“Highly Valued” music Hubs Confront Funding and Staffing Issues

Music hubs are partnerships of schools, local authorities, community groups, and music organizations that support schools in delivering high-quality music education. They assist with teaching, sourcing instruments, and providing professional development for staff.

The scheme is currently managed by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), but oversight will transfer to the government’s new National Centre for Arts and Music Education starting September 2027.

Previously, there were 114 hubs. In 2024, the system was restructured into 43 larger hub partnerships covering wider areas.

NatCen conducted an interim evaluation for the DfE, reviewing the first year of the new model up to July of last year. The report found that hubs “continue to deliver services that are highly valued by schools, teachers, parents, and pupils.”

Key challenges

The evaluation also highlighted ongoing difficulties with funding, workforce capacity, and geographical access.

• Three-quarters of parents reported satisfaction with the scheme, emphasizing affordability and quality.
• Around 80% of teachers found the hubs provided useful professional development opportunities.

However, the report identified rising costs and tight budgets as “the most significant risk.” Schools face constraints in affording music provision, while hubs struggle to meet demand due to limited staff availability. More than three-quarters of hubs reported difficulties in recruiting music teachers.

Awareness of hubs is also limited, with only 35% of parents and 30% of pupils knowing about their local hub.

Barriers to participation

Cost remains a major barrier to extracurricular music activities for pupils.

In some areas, students and teachers reported difficulties in attending hubs due to distance—a challenge that existed even under the previous system.

The report also examined how hubs have used a £25 million capital grant, available since September 2024, to purchase musical instruments and equipment. Staff reported that while the grant improved access to instruments, administrative complexities, timing issues, and limited flexibility in spending created challenges.

Outlook and recommendations

Overall, the report noted signs of “stabilisation and improvement,” but stressed that the next few years will be critical. Sustained investment, effective monitoring, and a focus on equitable access are essential to ensure the hubs achieve their intended impact.

Recommendations include:

• Maintaining ongoing investment.
• Strengthening the workforce through professional development and long-term workforce planning.

National centre for arts and music education

The report coincides with the government’s launch of a tender process for its new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will oversee the hubs in the future.

The £13 million contract seeks a delivery partner to establish and operate the centre, which is planned to open in September. The centre will aim to provide more equitable access to high-quality arts education, support excellent teaching, develop sustainable school–cultural organization partnerships, and promote arts opportunities for children.

It will offer online professional development for teachers, foster collaboration between schools and cultural organizations, and promote arts education to school leaders, teachers, parents, and pupils.

The centre will take responsibility for overseeing the music hub network and monitoring their performance, assuming fundholder duties from September 2027. Existing capital funding for hubs will continue until April 2027, so the centre will not initially manage these grants. Future revenue funding for hubs will be confirmed separately.