One in four schools failing to meet one-hour music target

Almost a quarter of secondary schools are not meeting a new government expectation for Key Stage 3 pupils to be taught an hour of classroom music a week, a survey has found.

Schools Week reports that the expectation was introduced in September as part of the government’s national plan for music, with similar expectations also introduced for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

However, a survey of senior secondary school leaders found that 16 per cent were teaching for less than an hour a week, and 2 per cent were not teaching at all.

Teacher Tapp's research found that another five per cent use a system in which pupils are only taught for part of the year.

Overall, two-thirds said they met the weekly commitment of one hour, with seven per cent saying they taught for more than an hour.

Ongoing issues with recruitment accountability pressures and funding have been cited as possible reasons for schools failing to meet the target.