Written question asked by Lord Harrison (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hill of Oareford (Conservative) on Monday, 23 January 2012.

Education: English Baccalaureate

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider including music in the English Baccalaureate.

Answer: The Government recognise the importance of good quality music education for all students. The Importance of Music—a National Plan for Music Education was published in November; the plan sets out how children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can receive the best possible music education in the future. The English Baccalaureate has been designed to give pupils the opportunity to study a core group of academic subjects—English, mathematics, the sciences, history or geography and a language. We also encourage all pupils to study non-English Baccalaureate subjects as well as those within the core in order to benefit from a well-rounded education, which the range of subjects within the Baccalaureate is small enough to allow for. Schools are in the best position to work with pupils to make choices that will allow them to achieve and progress, recognising the importance and value of achieving in these core areas, and also of study in other areas where they have an aptitude and interest. In December 2010, we set out the subjects which will count towards the English Baccalaureate measure and have no current plans to change its composition. We will continue to monitor the impact of the English Baccalaureate on GCSE subject choices, including by reviewing GCSE entries in 2012.

Secondary information