New Music Curriculum Set to Boost Equality – Essex Music Service Ready to Support Schools

The national Curriculum and Assessment Review has highlighted significant inequalities in access to music education. Music currently shows the widest disadvantage attainment gap of any GCSE subject. In 2024/25, 61% of the most disadvantaged schools entered no pupils for GCSE Music, compared with just 10% of the least disadvantaged. A quarter of disadvantaged schools did not offer any music qualification at all. These findings underline a pressing need to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to engage meaningfully with music.

In response, the Government has reiterated its ambition for a knowledge-rich, inclusive and innovative curriculum in which the arts are seen as an entitlement for all pupils. A refreshed National Curriculum for Music is now being developed by leading educators Carolyn Baxendale and Simon Toyne. The updated curriculum will strengthen the technical, constructive and expressive pillars of music education, and is expected to move into public consultation later this year. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027, with first teaching planned for September 2028.

Essex Music Service is committed to supporting schools through these changes. Working in partnership with Charanga and Focus on Sound, we provide a comprehensive suite of online resources designed to support high-quality music curriculum delivery across all key stages. These resources will be fully updated in line with the new national curriculum once details are released, ensuring that schools are well prepared for implementation.

By planning ahead and working collaboratively, Essex Music Service and schools across the county can help ensure that children and young people benefit from a vibrant, ambitious and equitable music education.