Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase funding for arts in schools.

In addition to general funding schools receive to deliver the curriculum, the Government specifically funds music education hubs and other arts-related programmes to ensure that every child has access to a high quality arts education.

The Government announced almost £400 million of funding in the period 2016-20 for a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background, and to develop talent across the country. This includes £300 million for music education hubs in 2016-20, £58 million in 2016-18 for the Music and Dance Scheme, which allows exceptionally talented children to attend specialist music and dance institutions, and more than £8 million in 2016-18 for cultural education programmes including Saturday Art and Design Clubs, the National Youth Dance Company and the BFI’s Film Academy programme.