More than a third of teachers say their year 9 pupils do not get regular music lessons, a poll has revealed, after the government said it wanted schools to provide an hour a week.
A new survey by Teacher Tapp also shows two in five primary pupils lack access to free instrument lessons, with music classes increasingly being taught by non-specialists.
The figures show the scale of the challenge ahead for schools and the government in implementing the Department for Education’s new vision for music.
The new national plan for music education was published on Saturday. It said schools should ensure at least an hour’s timetabled music provision a week at key stage 3, after a similar expectation was introduced at key stages 1 and 2 last year.
