A Letter to the new Schools Minister
27th November 2023
On 13th November 2023, Damian Hinds was appointed as the new Schools Minister. Last week we wrote to The Minister to offer our support in meeting the Government’s ambitions set out in the New National Plan for Music Education 2022, whilst highlighting the challenges the sector currently faces. We have enjoyed a positive relationship with The Minister’s predecessor over the years and we are keen to continue supporting to promote ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’ through the provision of a high-quality music education for all children and young people in and out of school.
To introduce Music Mark to The Minister, we sent a letter which outlines our view of the current landscape. In this letter we also offered our support and the opportunity to meet with us to discuss our statements and share some case studies of the great work which has been achieved through the Government’s support of music education over the past 11 years.
“The new plan is valued in that it builds on the successes and learning from the first (2012) National Plan and the DfE’s Model Music Curriculum published in 2021. Music Mark’s membership appreciates the Government’s continued recognition of ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’, and its ongoing investment in a network of Music Education Hubs. We also welcomed your commitment to distribute capital funding next year, which will help to restock instrument libraries, and support fully inclusive musical learning.
However, there are still barriers to engagement and, sadly, a significant one of these is financial. To realise the many ambitions of the National Plan, we need to recognize the impact of rising costs on our network of music educators and their ability to maintain an expand quality provision, support progression, and ensure pathways into our world class music industries…”
You can read the full letter to The Minister here. We hope this letter will allow us to engage and identify how Music Education Hubs can be supported to meet the challenges and reap the rewards of the National Plan. We look forward to working together alongside the Arts Council.
