Music Teachers: Recruitment

Lord Addington Excerpts

Monday 20th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

Every year, we review the recruitment trajectory for different subjects. Given the need to safeguard public money and ensure we are spending it efficiently, and given that we have had a 55% increase in recruitment to initial music teacher training and the lowest leaving rate—8.7%—for music teachers at any point, apart from during the pandemic, I do not think it unreasonable to conclude that, at this point in time, the bursary is not required to bring about recruitment. As I said, we will of course review that every year. We will keep in mind the number of teachers needed to maintain the proportion of hours taught by specialist music teachers in our schools at above 90%, and we will, as we have already proved, pay more if necessary to get the teachers our children need.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, if the Government are serious about expanding arts opportunities, along with other opportunities outside the core curriculum, do they accept that they not only have to be aggressive about recruiting teachers but must make sure that they reach those groups who cannot get there through the private sector? If you want equality, you have to have teachers in schools across the board who are reaching those communities that do not usually access private teaching. Is this a priority? Where does it fit in with the national centre for the arts?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The noble Lord is absolutely right. Schools provide children who cannot access it through private means the opportunity to benefit from music and instrumental education. Through the national enrichment framework that the Government recently published, we will make sure there are more opportunities in the school day for children to take part in music and learn instruments.