Curriculum

Question

The government believes in a high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this is cultural education, including music and the wider arts and creative subjects. Art and design, design and technology, and music are compulsory in all maintained schools from the age of 5 to the age of 14. Post-14, all pupils in maintained schools must be offered the opportunity to study at least one subject in the arts.

All schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, promoting pupils' cultural development. The department’s knowledge-based curriculum allows pupils to develop disciplinary skills and creativity, which are best taught in the context of solid subject content.

The department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through our music, arts and heritage programmes, including music education hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme and a set of cultural education programmes such as Saturday Art and Design Clubs, the National Youth Dance Company and the British Film Institute’s Film Academy programme, and others. We have also published the Model Music Curriculum which supports teachers in delivering high-quality music education.

Our £15,000 financial incentive for design and technology initial teacher trainees will help attract the best and brightest to teach this important subject. The department has also committed to go further in the Levelling Up White Paper, through our planned £5 million investment to launch the school cooking revolution, which will include brand new curriculum content and bursaries for teacher training and leadership.

With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding, and the additional £1 billion new funding announced specifically for recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in cultural education.