Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that specialist music and dance schools have enough funding to provide funded places for talented children from all socio-economic backgrounds; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing a multi-year grant settlement for those schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries. The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year. Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has made to (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Secretary of State for Education on (i) uprating the level of funding for the Music and Dance Scheme in line with inflation, and (ii) providing a multi-year settlement for the Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup to the answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 82566.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to (a) uprate the level of funding for the Music and Dance Scheme by at least the rate of inflation each financial year and (b) provide a multi-year funding settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup to the answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 82566.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) increasing funding for the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) committing to a multiple-year settlement.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Funding beyond the current academic year, including any introduction of multi-year funding agreements, will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) removal of the VAT exemption and (b) increase in (i) business rates, (ii) the minimum wage and (iii) National Insurance contributions on specialist (A) music and (B) dance schools.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the value that music and dance schools bring to education in the UK.
In advance of Autumn Budget 2024, the Government conducted thorough and detailed analysis of the impacts of applying VAT to private school fees and the removal of business rates charitable rate relief from private schools in England, including on Music and Dance schools.
The Department for Education provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight MDS performing arts private schools. The Department adjusted MDS bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for VAT on fees, ensuring that the total parental fee contributions for families with below average relevant incomes remain unchanged for the 2024/25 academic year.
The Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those providing specialist education in music and dance, will either gain or see no change this year.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates are recommended by the independent and expert Low Pay Commission (LPC). By seeking advice from the LPC when setting the minimum wage rates, the Government is able to ensure that the right balance is struck between the needs of workers, affordability for employers, including those in the education sector, and the impact on the economy. DBT have published their full Impact Assessment alongside the legislation here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348268492/impacts
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing real-terms funding for the (a) the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) eight schools supported by this scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Tooting to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 79113.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a three-year funding settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Tooting to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 79113.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of current funding levels for the music and dance scheme to ensure access for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reintroduce three-year grant settlements for schools participating in the music and dance scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will be considered in due course.