Asked by: Gen Kitchen (Labour - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in schools in Wellingborough constituency are learning a musical instrument at school.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Arts Council England is responsible for collecting and publishing information about each of the Music Hubs. This information is about the music education activity the Hubs provide or support and does not include information on what schools provide without the support of the hub.
The Wellingborough constituency is served by Northamptonshire and Rutland Music Education Hub, including providing opportunities to learn an instrument, including through whole class ensemble teaching.
In 2022/23, 59.4% of schools were supported with whole class ensemble teaching and the Hub delivered or supported lessons to 8,205 pupils in small group tuition, 568 pupils in individual lessons, and 710 pupils as part of large group lessons. In addition, 2,367 pupils participated in Hub-led or Hub-supported ensembles and group activity, and instruments were loaned to 219 schools during 2022/23.
The 2022/23 data was published on Monday 20 May and can be accessed on their website. The link to the website is: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/MusicEducationHubs/music-education-hubs-survey-and-data#t-in-page-nav-2.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her Department has allocated to support teachers of (a) maths and numeracy, (b) English and literacy, (c) science, (d) music, (e) history and (f) religious education through (i) subject knowledge enhancement courses for trainees, (ii) Oak National Academy Resources (A) planned and (B) existing (iii) subject hubs, (iv) support for level 3 provision, (v) bursaries and (vi) other support for continuing professional development in each of the last five years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Raising standards is at the heart of this government’s agenda and, since 2010, the number of schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ has risen to 90% from 68%. The Progress in International Reading Study (PIRLS) 2021 showed that English primary school children are the best in the western world and were ranked 4th out of 43 comparable countries. While the pandemic affected the study, the Programme for International School Assessment 2022 also showed that 15 year old pupils in England performed above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD) average and are now 11th in maths and 13th in reading and science. This was up from 27th in maths, 25th in reading and 16th in science in 2009.
The department has invested significantly to provide a world class education system, ensuring an excellent teacher for every child, high standards of curriculum attendance and behaviour, targeted support for every child that needs it and a stronger and fairer schools system. The overall core schools budget, including the recently announced additional pensions funding, will total £60.7 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This means school funding will have risen by £11 billion by 2024/25 compared to 2021/22.
The funding breakdown requested since 2019/20 is included below. Figures for the 2023/24 financial year are subject to ongoing data collection and reconciliation and therefore we have not included this year in the table. The department reviews Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursaries each year to determine the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. In doing this, the department takes into account a number of factors including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions and teacher supply need in each subject. The department focuses its funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses in its highest priority subjects with the greatest sufficiency challenges.
In addition to the funding outlined in the table below, the department also offers national professional qualifications (NPQs), including specialist NPQs in leading literacy and leading primary mathematics. Details on scholarship funding available for autumn 2024 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-for-national-professional-qualifications-npqs.
The quality of teaching is the single most important, in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes and it is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The department is creating a world-class teacher development system, which builds from ITT, through to early career support, specialisation and onto school leadership.
