024 and June 2025, respectively.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) legal advice on proposals to change the structure of music education hubs.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Music Hubs have a vital role in ensuring children and young people across the country can access high quality music education. The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012.
As part of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, the government set out its intention to re-compete the hubs lead organisation (HLO) role and reduce the number of HLOs. The department also committed to work with Arts Council England (ACE), as the fundholder of the Music Hubs programme, to engage with existing and potential HLOs to inform this process. At the invitation of the department, ACE subsequently undertook a two-stage consultation in early 2023. They then published the findings of the consultation and announced the change from 118 to 43 HLOs, and subsequently launched the ongoing investment programme. The investment programme is due to conclude next year, with newly competed HLOs commencing from September 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new musical instruments have been provided to schools under the National Plan for Music Education, published on 25 June 2022.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2022, the Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the National Plan for Music Education and set out the expectation that from the 2023/24 academic year, state-funded schools should deliver high quality curriculum music for at least one hour a week in Key Stages 1 to 3, supported by co-curricular learning, and musical experiences.
The latest data for the 2022/23 academic year shows over 85,500 hours were spent teaching music in secondary schools in England to years 7 to 13 in a typical week, more than at any time since 2014/15. At Key Stage 3, the 2022/23 academic year saw over 59,000 hours of music being taught in a typical week. These are the highest levels since 2011/12.
The Department also surveyed head teachers in May 2022. The results showed that among schools providing timetabled music teaching, the average duration received by pupils was 47 minutes in a typical week. It was reported that secondary school pupils received more timetabled music teaching each week on average (58 minutes compared to 45 minutes for primary pupils). The Department plans to continue to monitor teaching time in music over the coming years.
As part of the refreshed Plan, the Government will continue to invest £79 million per year in Music Hubs, who have a key role in supporting schools to provide high quality music provision, as well as £25 million for musical instruments. This funding will increase the existing stock available to all pupils. The funding will be given to Music Hub Lead Organisations to distribute as appropriate from Autumn 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools offer at least one hour of music lessons each week.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2022, the Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the National Plan for Music Education and set out the expectation that from the 2023/24 academic year, state-funded schools should deliver high quality curriculum music for at least one hour a week in Key Stages 1 to 3, supported by co-curricular learning, and musical experiences.
The latest data for the 2022/23 academic year shows over 85,500 hours were spent teaching music in secondary schools in England to years 7 to 13 in a typical week, more than at any time since 2014/15. At Key Stage 3, the 2022/23 academic year saw over 59,000 hours of music being taught in a typical week. These are the highest levels since 2011/12.
The Department also surveyed head teachers in May 2022. The results showed that among schools providing timetabled music teaching, the average duration received by pupils was 47 minutes in a typical week. It was reported that secondary school pupils received more timetabled music teaching each week on average (58 minutes compared to 45 minutes for primary pupils). The Department plans to continue to monitor teaching time in music over the coming years.
As part of the refreshed Plan, the Government will continue to invest £79 million per year in Music Hubs, who have a key role in supporting schools to provide high quality music provision, as well as £25 million for musical instruments. This funding will increase the existing stock available to all pupils. The funding will be given to Music Hub Lead Organisations to distribute as appropriate from Autumn 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school music teachers left the teaching profession in the period between (a) 2010 and 2015, (b) 2015 and 2020 and (c) 2020 and 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the number of teachers leaving state-funded schools and the number of teachers by subject in state-funded secondary schools in England are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistic available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the year to November 2022, the full time equivalent (FTE) of 43,997 qualified teachers left the state-funded sector in England, while 47,954 qualified teachers joined.
The latest available data shows that in November 2022, the latest data available, there were 7,184 FTE teachers teaching music in state-funded secondary schools, a slight increase from 7,003 in the previous year.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers1 of music in state-funded secondary schools
2011/12 to 2022/23
| Number of teachers of all years |
2011/12 | 8,043 |
2012/13 | 7,432 |
2013/14 | 7,268 |
2014/15 | 7,109 |
2015/16 | 6,862 |
2016/17 | 6,720 |
2017/18 | 6,480 |
2018/19 | 6,525 |
2019/20 | 6,543 |
2020/21 | 6,837 |
2021/22 | 7,003 |
2022/23 | 7,184 |
Source: School Workforce Census, published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/94487fba-1bd5-4bef-b77d-08dbd08e1875
1: Teachers were counted once against each subject and key stage they taught, irrespective of the time spent teaching.
The requested figures for music teachers leaving the teaching profession are not available.
The quality of teaching remains the single most important factor in improving outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Department plans to update the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, originally published in 2019, and build on existing reforms to ensure every child has an excellent teacher, including in music. The strategy update will reflect progress in delivering these reforms, and set out priorities for the coming years.
For those starting initial teacher training in music in the 2024/25 academic year, the Department is offering £10,000 tax-free bursaries. This should attract more music teachers into the profession and support schools in delivering at least one hour of music lessons a week.
The Government will also be placing a stronger emphasis on teacher development as part of the Music Hub programme in the future, including peer-to-peer support through new Lead Schools in every Hub.