Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many children learn to play a musical instrument in school; and whether the number has risen or fallen since 1997.

Information regarding the total number of children who have learned to play musical instruments at school since 1997 is not held centrally. However, according to the data for 2016/17, recently published by Arts Council England, 711,241 pupils learned to play instruments together as a whole class through the music education hub network. The equivalent figure for 2012/13 was 531,422.

Music is compulsory in the National Curriculum for pupils aged 5-14. The National Curriculum programmes of study for music say that children should be taught to play instruments in key stages 1, 2 and 3. In maintained schools, pupils also have an entitlement in key stage 4 to study an arts subject (which includes music) if they wish.