Financial year | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | |
Subject Knowledge Enhancement Courses1 | £28m | £24m | £14m | £10m | |
Oak National Academy resources2 | N/A | £4m | £4m | £7m | |
Subject hubs3 | English Hubs | £11m | £11m | £19m | £24m |
Maths Hubs | £27m | £25m | £16m | £28m | |
Science Hubs | £9m | £9m | £8m | £9m | |
Music Hubs | £76m | £76m | £76m | £76m | |
ITT Bursaries and Scholarships 4 | Maths and Numeracy | £35m | £50m | £53m | £41m |
English and literacy | £33m | £31m | £10m | £0m | |
Science5 | £72m | £77m | £52m | £33m | |
Music | £2m | £3m | £1m | £0m | |
History | £11m | £14m | £4m | £0m | |
Religious Education | £3m | £4m | £2m | £0m | |
1. Due to the way the department allocated funding, it does not have historic data on SKE spending by subject. This total includes all SKE funding, regardless of subject
2. Oak was incubated by The Reach Foundation and predominantly funded through a department grant until 31 August 2022. The 2023/24 financial year is Oak’s arm’s length body allocated budget as 2023/24 actuals are not yet available. The funding for Oak National Academy covers the creation of curriculum resources across all national curriculum subjects for Key Stages 1 to 4
3. Where subject hubs are part of a contract with a supplier, we have included all contract costs, including those not directly for subject hubs but for other Career Progress Development (CPD) or central programme management. The department changed the way Maths Hubs were funded in the 2021/22 academic year, resulting in a visual drop by financial year but not across the academic years. The department also has subject hubs in computing and languages which are not shown in these figures but are included in total subject hub figures set out in WPQ 20499
4. ITT bursaries are paid and assured by academic year rather than financial year. The figures provided for each financial year have been calculated by prorating the total spend for the relevant academic years that the financial year spans. Academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 are subject to ongoing data collection and reconciliation and the figures provided may therefore be subject to change
5. Trainees on general science ITT courses are not eligible for bursaries. However, bursaries are available for biology, chemistry, and physics specialism courses. The figures provided for science are the total spend across the three individual sciences.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrument while at school.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has a long standing commitment to ensure that high quality music education is not the preserve of the wealthy, but the entitlement of every single child, and that this is reflected in the government’s refreshed National plan for music education, which was published in 2022. This plan sets out the department’s strategy up to 2030 and its vision to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, as well as to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
As part of the plan, schools are expected to teach music for at least one hour a week from Key Stages 1 to 3, to provide access to singing and instrument lessons and to offer a range of music experiences, such as music events and trips to professional concerts. The network of Music Hubs has a vital role to play in supporting schools to deliver this. Working together, schools and Music Hubs can ensure children have access to all the benefits of a wider musical education through instrumental lessons, loans and ensembles, as well as offering clear and affordable progression routes and continuing professional development to teachers around music.
The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012, including the work they now do with around 90% of all schools. This is why the department has invested around £380 million of funding in Music Hubs between 2016 and 2021 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high quality music education. Since 2021, the department has continued to provide £79 million a year for Music Hubs, on average around 40% of their income, with the remaining funding coming mainly from parents and schools.
Further to this, as part of the plan published in 2022, the government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments, which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024. This will allow schools and Music Hubs to continue to work together to ensure more children and young people have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential.
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 findings in the report entitled Teacher Labour Market in England: Annual Report, published by the National Foundation for Educational Research in March 2024, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the Government meets its Initial Teacher Training targets for music teachers.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) recruitment represents a subset of entrants to teaching. Targets do not include all routes. For example, they do not include undergraduate courses.
Each year the department also recruits teachers that return to the profession having previously left the state-funded teaching sector, as well as those that were already qualified but are new to the sector.
The last School Workforce Census, which took place in June 2023, showed that 48,000 teachers entered the profession. Around one third of these were made up of those returning to the profession and half were new teachers entering through PGITT routes.
In the 2023/24 academic year, there were 216 new postgraduate entrants in music, which was 27% of the PGITT target. This is a decline in recruitment from the 2022/23 academic year, in which there were 292 new postgraduate entrants in music or 62% of the PGITT. The PGITT for music increased by 68% in 2023/24, which may partly explain some of the change in performance against the recruitment target.
As of 22 April 2024, 171 candidates have accepted an offer to begin a PGITT course in music in the 2024/25 academic year, which is a 24% increase from the same point last year.
For those intending to train as music teachers in the 2024/25 academic year, the department has introduced a bursary of £10,000 to support and encourage talented trainees to enter the profession. Music trainee teachers can also apply for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional funding is available depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.
The department accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations in full for a 6.5% teacher pay award in 2023, which saw the government achieve its manifesto commitment of £30,000 starting salaries for all teachers in England. This is an attractive offer, which forms part of the overall remuneration package for teachers, including a generous employer pension contribution rate of 28.6%.
Alongside the department’s financial levers, the department is continuing to invest in attracting the best teachers where they are needed most through the teaching marketing campaign and support services for prospective trainees, as well as its new in-house teacher recruitment journey and associated digital services.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the study funded by the Nuffield Foundation entitled A generation at risk: Rebalancing education in the post-pandemic era, published in April 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Predicting GCSE results is very difficult as there are many drivers that can interact in unforeseen ways. However, as the Nuffield Foundation’s report indicates, the pandemic deprived children of the advantages of studying together within the safety and support of their schools.
