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12 April 2026

Tag: music

GCSE results 2021: Music

Here are the trends in the latest music GCSE results for summer 2021. The proportion of grade 9 results achieved by students, equivalent to a high A* under the old GCSE system, rose to 17.7 per cent, compared to 13.6 per cent in 2020 and 8.1 per cent in 2019. You can find the full […]

Still no date for national music plan, but another expert panel

The government has assembled a panel of music grandees to help produce its national plan for music education (NPME), but steered clear of confirming when the delayed plan will finally be published. The NPME was supposed to be published last autumn, but it was delayed during the pandemic and is now only promised “early next […]

Critics question winning bid for new model music curriculum

The Department for Education has refused to say how many bids it received for a contract to write a new model music curriculum after the tender was awarded to an exam board with no classroom teaching expertise. Music teachers and academics are unhappy that the ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, […]

Schools shut out from DfE music curriculum panel

The government has come under fire for choosing just three serving school leaders for its 14-strong panel that will develop its new “model” music curriculum. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, announced the panel members on Friday, saying that they would develop a non-compulsory “sequenced and structured template” in music for key stages 1, 2 and […]

Ofqual consults on changes to reformed music and dance qualifications

Ofqual has launched a consultation into proposed changes to the reformed GCSEs, AS and A-levels in music and dance, after their first delivery this summer exposed issues with how to assess pupils’ performances. The exams watchdog wants to change the way a student’s performance is marked if it turns out to be shorter than the minimum length; […]

Music education hubs struggle to attract older pupils

The number of pupils receiving whole-class ensemble teaching through music education hubs has risen by a fifth since 2013, however a new study has also found a “worrying drop” in the take-up of area-based ensembles by older pupils. The drop in numbers of youngsters playing in “area-based ensembles” – particularly those aged 14 to 18 […]

EEF launches new music, drama and journalism trials

Thousands of children across the England will take part in new trials to assess whether skills like music, drama and journalism can boost their achievements at primary school. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) announced five trials to test the impact of different “cultural learning strategies” as part of […]