Music and Dance Schools: Affordable Access

Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, according to research by the Sutton Trust, 43% of classical musicians went to private school, compared with 7% of the population as a whole. More than half of all students at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music did so. Since you are 10 times more likely to go to private school if your parents are in the top 10% of earners, rather than average earners, it is obvious that many young people are being denied the opportunity to shine in the creative industries simply because they were not born into a wealthy family. That is unfair to them and, of course, to all of us. How many amazing performances are audiences missing out on because stars in the making had to drop out through lack of funding?

Taxpayers lose out too. Some £11 billion a year is an already amazing economic contribution from music and the performing and visual arts, but just imagine how much more it could be if talented youngsters were not being turned away through lack of funds. The fact is that specialist music and dance training is expensive, which is why government help for those who would really benefit if they could only afford it is so important.

I should perhaps declare a maternal interest at this point: I have a daughter at the BRIT School, the first and leading state school for performing and creative arts in the UK, with Adele and Tom Holland among its alumni. The BRIT School is a model of diversity, with nearly half of students coming from lower-income families. To be clear, it is not part of the music and dance scheme, which is why I declared a maternal rather than a financial interest. The Committee will not be surprised to hear that, having had the opportunity to see for myself the power of top-quality specialist creative education, I am grateful that the noble Lord, Lord Blackwell, secured this debate on the importance of affordable specialist music and dance schools.

I anticipate support across the Committee, not least given the welcome Labour manifesto commitment that

“the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few”,

followed by the Government’s recently published plan to significantly increase direct funding for the creative industries sector. Confirming the future of the music and dance scheme would be an excellent contribution to this plan, providing the opportunity for more talented youngsters without wealthy parents to attend the very best specialist schools and colleges.