The pandemic created a unique challenge for teachers, staff, students and families. Minimising its impact on education and tackling the challenges has been the department’s priority from the start. Almost £5 billion was made available specifically for education recovery, with support focussed on those who needed it most, while giving education providers as much flexibility as possible to tailor-make help for their own circumstances. This includes the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which focuses on disadvantaged pupils and those who have fallen behind, and has seen nearly five million tutoring courses start since it launched in November 2020.
The department knows that disadvantaged children and pupils with a special educational need or disability were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The department continues to take a range of steps to give priority support and deliver programmes to help them, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system and providing targeted support where needed. The department is also supporting disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which is rising to almost £2.9 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest in cash terms since this funding began.
Further to this, latest results from 2023 show that over 45% of pupils sitting GCSEs achieved a grade 5 or higher in both English and mathematics, which is an increase of more than two percentage points compared with pre-pandemic 2019 levels and almost three percentage points when compared with 2017.
England recently came fourth in primary reading out of 43 countries which tested pupils of the same age in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Despite disruption from the pandemic, England’s score remained stable and well above the international and European averages.
Furthermore, the department has committed to making schools safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote and support mental wellbeing alongside delivering an excellent education.
Enrichment activities can deepen children’s in-school experience while supporting them to develop their socio-emotional skills. The department is now delivering the vision set out in its Schools White Paper, which states that every child and young person will have access to high-quality extra-curricular provision, including an entitlement to take part in sport, music and cultural opportunities.
Monitoring and measuring wellbeing in schools strengthens this, which is why the department’s guidance on promoting a whole-school approach to pupil wellbeing includes this as one of its eight key principles. You can find out more here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf.
The department is supporting all state schools and colleges with a grant to train a senior mental health lead. To date 15,100 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.
Intervening early is critical. To expand access to early mental health support, the department is continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to schools and colleges. MHSTs deliver evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health issues, support the senior mental health lead (where established) in each school or college to introduce or develop whole school or college approaches and give timely advice to school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services, to help children and young people get the right support to stay in education. The department is extending coverage of MHSTs to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on closures of music (a) departments and (b) courses at universities in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold data on the number of music departments, or on the establishment or closure of individual distinct music courses offered by higher education providers (HEPs). However, the department does hold data on the numbers of student enrolments in music courses more generally, and the number of HEPs offering these courses. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which is now part of JISC, is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education (HE). The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year.
The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subjects of study for the 2014/15 to 2018/19 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-13.
The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subject of study for the 2019/20 to 2021/22 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-49.
In the 2014/15 academic year, there were 102 HEPs that enrolled 24,620 students in music courses. In the 2021/22 academic year, this increased to 120 HEPs enrolling 37,090 students in music courses.
Counts are on the basis of full-person-equivalents. Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between the subjects that make up their course. Figures provided are for UK HEPs enrolments for all modes and levels of study, and for all domiciles. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five, in line with HESA rounding conventions. More information on the figures is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/definitions/students#rounding-and-suppression-strategy.
The figures from 2019/20 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years due to the introduction of a new subject classification system, called the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS), which replaced the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS3).
Further information on HECoS and JACS can be found via the following: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos, and https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/jacs.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department has on the number of music departments at UK universities in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold data on the number of music departments, or on the establishment or closure of individual distinct music courses offered by higher education providers (HEPs). However, the department does hold data on the numbers of student enrolments in music courses more generally, and the number of HEPs offering these courses. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which is now part of JISC, is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education (HE). The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year.
The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subjects of study for the 2014/15 to 2018/19 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-13.
The data on HE student enrolments by HEP and subject of study for the 2019/20 to 2021/22 academic years is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-49.
In the 2014/15 academic year, there were 102 HEPs that enrolled 24,620 students in music courses. In the 2021/22 academic year, this increased to 120 HEPs enrolling 37,090 students in music courses.
Counts are on the basis of full-person-equivalents. Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between the subjects that make up their course. Figures provided are for UK HEPs enrolments for all modes and levels of study, and for all domiciles. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five, in line with HESA rounding conventions. More information on the figures is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/definitions/students#rounding-and-suppression-strategy.
