Schools’ squeeze on music leaves teachers on the edge

Pay increases offered by DfE music hubs are ‘absolutely minimal’ due to ‘marginalisation of music’ in schools, survey suggests
4th March 2020, 12:05am

Share

Schools’ squeeze on music leaves teachers on the edge

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/schools-squeeze-music-leaves-teachers-edge
Music Lesson

Music teachers are working for free or facing stagnant pay as schools struggle with “shrinking budgets”, according to a major music association.

A survey by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) found that the “marginalisation of music” in schools has contributed to a “profession under pressure”, as music teacher fee rates fail to increase in line with the cost of living for the fourth year in a row.

The survey revealed that some teachers are carrying out unpaid work, as music education hubs and schools “struggle with shrinking budgets”.


Related: Views needed on SEND and tech for new DfE music plan

Background: ‘Thousands’ of peripatetic music teacher jobs ‘at risk’

Viewpoint: The dying art of the peripatetic music teacher


Only 33 per cent of private teachers and 40 per cent of peripatetic and visiting music teachers raised fees in 2019, and fee rates declined for teachers employed by schools.

One teacher told researchers: “I have to do quite a lot of unpaid work as the school cannot afford to pay me for all the work I do. This is usually accompanying choirs/concerts/exam but also some teaching.”

Another said: “Pay levels and increases offered by music hubs seem to be operating at an absolutely minimal level probably due to the marginalisation of music in schools.”

Music teachers also reported that their fees had been affected by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

One said: “Since Brexit, pupil numbers have changed - a number of my pupils have returned to Europe,” while another added: “Pupil numbers seem to be going down, especially when parents have to pay. I put this down to anxiety over the effects of Brexit.”

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the ISM, said: “Respondents to the ISM’s annual fees survey have not only told us their fees have scarcely risen - as little as 27p in some cases - but also the workforce continues to be under significant pressure against a backdrop of budget cuts and the marginalisation of music.

“It is essential that music teachers, like every other profession, have access to fair employment conditions and are properly remunerated for the time, skill and hard work that goes into doing what they do.”

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared