Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the teaching of music in academies across all key stages, and particularly in key stage 3.

Music is compulsory in the national curriculum for 5 to 14 year olds. Data from the Omnibus Survey in 2017 reveals that the average amount of teaching time in primary schools was broadly similar to the amount of time spent teaching history and geography. At secondary schools, the data from the school workforce census shows that the proportion of time spent teaching music between 2010 and 2017 has remained broadly stable. In 2010 2.4% of total teaching hours were spent teaching music, compared with 2.3% in 2017. Full details are in the table below.

The network of music education hubs have four core roles, including ensuring that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument in whole classes. Data published recently by Arts Council England shows that in 2016-17, 91% of primary schools and 88% of secondary schools worked with their music education hub on at least one of the hubs’ core roles. It also shows that 711,241 pupils in state-funded schools learned to play instruments in lessons for whole classes that were provided or supported by music education hubs.

Academies are not obliged to follow the national curriculum, but they are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.