Music and Dance Schools: Affordable Access
Debate between Baroness Bull and Baroness Blake of Leeds(2 days, 14 hours ago)
Grand CommitteeRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)
My Lords, I start with an enormous thank you to the noble Lord, Lord Blackwell, for bringing forward this important debate. The number of people taking part demonstrates the strength of feeling in this House and, clearly, beyond. I thank all noble Lords who have spoken, who have considerable experience in this area. It is always an enormous privilege to hear them.
I mentioned before my personal interest from my role as the leader of Leeds City Council, when I took on its cultural portfolio. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser, who talked about ballet shoes, and my noble friend Lady Ramsey, who spoke of her personal experience, I have personal experience from a granddaughter who is very involved in this area, and thank goodness—it is wonderful to see, as we have heard from all who contributed.
I make clear from the outset that access to specialist music and dance education must not be the preserve of the privileged few. This is the Government’s clear view. In emphasising the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley, we have to stress this throughout, despite the difficult times through which we are living. As part of our opportunity mission, we want to widen access to the arts, so that young people can develop their creativity and find their expression and voice. This is important in its own right—subjects such as music and dance are a critical part of a rich education—but it also supports young people with the dedication to excel in the performing arts.
In closing this debate, I underline this Government’s commitment to maintaining affordable access to specialist music and dance education so that, regardless of their background, high-achieving young people can access specialist training. As we have heard through the debate, the Government continue to provide generous support to help students access specialist music and dance education and training. We committed £36.5 million to the music and dance scheme this academic year, as we have heard.
I will pick up on the comments of the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley, and the noble Lord, Lord Addington, about the contribution that the sector makes to the richness of our economy. We know that growth is the Government’s number one mission and that the new industrial strategy is central to that. This is a sector in which the UK excels today and will propel us forward tomorrow.
The creative industries have been announced as one of the eight growth-driving sectors in the industrial strategy, which has been published following the multi-year spending review. The creative industries sector plan has been designed in collaboration with business and devolved Governments and the regions. It is critical that we provide a workforce with the right skills and capabilities, as we will go on to discuss. I am looking forward very much to the Government’s work on skills and where this sits within it.
I emphasise that the scheme provides income-assessed bursaries and grants to enable high-achieving children and young people in music and dance to benefit from world-class specialist training, regardless of their personal and financial circumstances. The scheme supports students to attend eight independent schools and 20 centres for advanced training, the latter providing places at weekends and evenings and in the school holidays. Bursaries support more than 2,000 pupils a year, with around 900 pupils attending schools. I emphasise that all families earning below the average relevant income of £45,000 per annum and making parental contributions will continue to receive additional financial support this academic year, so they will be unaffected financially by the VAT change in January 2025.
The music and dance scheme is a long-term commitment and the Government will continue to look at it. We know that there is enormous gratitude for the additional £4 million covering the issue of VAT. I want to give reassurance that due consideration will be given to the cost of providing specialist education, including consideration of the points made today by the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, my noble friend Lady Royall, and the noble Lords, Lord Vaizey, Lord Black and Lord Hall. They all made important points about long-term funding, and the noble Earl, Lord Effingham, emphasised them.
I have to say, however, that we have been, in the main, in this space for more than two decades. This is not something new that has been brought in. The current scheme was established in, I think, 2002 under the previous Labour Government. We need to be clear about where we are going forward. We know that we have had to make tough decisions to get our finances back under control—the noble Lord, Lord Hall, referred to this—including some additional non-bursary funding and some music and dance scheme centres. The main bursary funding itself has, however, been protected. All eligible students from the last academic year have continued to receive MDS bursaries, and new eligible students will have commenced at the beginning of this term.
The Government will also ensure that high-quality arts education, including in music and dance, is available across all state-funded schools. To achieve this, additional support for our schools and teachers is needed. We acknowledge this. I want to pick up on the comments of my noble friend Lady Warwick on the impact of EBacc and recognising the need for pupils to be prepared and ready for training as the noble Lord, Lord Addington said. We want every child, regardless of background, to have a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum.
I am sure all noble Lords will be aware that we are still awaiting the launch of the independent review of curriculum assessment, chaired by Professor Becky Francis. She is looking at all subjects. She is looking at music and seeks to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, including in creative subjects and skills. It is being informed by evidence and data, and in close consultation with education professionals and other experts. Parents, children, young people and other stakeholders, such as employers, have been involved in that work.
The final report is very close to being published but I cannot pre-empt the outcome of that review, as I am sure noble Lords will be aware, despite requests for me to do so. We will of course consider associated implications for accountability measures, such as EBacc and Progress 8, alongside this. It is fundamental that we take this incredibly seriously. I hope noble Lords understand that the Government are emphasising these points, as my noble friend Lord Liddle highlighted.
