A National Centre for Arts and Music Education
19th March 2025
On Tuesday 18th March 2025, the Government announced their plans for the development of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education. The National Centre will allow young people across England to have greater access to high-quality arts education.
At Music Mark, we welcome this announcement from the Education Secretary, and we are pleased to see Government Ministers recognising music education as an important focus, giving it a platform within the broader education landscape. The National Centre for Arts and Music Education aims to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school – including through the network of Music Hubs. We hope that this will lead to more opportunities that allow all children and young people to access a music education.
Last year the Government set out in its manifesto to establish a National Music Education Network. It is positive to see the Government keeping this manifesto promise as part of this wider initiative. So far, we have supported government efforts to understand what a National Music Education Network should do, through the hosting of several national networking meetings. We are ready to continue working together with the Government and other stakeholders to support the launch of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education, exploring the existing recommendations we have and extending the conversation to involve both local providers and young people.
As mentioned in the Department for Education’s press release, partnership working will be key to the success of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education. The National Centre is expected to support partnerships between schools and cultural providers, to maximise opportunities for young people. We hope this moment serves as an opportunity for everyone involved in music education to pause and reflect on the importance of their work, and to think about how we can collaborate to place music at the core of a well-rounded, balanced education for children on a local, regional, and national level. We strongly encourage the government to establish this new centre in such a way that it strengthens and complements the Music Hub network introduced last year.
Along with partnership working, funding will also be a key element for the success of a new National Centre. Appropriate levels of funding will be needed for both the work of the National Centre, and the programmes that it funds and oversees. We urge the government to consider the findings of the recent Demos report and to ensure that the level of funding available meets the ambition of this new initiative.
Having worked closely with the Department for Education and Arts Council England to support the Music Hub network since 2012, we stand ready to work with the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education when it is established in 2026 to ensure the continued provision of music opportunities for all children and young people across the country.
Release of interim Curriculum Assessment Review
The announcement of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education comes as the curriculum and assessment review expert panel (led by Professor Becky Francis) publishes its interim report. We are pleased that it acknowledges the impact that the EBacc has had on limiting the take up of arts subjects at Key Stage 4. Music has unique value and a clear place in the curriculum, and we also recognise that music can support and facilitate specialist knowledge around many emergent issues such as the climate crisis and digital technology. We are very open to working further with Dr Becky Francis on this and supporting the next stage of the panel’s work alongside the other Music and wider Expressive Arts Subject Associations.
