APPG for Music Education
8 December 2025
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, Briefing Minutes
Monday, 8 December 2025
Monday, 8 December 2025
Opening Proceedings
Parliamentarians present: Lord Black of Brentford, Bambos Charalambous MP (Chair), the Earl of Clancarty, Wera Hobhouse MP, Baroness Keeley (Co-Chair), Lord Freyburg, Anna Sabine MP (Vice Chair)
Apologies: Baroness Fleet, Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall, Ellie Chowns MP, John McDonnell MP
The attending parliamentarians were joined by members of the music education sector.
Welcome from the Chair
Bambos Charalambous welcomed everyone to the APPG meeting. He said the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s (CAR) final report had broadly been well received, although there were still questions around the details. There was no further update on the National Centre for Arts and Music Education although it was still planned to start in September 2026.
Parliamentarians present: Lord Black of Brentford, Bambos Charalambous MP (Chair), the Earl of Clancarty, Wera Hobhouse MP, Baroness Keeley (Co-Chair), Lord Freyburg, Anna Sabine MP (Vice Chair)
Apologies: Baroness Fleet, Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall, Ellie Chowns MP, John McDonnell MP
The attending parliamentarians were joined by members of the music education sector.
Welcome from the Chair
Bambos Charalambous welcomed everyone to the APPG meeting. He said the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s (CAR) final report had broadly been well received, although there were still questions around the details. There was no further update on the National Centre for Arts and Music Education although it was still planned to start in September 2026.
Presentations
Deborah Annetts, CEO, Independent Society of Musicians
Deborah outlined the ISM’s campaigning over a 15-year period to remove the EBacc accountability measure. This included a petition with over 100,000 signatories calling for a Westminster debate, carrying out research and publishing reports and giving evidence to select committees. It was a cross-sector campaign bringing together many different subjects affected by the EBacc.
Over the years, we have seen all arts subjects falling at GCSE and A level and in some cases they are not offered at all, especially in less well-off areas. Finally, the government has accepted the evidence of the negative impact of the EBacc and Deborah is thrilled that action has been taken. However, we still need to take the next step, working with schools and teachers to change the view of the arts which has been so damaged by the EBacc. We must ensure that Progress 8 doesn’t morph into the EBacc unintentionally. She thanked all of those present who had been involved in the journey so far.
Questions/comments
The Earl of Clancarty thanked Deborah and the ISM for their campaigning.
Lord Freyburg: Is there any idea where Progress 8 might go?
DA: The proposed new P8 ‘buckets’ could allow schools to game the system. Important issue to raise with the DfE, but it also sits alongside concerns about the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, teacher recruitment and retention and the Music and Dance Scheme.
Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education, University College London, IOE - Culture, Communication and Media
Graham talked through a visual representation of the challenges for the curriculum. He flagged the need for creativity of approach to be included in the new music curriculum. He also talked about needing advice on what progression and development in music looks like. This is not in the current curriculum.
Deborah Annetts, CEO, Independent Society of Musicians
Deborah outlined the ISM’s campaigning over a 15-year period to remove the EBacc accountability measure. This included a petition with over 100,000 signatories calling for a Westminster debate, carrying out research and publishing reports and giving evidence to select committees. It was a cross-sector campaign bringing together many different subjects affected by the EBacc.
Over the years, we have seen all arts subjects falling at GCSE and A level and in some cases they are not offered at all, especially in less well-off areas. Finally, the government has accepted the evidence of the negative impact of the EBacc and Deborah is thrilled that action has been taken. However, we still need to take the next step, working with schools and teachers to change the view of the arts which has been so damaged by the EBacc. We must ensure that Progress 8 doesn’t morph into the EBacc unintentionally. She thanked all of those present who had been involved in the journey so far.
Questions/comments
The Earl of Clancarty thanked Deborah and the ISM for their campaigning.
Lord Freyburg: Is there any idea where Progress 8 might go?
DA: The proposed new P8 ‘buckets’ could allow schools to game the system. Important issue to raise with the DfE, but it also sits alongside concerns about the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, teacher recruitment and retention and the Music and Dance Scheme.
Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education, University College London, IOE - Culture, Communication and Media
Graham talked through a visual representation of the challenges for the curriculum. He flagged the need for creativity of approach to be included in the new music curriculum. He also talked about needing advice on what progression and development in music looks like. This is not in the current curriculum.
Margaret O'Shea, Head of Extended and Creative Curriculum, Ark Schools
Margaret said she was delighted by the CAR’s final report and government response. The report highlighted that the disadvantage gap for music is wider than any other subject. At Ark, they work to understand and remove barriers to participation and as a result their students are three times more likely to take GCSE than the national average. An alternative reality is possible. They have always been committed to the National Curriculum and giving students the knowledge and skills to progress. Their curriculum has inclusion at its heart.
