National Plan for Music Education published
Harriet (Clifford) Richards
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Inclusion, partnerships and progression from early years onwards are the central aims of the refreshed plan for music education in England.
The new National Plan for Music Education (NPME) in England has been published, providing a much anticipated update on the first plan released in 2011.
Originally due earlier this year, the non-statutory NPME, entitled 'The Power of Music to Change Lives', sets out the government's ambitions for music education from now until 2030, with a progress report promised for 2025.
The 84-page document contains three main chapters, each focusing on one of the three central aims of the plan – these can be summarised as access and inclusion from the early years; partnerships between music hubs, schools, multi-academy trusts; and opportunity to progress for every child.
Key takeaways at a glance
- £25m to be invested in musical instruments and equipment
- A refreshed 'Music Hub programme' with an emphasis on partnerships – the 'core' and 'extension' roles of music hubs in the 2011 plan are replaced by three aims and five strategic functions
- Hubs should write a 'Local Plan for Music Education' – more details to be published by ACE
- Early years are included in the national strategy
- Key Stages 1-3 should have at least one hour per week of 'high quality' curriculum music, plus extra-curricular opportunities
- Every primary and secondary school (including academies) should have a designated music lead or head of department
- Every primary and secondary should have at least one vocal and one instrumental/music technology-based ensemble
- Every school should write and publish a 'Music Development Plan', including information on how music is staffed and funded
- A 'Music Progression Fund' will be piloted from Autumn 2023 to support disadvantaged pupils
- All music hubs will partner with 'Lead Schools' to provide CPD and peer-to-peer support in their areas by Spring 2024
- By Autumn 2024, four 'national centres of excellence for inclusion, CPD, music technology and pathways to CPD' will have been established
- All music hubs should publish an inclusion strategy and should have inclusion leads by 2024
- A 'National Plan for Music Education Board' will be established, with a progress report set to be published in 2025.
Published as a joint endeavour by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the plan was consulted upon by an 'expert’ panel of music industry professionals, hub leaders, and teachers.
The lack of wider consultation has been criticised by some, however, with the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) saying almost a year ago that ‘an advisory panel is not sufficient’.
The 2011 NPME launched by Ed Vaizey and Michael Gove promised instrumental lessons for all children, and resulted in the introduction of 122 music education hubs. Although the plan aimed to ‘eradicate patchiness in provision’ across England, the new plan acknowledges that 'provision remains patchy' and claims to mark 'the start of a period of change and improvement for music education'.
The English plan comes a few weeks after Wales published its first ever national plan for music education. This saw the launch of a National Music Service, the promise of free instrumental ‘taster’ lessons for all children, and a commitment to increasing funding for music education from £1.5m per year to £4.5m per year for the next three years.
