Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role music will play in the introduction of the Arts Premium for secondary schools.

Arts education is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum and should not be the preserve of the elite but the entitlement of every single child. Between 2016-20 the Department is providing almost £500 million of funding for a range of creative and performance arts education programmes including Music Education Hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme, the Dance and Drama Awards, and a set of diverse cultural education programmes. As set out in the manifesto and in early January, we also announced funding of £85 million for music and arts in 2020-21; £80 million for music hubs coupled with further investment in film, dance, theatre and design.

The Department believes that the arts help young people to learn creative skills and widen their horizons, so we will also offer an ‘arts premium’ to secondary schools to fund enriching activities for all pupils. We will share further details on the premium in due course.