Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of apprenticeships in the music industry in each academic year since 2018-19.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the academic years 2012/13 to 2020/21 and are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. These data use the Office for National Statistics’ two-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) of the UK workforce.
There is not a two-digit SIC code for ‘the music industry’. The following table shows the number of apprenticeships starts covered by the two-digit SIC code for ‘motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities’ in England between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 academic years.
Academic Year | Apprenticeship starts |
2018/19 | 380 |
2019/20 | 170 |
2020/21 | 190 |
Data for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years will be published in June 2024 and June 2025, respectively.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) legal advice on proposals to change the structure of music education hubs.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Music Hubs have a vital role in ensuring children and young people across the country can access high quality music education. The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012.
As part of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, the government set out its intention to re-compete the hubs lead organisation (HLO) role and reduce the number of HLOs. The department also committed to work with Arts Council England (ACE), as the fundholder of the Music Hubs programme, to engage with existing and potential HLOs to inform this process. At the invitation of the department, ACE subsequently undertook a two-stage consultation in early 2023. They then published the findings of the consultation and announced the change from 118 to 43 HLOs, and subsequently launched the ongoing investment programme. The investment programme is due to conclude next year, with newly competed HLOs commencing from September 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new musical instruments have been provided to schools under the National Plan for Music Education, published on 25 June 2022.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2022, the Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the National Plan for Music Education and set out the expectation that from the 2023/24 academic year, state-funded schools should deliver high quality curriculum music for at least one hour a week in Key Stages 1 to 3, supported by co-curricular learning, and musical experiences.
The latest data for the 2022/23 academic year shows over 85,500 hours were spent teaching music in secondary schools in England to years 7 to 13 in a typical week, more than at any time since 2014/15. At Key Stage 3, the 2022/23 academic year saw over 59,000 hours of music being taught in a typical week. These are the highest levels since 2011/12.
The Department also surveyed head teachers in May 2022. The results showed that among schools providing timetabled music teaching, the average duration received by pupils was 47 minutes in a typical week. It was reported that secondary school pupils received more timetabled music teaching each week on average (58 minutes compared to 45 minutes for primary pupils). The Department plans to continue to monitor teaching time in music over the coming years.
As part of the refreshed Plan, the Government will continue to invest £79 million per year in Music Hubs, who have a key role in supporting schools to provide high quality music provision, as well as £25 million for musical instruments. This funding will increase the existing stock available to all pupils. The funding will be given to Music Hub Lead Organisations to distribute as appropriate from Autumn 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools offer at least one hour of music lessons each week.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2022, the Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the National Plan for Music Education and set out the expectation that from the 2023/24 academic year, state-funded schools should deliver high quality curriculum music for at least one hour a week in Key Stages 1 to 3, supported by co-curricular learning, and musical experiences.
The latest data for the 2022/23 academic year shows over 85,500 hours were spent teaching music in secondary schools in England to years 7 to 13 in a typical week, more than at any time since 2014/15. At Key Stage 3, the 2022/23 academic year saw over 59,000 hours of music being taught in a typical week. These are the highest levels since 2011/12.
The Department also surveyed head teachers in May 2022. The results showed that among schools providing timetabled music teaching, the average duration received by pupils was 47 minutes in a typical week. It was reported that secondary school pupils received more timetabled music teaching each week on average (58 minutes compared to 45 minutes for primary pupils). The Department plans to continue to monitor teaching time in music over the coming years.
As part of the refreshed Plan, the Government will continue to invest £79 million per year in Music Hubs, who have a key role in supporting schools to provide high quality music provision, as well as £25 million for musical instruments. This funding will increase the existing stock available to all pupils. The funding will be given to Music Hub Lead Organisations to distribute as appropriate from Autumn 2024.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school music teachers left the teaching profession in the period between (a) 2010 and 2015, (b) 2015 and 2020 and (c) 2020 and 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the number of teachers leaving state-funded schools and the number of teachers by subject in state-funded secondary schools in England are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistic available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the year to November 2022, the full time equivalent (FTE) of 43,997 qualified teachers left the state-funded sector in England, while 47,954 qualified teachers joined.
The latest available data shows that in November 2022, the latest data available, there were 7,184 FTE teachers teaching music in state-funded secondary schools, a slight increase from 7,003 in the previous year.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers1 of music in state-funded secondary schools
2011/12 to 2022/23
| Number of teachers of all years |
2011/12 | 8,043 |
2012/13 | 7,432 |
2013/14 | 7,268 |
2014/15 | 7,109 |
2015/16 | 6,862 |
2016/17 | 6,720 |
2017/18 | 6,480 |
2018/19 | 6,525 |
2019/20 | 6,543 |
2020/21 | 6,837 |
2021/22 | 7,003 |
2022/23 | 7,184 |
Source: School Workforce Census, published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/94487fba-1bd5-4bef-b77d-08dbd08e1875
1: Teachers were counted once against each subject and key stage they taught, irrespective of the time spent teaching.
