Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will introduce the arts premium outlined in the most recent Conservative Party manifesto.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to high quality education for all pupils, and integral to this are the arts and music.

The Autumn Statement announced additional investment of £2 billion in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review.

This means funding for both mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. That funding is on top of the £4 billion, year-on-year increase provided in 2022/23. In total, this represents an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in schools’ funding in just two years.

Arts education is integral to the school system and the department will also continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education to 2025, through our music, arts and heritage programmes. Consideration for an Arts Premium will be given in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase opportunities for (a) exposure to and (b) engagement with the arts in secondary schools.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Government believes in a high quality education for all pupils and cultural education, including the wider arts, music, and creative subjects, is integral to this. All state funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum. This includes promoting pupils' cultural development.

The Department published the Model Music Curriculum in 2021 and a refreshed National Plan for Music Education in 2022 to support teachers in delivering high quality music education. The Department will publish a Cultural Education Plan in 2023 to support arts and heritage, working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. This will include how best to support young people who wish to pursue careers in the creative and cultural industries.

The Department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum in cultural education over three years, through music, arts, and heritage programmes.

With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.

With the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education, the Department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The Government remains committed to the ambitions for a Cultural Education Plan and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce an arts premium to fund enrichment activities in secondary schools.

Answered by Robin Walker

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013 and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.

In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through music, arts, and heritage programmes.

The above funding is on top of core schools funding. The department has already committed to a real-terms per pupils increase in core schools funding, amounting to a £7 billion increase in the 2024/25 financial year compared with the 2021/22 financial year and nearly £5 billion in education recovery. This should support state-funded schools to provide a broad, ambitious curriculum, which includes cultural education and the arts.

The department has also committed to the publication of a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential contribution of the arts and creative development subjects to secondary school pupils' education recovery following disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak; and, with reference to page 4 of the costings document for the Conservative and Unionist Party manifesto 2019, if he will make it his policy to deliver an arts premium to secondary schools in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Robin Walker

The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have inevitably had to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013, and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.

In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, though our music, arts and heritage programmes.

With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the additional £1 billion new funding announced specifically for recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that their £90 million support-funding pledge for the arts and creative development in secondary schools is met.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this are the arts and music. With the significant disruption and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on children’s learning and their lives, the department’s priorities have inevitably had to focus on education recovery over the next three years. In this context, creating a stand-alone Arts Premium was not the priority at this Spending Review.

The department is providing schools with a cash increase of £1,500 per pupil by financial year 2024-25 compared to 2019-20, as well as a total of almost £5 billion for education recovery, which will make sure all schools are able to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in the arts.

The department will also continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through our music, arts and heritage programmes, including Music Education Hubs. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and engage with Arts Council England and other stakeholders to ensure we are making the best use of our funding and reach by aligning on priorities for children and young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the arts premium for secondary schools will be included in the upcoming Spending Review.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Due to the focus on new priorities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the arts premium is now subject to this year’s Spending Review.

Between 2016 and 2021, the Department has spent over £620 million on a diverse range of music and cultural education programmes. This includes Music Education Hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme and cultural education programmes such as Saturday art and design clubs, the National Youth Dance Company, and the British Film Institute’s Film Academy programme.