The Government works closely with the Money and Pensions Service to monitor financial difficulty through an annual survey and notes the Financial Conduct Authority’s biennial Financial Lives Survey.

The Government recognises that some people are struggling with their finances at this challenging time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, an extra £37.8 million support package has been made available to debt advice providers this financial year, bringing this year's budget for free debt advice in England to over £100 million.

In May 2020, the Government announced the immediate release of £65 million of dormant assets funding to Fair4All Finance, an independent organisation that has been founded to support the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances. The funding is used to increase access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services for those in financial difficulties.

From May 2021, the Breathing Space scheme will offer people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and will encourage them to seek professional debt advice.

The Government has delivered unprecedented support for living standards during this challenging time, protecting livelihoods with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and temporary welfare measures.

The Government has extended the CJRS until 31 March 2021. Eligible employees will continue to receive 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

The Government has increased the overall level of the third grant under the SEISS to 80% of average trading profits, meaning that the maximum grant available has now increased to £7,500.

The Government has provided local authorities with £500 million to support people who may struggle to meet their council tax payments this year. The Government expects that this will provide all recipients of working age local council tax support with a further reduction in their annual council tax bill of £150 this financial year.

These measures are in addition to the changes this Government has made to make the welfare system more generous, worth over £7 billion according to recent estimates by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Government has worked with mortgage lenders, credit providers and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure the financial sector provides support for people across the UK to manage their finances by providing payment holidays on mortgages and consumer credit products.

The Government has also delivered protections for renters, including an extension to the ban on bailiff evictions for all but the most egregious cases until at least 21 February 2021, with measures kept under review.

The value of claims split by Parliamentary Constituency is not available. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme provides funds to PAYE schemes to support employers to pay a proportion of the wages of furloughed staff. The registered address for PAYE schemes can be in a different area to that where their employees live and work. In addition, for PAYE schemes claiming for between 1 and 99 employments there has been no requirement to specify the amount claimed for each employment. As a consequence, it is not possible to provide reliable figures for the monetary value of the support provided by geographical area.

In 2010, 60,300 hours were spent teaching music to key stage 3 classes in state-funded secondary schools, which represents 3.3% of all hours taught. In 2017, 53,200 hours were spent teaching music, which represents 3.1% of all hours taught.

These are national figures and it is up to individual schools to decide how much time to allocate to teaching each subject.

Information on the number of music teachers employed in state funded secondary schools in England is published in table 11 of the publication ‘School workforce in England 2017’, attached. This shows that there were 6,500 music teachers in state funded secondary schools as at November 2017.

Information at school level is not held centrally.

Music is a compulsory part of the national curriculum for 5 to 14 year olds. The department does not collect information on the number of secondary school academies that teach Key Stage 3 music at least once a week.

The table below is school workforce census data. It shows that the proportion of time spent teaching music at state funded secondary schools overall has remained broadly stable since 2010.

Information on the number of pupils who continued to learn an instrument after receiving whole class ensemble teaching since 2012 is contained in a survey published by Arts Council England, and can be found on pages 43 and 44 of the attached document.

Music is a compulsory part of the national curriculum for 5 to 14 year olds. The department does not collect information on the number of secondary school academies that teach Key Stage 3 music at least once a week.

The table below is school workforce census data. It shows that the proportion of time spent teaching music at state funded secondary schools overall has remained broadly stable since 2010.

Information on the number of pupils who continued to learn an instrument after receiving whole class ensemble teaching since 2012 is contained in a survey published by Arts Council England, and can be found on pages 43 and 44 of the attached document.

Music is compulsory in the national curriculum for 5 to 14 year olds. Data from the Omnibus Survey in 2017 reveals that the average amount of teaching time in primary schools was broadly similar to the amount of time spent teaching history and geography. At secondary schools, the data from the school workforce census shows that the proportion of time spent teaching music between 2010 and 2017 has remained broadly stable. In 2010 2.4% of total teaching hours were spent teaching music, compared with 2.3% in 2017. Full details are in the table below.

The network of music education hubs have four core roles, including ensuring that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument in whole classes. Data published recently by Arts Council England shows that in 2016-17, 91% of primary schools and 88% of secondary schools worked with their music education hub on at least one of the hubs’ core roles. It also shows that 711,241 pupils in state-funded schools learned to play instruments in lessons for whole classes that were provided or supported by music education hubs.

Academies are not obliged to follow the national curriculum, but they are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

Music is compulsory in the national curriculum for 5 to 14 year olds. Data from the Omnibus Survey in 2017 reveals that the average amount of teaching time in primary schools was broadly similar to the amount of time spent teaching history and geography. At secondary schools, the data from the school workforce census shows that the proportion of time spent teaching music between 2010 and 2017 has remained broadly stable. In 2010 2.4% of total teaching hours were spent teaching music, compared with 2.3% in 2017. Full details are in the table below.

The network of music education hubs have four core roles, including ensuring that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument in whole classes. Data published recently by Arts Council England shows that in 2016-17, 91% of primary schools and 88% of secondary schools worked with their music education hub on at least one of the hubs’ core roles. It also shows that 711,241 pupils in state-funded schools learned to play instruments in lessons for whole classes that were provided or supported by music education hubs.

Academies are not obliged to follow the national curriculum, but they are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

The number of state funded primary and secondary schools in England as at 20 November 2018 is given below:

State funded schools in England:

Source: Get Information about Schools, the register of schools and colleges in England.

[1] Includes middle schools as deemed.

[2] Excludes special schools, alternative provision schools and pupil referral units, which do not have a phase of education.

[3] Includes all through schools.

[4] Includes academies, Free Schools and University Technical Colleges.

[5] Includes Community schools, Foundation schools, Voluntary Aided schools and Voluntary Controlled schools.

All primary and secondary state funded schools are required by legislation and via academy funding agreements, to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which must promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development; and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

The quality of a school’s curriculum is considered as part of Ofsted’s inspections. Ofsted is currently reviewing its inspection arrangements, including its coverage of curriculum, and intends to consult on proposals for new inspection arrangements in January 2019.