On additional support, again, that is why we announced in March our intention to launch the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education as we go forward. We believe that the new centre will help us to meet our ambitions for improved and equitable arts education. The centre will support schools in teaching music and dance, as well as art and design and drama. It will also be the national delivery partner for the music hubs network, with the 43 hub partnerships central to supporting schools. Our intention is to appoint a delivery partner for the centre through an open, competitive procurement. We have been engaging with sector stakeholders, including the music hubs network, to refine the details of the centre. The invitation to tender is due to be issued soon.
Again, in recognising how important this is, the music hubs grant funding of £76 million has been secured for the full academic year of 2025-26 and to the end of August 2026. Following the outcome of the spending review, longer-term funding will be confirmed in due course. The Government continue to invest £25 million in capital funding to widen access to musical instruments and technology to the end of this year.
I am taking a bit of licence here in what I pick up, with the permission of the Whip, because we have until 3 pm.
Baroness Bull (CB)
Can the Minister help me to understand where dance will sit within the new centre that she describes? The centre is dedicated to music and the arts but, as we know, in schools dance sits within the PE curriculum. Is there going to be some sort of tension in how the centre can support dance within schools, when in fact it is not viewed as an art but as a physical education subject?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I have had the great pleasure of having this discussion with the noble Baroness on a number of occasions. I cannot go further than we have before on the curriculum review, but there is an acknowledgement of the position of dance and its relationship to PE. In all of the wider picture, that voice is very loud and it has been heard.
I want to emphasise the issue of teacher training, on which an important point has been raised. It is true that the £10,000 tax-free bursary for music will be removed in 2026-27 but this is due to improved teacher retention and higher ITT recruitment. That is the basis for that announcement on 11 October. I also emphasise the importance of choir schools, referred to by my noble friend Lord Liddle. As part of the scheme, the department provides a grant of £210,000 to the Choir Schools Association. This offers means-tested support to choristers attending CSA member schools, including cathedral and collegiate choir schools in England, to help those with exceptional talent who are unable to afford the fees.
This has been a rich debate and I am conscious that I have not been able to give all the points that have been made their due notice. I know that we will have more discussion across the House but we are at a critical point, as the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, mentioned, given the timing of the Budget that is coming up. I understand why so many noble Lords have brought these matters to the attention of the House through this important debate.
In closing, I underline this Government’s commitment to ensuring that all children can access and engage with high-quality music and dance education. Access to the arts is a vital part of a rich education and must not be the preserve of the privileged few.
National Centre for Arts and Music Education
Debate between Baroness Bull and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I start my reply by thanking my noble friend for her contribution in this area in the other place and her continuing interest in our noble House. I assure her that the department will engage with music hubs and the wider sector to establish how the national centre can best support improving outcomes for children and young people—including, as she quite rightly mentioned, those who need adapted instruments. Both of the questions she raised are significant and important. In the current climate, monitoring progress and re-engagement after absence, for whatever reason, is certainly a topical issue and a consideration that I know will be brought forward during the consultation. We look forward to the outcome with interest.
Baroness Bull (CB)
My Lords the Minister will know that her department and DCMS worked with an advisory panel, which I had the privilege to chair and undertook a large-scale consultation to hear from the cultural sector its advice on cultural education. One key idea that emerged was the creation of a virtual education hub to harness the power of technology and AI to do some of the things that this centre could deliver: for instance, helping busy schools connect with their local cultural providers and offering CPD. Can she confirm that the panel’s advice and the findings of the sector consultation will be taken into account in developing this national centre? Will the potential of technology and AI be fully exploited so that their impact can be as great as possible?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
Again, I start by thanking the noble Baroness, because I know the amount of work that went in, led by her and other colleagues. I reassure the House that although the report has not been published yet, its contents will be taken very seriously indeed. Of course, there will be future opportunities to feed into the process. The possibilities of the virtual space, tech and AI are, frankly, endless, and I look forward very much to hearing more about those ideas and seeing how we can make the most of them.
Europe: Arts and Creative Industries
Debate between Baroness Bull and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord highlights another area I have learned about from this debate. CITES is clearly a critical factor, as is the whole issue around St Pancras and how we can move forward. I do not have the detail that he asks for. I will take it back and report back on progress.
Baroness Bull (CB)
My Lords, reduced opportunities for exchange between EU and UK artists impact not only on touring but on career development and the innovations that come through collaboration. I remain optimistic that this Government will deliver on their manifesto promise about touring artists. In the meantime, will they consider rejoining Creative Europe, which enables the network building and audience development that would come through touring but is not currently possible? Why are the Government not pursuing that as an opportunity?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Baroness raises important issues. At this moment in time, there are no plans for rejoining Creative Europe, but that does not mean that conversations are not ongoing or that we are not having a pragmatic look at how we can replace the work done through that so that we can come up with a bespoke way forward. It is critical that we encourage our young people by enabling them to pursue their dreams and to perform in Europe, because that opens up the world stage as well. It is not just a question of problems in Europe; not performing in Europe has a knock-on impact on their ability to move to other parts of the world.