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Music and Dance Scheme: Finance

Asked by Victoria CollinsLiberal DemocratDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 12 February 2026UIN 111333

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to provide long-term funding for schools supported by the Music and Dance Scheme.

Answered by Georgia Gould

The government is committed to revitalising arts education.

This includes £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with £32.5 million allocated for the approximately 900 students attending schools and £4 million for the approximately 1100 students at Centres for Advanced Training. Future funding will be announced in due course.

The government funds the Music Hub network, providing £76 million annually to support all state-funded schools and pupils. The government also provides means‑tested Dance and Drama Awards for dance students, and Arts Council England funds a wide range of music and dance education programmes.

We will establish a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education by September, investing £13 million over three years to support state-funded schools to deliver more equitable arts education. Dance teaching in state‑funded schools will also be supported by the new PE and School Sport Partnership network as part of the revised physical education curriculum.

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