A professional body for musicians and a subject association for music education, the ISM has been involved in music education since our founding in 1882. We lead high-profile campaigns dedicated to ensuring the quality and provision of music education for all, inside and outside of schools, irrespective of ability, age or background.
In 2012 we launched the Bacc for the Future campaign which successfully fought against the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) in 2013. Yet since 2015, Bacc for the Future has been fighting against the government's new EBacc policy with the aim of saving creative subjects in secondary schools across England.
Underestimating the arts
The EBacc focuses on a narrow range of subject areas, including English (language and literature), maths, sciences (double or triple award), a modern and/or ancient language, as well as history and/or geography. The objective is that 75% of pupils will be studying the suite of EBacc subjects by 2022, rising to 90% by 2025.
The EBacc policy does not measure achievement in creative, artistic and technical subjects such as Music, Drama and Design and Technology, which means schools are less likely to offer creative, artistic and technical GCSEs. In turn this is making it much less likely that pupils will choose to study these subjects or participate in extracurricular activities related to them.
The pressure secondary schools face from the EBacc policy, combined with cuts in funding, means creative opportunities are being reduced in schools and are actively lowering pupil participation in music and the arts.
Furthermore, from 1 September Ofsted's new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) will officially be implemented. This is particularly worrying as the EBacc is included in the framework, despite Ofsted's admission that it was a ‘commonly raised concern’ during the framework consultation period earlier this year. While it is reassuring that inspectors ‘will not make a judgement about the quality of education based solely or primarily on its progress towards the EBacc ambition’, it is disappointing that inspectors will take schools preparations for the EBacc into consideration when evaluating the school's curriculum.
Rallying together
The Bacc for the Future campaign actively lobbies MPs and Government on the importance of music and arts education.
We believe that all students should have the chance to pursue the arts and the opportunity to develop their creative skills regardless of their background. The arts should be a vital part of a broad and balanced curriculum, allowing students to be creative and express their ideas.
When schools teach music and creative subjects, the economy and society benefit. The UK music industry provides £4.5 billion a year to the economy and relies heavily on the creative talent being nurtured in schools. During a time of great uncertainty, what with Brexit looming, keeping music and creative subjects in schools has never been more necessary.
We urge the Government to rethink the EBacc policy before music and the arts only become available to those who can afford it.
If you would like to get involved, write to your MP and tell them that EBacc is one of the principal causes of decline in music and creative subjects in schools and that the policy should be scrapped immediately: baccforthefuture.com/write-to-your-mp.
You can also spread the word about our campaign by downloading and sharing our campaign materials with your networks. Use the hashtag #BaccfortheFuture to call for a broad and balanced curriculum and save creativity in our schools.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK's professional body for musicians and a nationally recognised subject association for music. Its members come from all areas of the music profession and from a wide variety of genres and musical backgrounds.
For further information, visit: ism.org. If you would like to know more about the Bacc for the Future campaign, head to:baccforthefuture.com