Ark is unequivocally clear that music is part of the National Curriculum. The current generation of teachers is possibly the last to truly know what good music education looks like. We have to be able to articulate the entitlement for all students. The Ark workforce is a uniquely rich ecosystem made up of expert professionals. The DfE and DCMS must align their language, processes etc when releasing new information as schools can’t cope with more complex changes.
Margaret noted that the proposed Enrichment Framework has been likened to the Gatsby benchmarks for careers advice. However, Gatsby is statutory and it doesn’t appear that the Enrichment framework will be. We need to make teaching an enviable profession. Senior Leaders need to understand that music is different and things like whole school policies aren’t always appropriate. Having to explain these differences is often exhausting and de-professionalising.
Margaret concluded by saying that she appreciated the ISM’s evidence driven approach, the results of which she feels every day.
Margaret's presentation can be found below.
Margaret said she was delighted by the CAR’s final report and government response. The report highlighted that the disadvantage gap for music is wider than any other subject. At Ark, they work to understand and remove barriers to participation and as a result their students are three times more likely to take GCSE than the national average. An alternative reality is possible. They have always been committed to the National Curriculum and giving students the knowledge and skills to progress. Their curriculum has inclusion at its heart.
Ark is unequivocally clear that music is part of the National Curriculum. The current generation of teachers is possibly the last to truly know what good music education looks like. We have to be able to articulate the entitlement for all students. The Ark workforce is a uniquely rich ecosystem made up of expert professionals. The DfE and DCMS must align their language, processes etc when releasing new information as schools can’t cope with more complex changes.
Margaret noted that the proposed Enrichment Framework has been likened to the Gatsby benchmarks for careers advice. However, Gatsby is statutory and it doesn’t appear that the Enrichment framework will be. We need to make teaching an enviable profession. Senior Leaders need to understand that music is different and things like whole school policies aren’t always appropriate. Having to explain these differences is often exhausting and de-professionalising.
Margaret concluded by saying that she appreciated the ISM’s evidence driven approach, the results of which she feels every day.
Margaret's presentation can be found below.
(Following Margaret’s presentation, the Chair had to leave and Vice-Chair Baroness Keeley chaired the remainder of the meeting).
Questions/comments
Lord Black: We need music teachers. What can the APPG do to help?
DA: We need to get to the bottom of the DfE’s statistics and the source of the data. The message from government is that music is doing well and we don’t need bursaries but the new policies are at risk of failure if there aren’t enough music teachers. If you don’t have the specialist teachers, how can the importance of music and the arts be communicated to Senior Leaders?
Earl of Clancarty: Could we work out the number of teachers needed compared to what the DfE says?
Baroness Keeley: Perhaps we could work out how many music teachers we would require if all schools were to be fully staffed, and compare that figure with the DfE’s data.
MO’S: Retention is also an issue. It is a KPI for Ark and even so it is a problem in their schools. There is also a lack of transparency around recruitment. Some Heads not advertising for roles as they’ve already advertised without success. Choosing to train their own instead.
DA: The last government changed the way ITT and PGCEs are done. Lots of good universities no longer offer courses. Trainees are not coming through PGCE courses but through other routes.
GW: We have more routes into teaching than any other country in the world, but it is not actually helpful as many of these routes don’t provide a broad perspective. Meanwhile university budgets are constrained and music departments are closing. Where are future teachers going to be educated?
There was a short discussion about the issues around ITT and a short APPG report was suggested to highlight these.
AS: The DfE talks about how the £25m fund for instruments has delivered new instruments and equipment for schools. We could use this to work out how many teachers would be needed to deliver lessons using those instruments.
Stuart Worden (Principal of BRIT school): Overjoyed at the EBacc decision. Sees the need for investment in teacher training even at the BRIT school. Would like the APPG to look at what happens in sixth forms. We have to offer something exciting at KS5. The proposed V levels don’t offer a ‘large qualification’ (equal to 3 A levels). UAL may no longer offer their current Level 3 course. There is a chance of losing sixth form music students if large vocational qualifications no longer offered. If Level 3 offer is not sufficient, we are letting students down and putting the pipeline under threat. If we want a diverse workforce, we need to keep the students.
Laura Tunbridge (Oxford University): We need well-rounded music courses for Higher Education. Essential to consider every stage of music education, including sixth form.
MO’S: There has to be a serious vocational qualification at Level 3. The A level is not suitable for all.
GW: Endorsed all the comments and concerns raised. You can’t just redesign the curriculum and hope it makes a difference.
Actions agreed
Closing proceedings
Baroness Keeley thanked everyone online and in person for attending and declared the APPG meeting closed at 5.05pm.
- Chair to continue to pursue a meeting with the Schools Minister Georgia Gould
- ISM to provide short report for the APPG on ITT to include the DfE workforce data
- APPG next meeting to cover vocational qualifications (include Brit School)
- ISM to supply PQs to the APPG officers and members
- ISM to look at the education pipeline as part of our upcoming education report and how the different qualifications support progression from GCSE onwards
Closing proceedings
Baroness Keeley thanked everyone online and in person for attending and declared the APPG meeting closed at 5.05pm.
