Music and Dance Scheme

Earl of Clancarty Excerpts

Tuesday 24th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

Well, I do agree with the words of my noble friend Lady Longfield. I am sure that she, like me, is dismayed at, for example, the big fall-off in young people able to take GCSEs in those subjects over the period of time that the noble Lord was in government, and that she is dismayed about, as the noble Baroness said, the numbers of teachers that we are losing in this particular area. This Government have a commitment, not only through the national centre for arts and music education but through our investment in our schools and teachers, and our commitment to a new national curriculum available for all schools, and an entitlement for all children. I only wish the last Government had been as committed.

[The Earl of Clancarty (CB)]

My Lords, further to the question from my noble friend Lady Bull, how is the overall effectiveness of the music and dance scheme assessed? Clearly it is a great scheme, but is it possible that there are talented students who need support who may still be missing out, and, if so, how might this be assessed and rectified?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The music and dance scheme has a particular function to play in enabling very talented young people who would not otherwise be able to access the really excellent education provided by the schools in this scheme. But it would therefore be right to say that, of course, there will always potentially be other children and young people who could have benefited from this type of education. That is why we need a broader approach, as is manifest through the proposal for the national centre for arts and music education, to ensure that we are widening the opportunities for all young people to get to that position of excellence where they can benefit from the music and dance scheme.