Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the take-up of Music GCSE courses by pupils.

Music is compulsory in the national curriculum and the Government is providing funding of over £300 million for music education hubs between 2016 and 2020. A report published last year by Birmingham City University showed that in 2016/17 the hubs taught more than 700,000 children to play a musical instrument with their class. The national curriculum does not apply in academies, but all state-funded schools have to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

All pupils who want to study music at GCSE will have the opportunity to do so. Since 2009/10, the percentage of the GCSE cohort in state funded schools taking the music GCSE has fluctuated but remained broadly stable at between 6% and 7%. It currently stands at 6%.

In order to ensure all pupils are able to enjoy a high quality music education, the Department is developing and publishing a non-statutory model music curriculum for Key Stages 1 to 3. This will expand on the statutory programmes of study and act as a benchmark for all schools. The model curriculum will provide pupils with the knowledge and skills which enable them to embark with confidence on a GCSE course of study. This model curriculum will be made freely available to schools. We have also announced plans to refresh the National Plan for Music Education.