Bridget Whyte, Chief Executive of Music Mark, explains what is happening with Music Hubs, and Deborah Annetts, CEO of the Independent Society of Musicians, sets out some of ISM’s concerns. See our Latest News section for more on how these two music subject associations for work on behalf of those in the music education sector, providing support for those who need it. You can follow the links above to find out more about each organisation and the support available.
Bridget Whyte on the DfE’s changes to Music Hubs
‘Music brings a school to life! Music has a positive impact socially and academically, as well as on mental health and wellbeing.’
Whatever time of day you read this, across the UK children and young people will be participating in music making – perhaps in the classroom and in a practice room in their school, but also at home, with friends, family, fellow sports fans or in a faith context. Music as a subject of study is important, but it is also a passion, a release, a way to communicate – even a lifeline for some. The quote above, from a primary head teacher, is a great way of summing up the power of music – how it can transform a school through supporting wider learning, cohesion and wellbeing.
In 2022 two new National Plans for Music Education were published. First the Welsh Plan, linked to the new Welsh National Curriculum and providing a significant uplift in funding for Local Authorities to augment and complement that curriculum. The DfE in England then published its second National Plan for Music Education – linking it with its own 2021 Model Music Curriculum. It confirmed ongoing revenue funding – albeit now at standstill despite inflation – and £25m of capital funding for instruments, including adaptive instruments for children with additional needs, and technology. In 2022, a strategy for music education in Scotland was published which resulted in significant funding for free instrumental tuition for Scotland’s state school pupils. In Northern Ireland, the implementation of a province-wide service of music education learning, as part of a combined Education Authority, remained ‘in progress’ in 2022, and is only now beginning to be fully realised.
All this demonstrates an understanding by the education departments of all four nations of the ‘power of music’ – although readers will be aware of the contradiction in England of the DfE having a national plan for music education whilst also promoting accountability measures which exclude arts subjects. But why is all this old news relevant now? Well, in the case of England, the National Plan for Music has taken a while to be implemented and remains a very ‘hot topic.’
The wider music education ecology that Music Mark and the ISM represent have now been delivering against the Plan (as partners within the existing Music Education Hubs) since September 2023. And the expectation that schools would begin to consider their response to the Plan – including the preparation of a School Music Development Plan – has anecdotally begun, despite an ongoing concern that the plan (and its partner document, the Model Music Curriculum) are both non-statutory. However, the most significant change within the Plan has been the structural change to the Music Hubs partnership framework which will come into effect in September, following a protracted ‘Hub Investment Programme’ which has been led by the DfE’s appointed fund-holder, Arts Council England. This involves the reduction of the number of Hubs from 114 to 43. The change has been the subject of much concern, debate, and even an Education Select Committee session in May.
The DfE outlined within their Plan that they wanted Hub Lead Organisations to act more strategically, supporting musical learning across larger geographic regions. The music education sector is yet to be convinced that reducing the number of Hubs will work. And we probably won’t know for some years: partnerships take time to work well, for trust to be built and power to be shared.
For individual schools and pupils, the impact of the change in most areas of the country is likely to be limited in terms of who they engage with on daily or weekly basis. It is hoped that the organisations and individuals who are supporting teachers to deliver the music curriculum, and providing the musical learning opportunities beyond the curriculum in and out of school, will continue to be commissioned to deliver this provision. Some may be the new Hub Lead Organisation for a larger hub, but many will be a partner in that hub. Support for all those affected by change in England is vital, and Music Mark and the ISM, alongside other national organisations, are here to continue to provide that support through a period of change.
Deborah Annetts on why the DfE’s Music Hub restructure is problematic and challenging
Music Education Hubs were created as part of the original National Plan for Music Education (NPME) in 2011 and evolved from County Music Services which have a long and valuable history.
When the refreshed NPME was published in June 2022 a single seemingly innocuous line started a major, two-year reorganisation process for Music Hubs: ‘It is therefore our expectation that, through the competitive process, we will see a reduced number of Hub Lead Organisations (HLOs) establishing partnerships across wider geographical areas.’
No evidence has been produced to justify this decision and the DfE ‘rationale’ for reducing the number of HLOs has never truly addressed their concerns regarding the original model or explained how the new model will provide better access to all young people. It has never been supported with any research or justification. The DfE has made reference to the Maths Hub Programme, but there is no equivalence. Forty Maths Hubs bring together education professionals to share best practice and offer CPD while Music Hubs also deliver lessons and provide extra-curricular opportunities.
Despite a consultation process where most respondents favoured a larger number of Hubs, the DfE and Arts Council England (ACE) ignored these responses and pressed ahead with their clearly preferred option of slashing the numbers to almost a third.
No explanation has been given for the pivot from Hubs’ previous roles to now supporting curriculum music in schools. While the ISM has always maintained that the curriculum in schools is where children and young people’s entitlement to music lies, the National Plan is a non-statutory document and schools are under no obligation to follow it. Despite this, Hubs have been asked for 95% engagement with all state funded schools in England and key data requests being made of Hubs are non-statutory for schools. Schools have no statutory duty to engage with Hubs, however hard a Hub tries to engage with a school.
Music Hubs had a huge workload from the new investment programme, carrying out their existing work in 2022-23, planning for the current academic year, and preparing bids by October 2023. Successful bids were only announced in April this year, giving just four months to make changes before their work begins in September. Two HLOs still haven’t been appointed, with a fast-track application and decision process taking place in June and July.
Funding for Hubs hasn’t increased since 2016 or kept up with inflation, despite an increase in the number of pupils in our schools. Hubs are expected to deliver provision to all young people on an average budget of less than £10 per child per year. ACE’s ‘Guidance for Applicants’ stated that ‘There will not be additional ringfenced funding to support teacher pensions,’ effectively removing more than £1 million support for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, despite a government commitment in 2019 to support employers with pension contributions for ‘unattached teachers.’ What remains of the funding is likely to be spread even more thinly as the workload for new Hubs increases and parents and schools become less likely to be able to make up the shortfall.
It often feels that Hubs have been purposely set up to fail by the DfE so we were grateful that just before the General Election was called, the Education Select Committee held a one-off evidence session on Hubs and the investment programme, where they heard concerns directly from Hub Leads and our Director of Legal Services (the Chief Executive of Music Mark also gave evidence). It is not yet clear how the change of government might affect the process, but the ISM continues to campaign on behalf of Music Hubs and those who work in them to the new Labour government.