The figures from 2019/20 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years due to the introduction of a new subject classification system, called the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS), which replaced the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS3).
Further information on HECoS and JACS can be found via the following: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos, and https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/jacs.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of operation of law in relation to the provision of adrenaline auto-injectors on commercial aircraft.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following their review, the Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group (AAI EWG) recommended in principle that adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) should be made available in public locations, for use in treating anaphylaxis in unforeseen and critical circumstances, provided suitable safeguards can be implemented to ensure their effective and safe use. Challenges lie in ensuring correct and secure storage of AAIs, to ensure that the adrenaline does not deteriorate, and the device remains functional. Cinemas offering food for sale and other food outlets were identified as examples of locations where emergency AAIs might have particular potential to save lives.
The legislative change will therefore concern AAI supply, to specify or define individuals or organisations with the necessary competence to obtain and store AAIs for use in the event of an anaphylactic emergency. The AAI EWG advised the need for access to AAIs in a broad range of settings such as restaurants, gyms, cinemas, childcare facilities, youth groups, and music festivals. To support such wide-ranging access, the scope of legal supply will need to be linked to a requirement for training, to support safe use.
An Expert Advisory Group for Allergy was established in 2023, across the Government and clinical organisations, and chaired by the National Allergy Strategy Group and the Department, to recommend further action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education, and the National Health Service. The Department of Health and Social Care and the MHRA are currently considering updates to the 2017 guidance, to ensure that any updated clarifications are supported by evidence, and that any open questions are answered.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of operation of law in relation to the provision of adrenaline auto-injectors on trains.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following their review, the Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group (AAI EWG) recommended in principle that adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) should be made available in public locations, for use in treating anaphylaxis in unforeseen and critical circumstances, provided suitable safeguards can be implemented to ensure their effective and safe use. Challenges lie in ensuring correct and secure storage of AAIs, to ensure that the adrenaline does not deteriorate, and the device remains functional. Cinemas offering food for sale and other food outlets were identified as examples of locations where emergency AAIs might have particular potential to save lives.
The legislative change will therefore concern AAI supply, to specify or define individuals or organisations with the necessary competence to obtain and store AAIs for use in the event of an anaphylactic emergency. The AAI EWG advised the need for access to AAIs in a broad range of settings such as restaurants, gyms, cinemas, childcare facilities, youth groups, and music festivals. To support such wide-ranging access, the scope of legal supply will need to be linked to a requirement for training, to support safe use.
An Expert Advisory Group for Allergy was established in 2023, across the Government and clinical organisations, and chaired by the National Allergy Strategy Group and the Department, to recommend further action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education, and the National Health Service. The Department of Health and Social Care and the MHRA are currently considering updates to the 2017 guidance, to ensure that any updated clarifications are supported by evidence, and that any open questions are answered.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements there are for airlines to ensure adrenaline auto-injectors are available on commercial flights.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following their review, the Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group (AAI EWG) recommended in principle that adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) should be made available in public locations, for use in treating anaphylaxis in unforeseen and critical circumstances, provided suitable safeguards can be implemented to ensure their effective and safe use. Challenges lie in ensuring correct and secure storage of AAIs, to ensure that the adrenaline does not deteriorate, and the device remains functional. Cinemas offering food for sale and other food outlets were identified as examples of locations where emergency AAIs might have particular potential to save lives.
The legislative change will therefore concern AAI supply, to specify or define individuals or organisations with the necessary competence to obtain and store AAIs for use in the event of an anaphylactic emergency. The AAI EWG advised the need for access to AAIs in a broad range of settings such as restaurants, gyms, cinemas, childcare facilities, youth groups, and music festivals. To support such wide-ranging access, the scope of legal supply will need to be linked to a requirement for training, to support safe use.
An Expert Advisory Group for Allergy was established in 2023, across the Government and clinical organisations, and chaired by the National Allergy Strategy Group and the Department, to recommend further action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education, and the National Health Service. The Department of Health and Social Care and the MHRA are currently considering updates to the 2017 guidance, to ensure that any updated clarifications are supported by evidence, and that any open questions are answered.