Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of arts-based courses at universities and colleges on the culture and economy of towns and cities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Arts-based courses are an important part of the creative sector’s contribution to society and the economy.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are designed to ensure training provision meets local labour market needs. We have placed stronger expectations on higher education (HE) providers, through statutory guidance, to actively engage with LSIPs and consider them when shaping their course offer, supporting local economic growth.
For this academic year, strategic priorities grant recurrent (programme) funding allocation for world-leading small and specialist providers is being maintained at £57.4 million. This is in line with the government’s priorities to maximise growth and opportunity for students, HE providers and the economy. For performing and creative arts courses at all approved (fee cap) providers, the per student funding rate for eligible courses is being maintained at £130.54 for this academic year.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support the funding of training for young dancers from (a) disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) all backgrounds; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of such support on the future of the (a) performing acts and (b) creative industries sectors.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department provides funding for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) for means-tested bursaries for 11 to 19 year-olds and the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) means-tested grants for 16 to 19 year-olds to improve access to specialist dance education. These routes give students training at professional level in contemporary dance and classical ballet, and the funding is targeted towards those from lower income households.
Dance is an important part of our creative industries. The creative industries have been announced as one of eight growth-driving sectors within the Industrial Strategy published in the summer, alongside the Creative Industries’ Sector Plan.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering dance as part of the physical education (PE) national curriculum, and the Review’s final report and government response will be published in the autumn.
The department will launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education next year, to promote high quality arts education in schools, including in dance. We will also support dance teaching as part of PE through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on investment in skills in the grassroots performing arts.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is making a substantial investment in skills across the economy, with over £1 billion of additional funding by 2028-29, on top of the phase 1 settlement for 2025-26. This protects opportunity, delivers the workforce needed for the Plan for Change, and fuels future growth.
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out how we will develop high quality, responsive, inclusive and targeted education, skills and training for the Creative Industries, which will benefit grassroots performing arts. This includes delivering a refreshed UK-wide £9 million creative careers service to raise awareness of creative careers and ensuring that we continue to consider the needs of smaller employers when developing our growth and skills offer. The Plan recognises the UK’s significant strengths in educational infrastructure for performing arts, including our world-leading institutions, and commits to working with DfE, Skills England and industry to support increased access to quality specialist creative education provision across England.
On the 2nd June, the government also announced that £132.5 million of dormant assets funding will be allocated to increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.
The Department for Education will launch the National Centre for Arts and Music Education in September 2026 to expand arts access for young people, enhance teacher training, and strengthen school-arts partnerships. In addition, in 2024/25, Arts Council England awarded £14.2 million to 1,220 creative practitioners through its Developing Your Creative Practice programme, and a further £28 million to 1,119 practitioners via National Lottery Project Grants.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make fees under the Music and Dance Scheme exempt from VAT.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge will remain in scope of this policy, this includes the Music and Dance Scheme. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. The Government has no plans to exempt further schools from this policy.
However, the Department for Education has decided to adjust its Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT that will be applied on fees, ensuring that the total parental fee contributions for families with below average relevant incomes remain unchanged for the rest of the 2024/25 academic year.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to exempt training provided by the Music and Dance Scheme from VAT.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge will remain in scope of the policy to apply VAT to their fees and this includes the Music and Dance Scheme. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. The Government has no plans to exempt further schools from this policy.
However, the Department for Education has decided to adjust its Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT that will be applied on fees, ensuring that the total parental fee contributions for families with below average relevant incomes remain unchanged for the rest of the 2024/25 academic year.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils receiving dance and drama award funding will be exempt from increases in VAT in (a) this academic year and (b) subsequent financial years.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. It is the government’s position, therefore, that carving these schools out of the policy would be unfair to other private schools.
The Department for Education provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight MDS performing arts private schools. For this academic year 2024/25, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This means that almost half of eligible families will be receiving further support in addition to the bursary already provided.
As part of the MDS, the Department also provides a grant to the Choir Schools Association (CSA) for their Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme. This scheme provides means-tested support to choristers attending CSA member schools. Whether member schools charge VAT from 1 January 2025 on their education fee will vary, depending on whether schools are private or state-funded.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils enrolled on courses covered by the Music and Dance scheme will be exempt from VAT increases in the next financial year.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. It is the government’s position, therefore, that carving these schools out of the policy would be unfair to other private schools.
The Department for Education provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight MDS performing arts private schools. For this academic year 2024/25, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This means that almost half of eligible families will be receiving further support in addition to the bursary already provided.
As part of the MDS, the Department also provides a grant to the Choir Schools Association (CSA) for their Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme. This scheme provides means-tested support to choristers attending CSA member schools. Whether member schools charge VAT from 1 January 2025 on their education fee will vary, depending on whether schools are private or state-funded.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils on the choir schools scholarship scheme will be exempt from increases in VAT in (a) this academic year and (b) subsequent financial years.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. It is the government’s position, therefore, that carving these schools out of the policy would be unfair to other private schools.
The Department for Education provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight MDS performing arts private schools. For this academic year 2024/25, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This means that almost half of eligible families will be receiving further support in addition to the bursary already provided.
As part of the MDS, the Department also provides a grant to the Choir Schools Association (CSA) for their Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme. This scheme provides means-tested support to choristers attending CSA member schools. Whether member schools charge VAT from 1 January 2025 on their education fee will vary, depending on whether schools are private or state-funded.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.62 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the application of the standard VAT rate to independent schools on the teaching of (a) music and (b) the arts in such schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to such schools for such teaching.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Treasury (HMT) is responsible for VAT policy. HMT has published its assessment of the impacts of removing the VAT exemption that applied to private school fees, which can be found on here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/ac8c20ce-4824-462d-b206-26a567724643#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.
As this sets out, the government expects the impacts of these changes on the private and state sectors to be small.
The government's costings have been scrutinised by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.
As set out in HMT’s response to the technical consultation in the VAT changes, performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16 to 19-year-olds for a charge will remain in scope of this policy. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge. In addition to providing performing arts education, when educating children of compulsory school age, these institutions will also provide academic education. An exemption from the VAT rules would therefore be unfair to other private schools.
The department provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight performing arts private schools. For the 2024/25 academic year, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This will benefit around half of the families with an MDS bursary for their child.
Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in light of their guidance published on 10 October on charging and reclaiming VAT on goods and services related to private school fees, providers offering Level 6 qualifications which are funded through the Dance and Drama Award scheme will be affected by the changes to VAT.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
From 1 January 2025, the 20% standard rate of VAT will apply to all education services, vocational training, and boarding services provided by private schools for a charge. This will apply to any fees charged after 29 July 2024 for terms starting after 1 January 2025.
Higher education taught at schools that are otherwise in scope of the policy (for instance, performing arts schools) are being carved out of the VAT policy, as set out in the Government’s response to the technical consultation.