The requested figures for music teachers leaving the teaching profession are not available.
The quality of teaching remains the single most important factor in improving outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Department plans to update the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, originally published in 2019, and build on existing reforms to ensure every child has an excellent teacher, including in music. The strategy update will reflect progress in delivering these reforms, and set out priorities for the coming years.
For those starting initial teacher training in music in the 2024/25 academic year, the Department is offering £10,000 tax-free bursaries. This should attract more music teachers into the profession and support schools in delivering at least one hour of music lessons a week.
The Government will also be placing a stronger emphasis on teacher development as part of the Music Hub programme in the future, including peer-to-peer support through new Lead Schools in every Hub.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession in the period between (a) 2010 and 2015, (b) 2015 and 2020 and (c) 2020 and 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the number of teachers leaving state-funded schools and the number of teachers by subject in state-funded secondary schools in England are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistic available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the year to November 2022, the full time equivalent (FTE) of 43,997 qualified teachers left the state-funded sector in England, while 47,954 qualified teachers joined.
The latest available data shows that in November 2022, the latest data available, there were 7,184 FTE teachers teaching music in state-funded secondary schools, a slight increase from 7,003 in the previous year.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers1 of music in state-funded secondary schools
2011/12 to 2022/23
| Number of teachers of all years |
2011/12 | 8,043 |
2012/13 | 7,432 |
2013/14 | 7,268 |
2014/15 | 7,109 |
2015/16 | 6,862 |
2016/17 | 6,720 |
2017/18 | 6,480 |
2018/19 | 6,525 |
2019/20 | 6,543 |
2020/21 | 6,837 |
2021/22 | 7,003 |
2022/23 | 7,184 |
Source: School Workforce Census, published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/94487fba-1bd5-4bef-b77d-08dbd08e1875
1: Teachers were counted once against each subject and key stage they taught, irrespective of the time spent teaching.
The requested figures for music teachers leaving the teaching profession are not available.
The quality of teaching remains the single most important factor in improving outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Department plans to update the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, originally published in 2019, and build on existing reforms to ensure every child has an excellent teacher, including in music. The strategy update will reflect progress in delivering these reforms, and set out priorities for the coming years.
For those starting initial teacher training in music in the 2024/25 academic year, the Department is offering £10,000 tax-free bursaries. This should attract more music teachers into the profession and support schools in delivering at least one hour of music lessons a week.
The Government will also be placing a stronger emphasis on teacher development as part of the Music Hub programme in the future, including peer-to-peer support through new Lead Schools in every Hub.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there are an adequate number of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places to offer all eligible children access to 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.
In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this Government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.
Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.
Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.
Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.
The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled SEND review: Right Support, Right Place, Right Time, published in March 2022, whether he plans to implement that review's proposal to introduce a pre-defined list of educational settings for families with disabled children to choose from.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alernative Provision Green Paper the department set out a proposal to provide a tailored list of settings to support parents and carers to express an informed preference for a suitable placement. We are continuing to explore options that build on the benefits identified through the recent consultation, and address the challenges set out in the Green Paper.
The consultation closed on 22 July 2022. We are currently reviewing the feedback and using this along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation entitled SEND review: right support, right place, right time, which closed on 22 July 2022.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is currently reviewing the feedback received during the consultation period. The department is using this feedback, along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.
The department will continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change and continue to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities, and those who need alternative provision.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 September 2021 to Question 62680, on Pre-school Education, what assessment he has made of the consistency of early years services that are specifically non-childcare for children up to five years old across the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
The government is committed to championing family hubs. Local service delivery will vary from place to place, reflecting the needs of the local population. Family hubs bring together a wide range of services, including non-childcare services, for families with children of all ages (0-19) or up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities, and contain a great Start for Life offer (for children aged 0-2) at their core.
The department has announced a £300 million package to transform services for parents and babies, carers, and children in half of local authorities across England. This will provide thousands of families access to support when they need it, ensuring that babies have the best start in life, as set out in ‘Best Start for Life: a vision for the critical 1,001 days’, the Early Years Review led by my right hon. Friend, the Member for South Northamptonshire, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to champion family hubs.
We are determined to ensure that family hubs are consistently applying the best evidence on what works in delivering family services. That is why we have established: