Year on year now, school leaders have found themselves under ever increasing financial pressure. Rising costs, staffing challenges, and competing priorities mean every decision about spending is scrutinised carefully.
In this financial climate, music can sometimes be seen as an area where cuts can be made. Yet we would never consider scaling back English or Maths simply because budgets are tight! Music deserves the same strategic thinking. It is not an “optional extra” but a vital (and statutory!) part of a broad and balanced education that supports creativity, wellbeing, collaboration, and confidence.
But budgets still need to be balanced, and music is admittedly one of the more expensive subjects to resource and deliver successfully, so the challenge school leaders face is how to ensure your school has a rich musical life within the financial constraints that you are bound by.
The first step is to understand that the statutory part of a school’s musical life – the music curriculum – is non-negotiable. It is a legal requirement for schools to provide all the subjects of the national curriculum, and music is no exception to that. Handily, the curriculum is also automatically inclusive; any money spent here is spent on all pupils, equally. So if you’re looking to prioritise your budget to make the most impact then the curriculum is the ideal place to start.
From primary schools in particular I often hear one of two complaints, either ‘we can’t afford a specialist’ or ‘we can’t afford a scheme.’ Now, I realise this is easy for me to say as it’s not my budget, but I’m afraid that, at least initially, you are going to need one or the other! Interestingly, I hear from schools both that a scheme is cheaper than a specialist, and that a specialist is cheaper than a scheme; an indication perhaps that the job of music specialist should be better regulated in terms of pay and conditions!
Schools that choose to invest in specialist provision often do so as PPA cover, effectively killing two birds with one stone; however a better long-term investment might be to have your class teachers in the lesson with the specialist, developing their own music teaching skills. Then if you lose, or can no longer afford, your specialist, your class teachers are more confident at taking over the responsibility for their own music teaching. I’ve also seen some fantastic models where specialists and class teachers deliver on alternate weeks, or even in alternate half terms. This works particularly well in larger schools to ensure that all classes get some specialist support across the year without breaking the bank.
If you’re not going down the specialist provision route (or actually even if you are, as it’s not necessarily an either/or scenario!) then a scheme can be a great starting point to ensure your class teachers feel confident and supported to deliver high quality music lessons as non-specialists. You might be surprised to learn that there are upwards of 25 national curriculum music schemes now available for schools in England to consider. A little time spent researching these may find you something that fits your school’s requirements at a price you feel is worth the investment; some of them are even completely free! Try and prioritise schemes that will upskill your teachers along the way; then if you get in a budgetary tight spot and need to cancel your subscription in the future, your music curriculum won’t entirely fall apart!
Outside of the curriculum, your responsibilities towards music become significantly murkier! The current UK government is hoping to bring in measures for enrichment entitlement, but until that time strictly speaking schools are not required to offer anything additional in terms of music above and beyond the curriculum. However, most schools do recognise the important part music has to play in wider school life, and will want to find ways to include it.
Singing is one of the most inclusive and cost-effective ways to build a musical culture across a school. Whole-school singing assemblies, class singing, playground singing, and performance opportunities require minimal resources but have maximum impact. Establishing regular singing routines ensures that every pupil is involved in music beyond the core music curriculum.
An extra-curricular instrumental programme is always going to involve significant financial investment, so this is often the first thing to go when a school is tightening its belt. However, it’s worth considering the real impact of this on your pupils; was that going to be their only ever opportunity to learn a musical instrument, and if so, how do you feel about being the person that stopped that from happening? In this scenario, weaving instrumental provision into your curriculum through a whole class instrumental programme is the perfect way to get more bang for your buck. At least then everyone gets an opportunity to try a musical instrument, albeit limited to the one of your choice! When delivered right this can also solve some of your other budgetary problems too. Investing in a whole class programme from your local music service or hub means your money is providing not only your specialist teacher but your teaching and learning resources too. If you then timetable it so that the class teacher is present and engaged in the lesson (rather than taking their PPA time), then you are getting staff development provided for no extra cost as well!
Financial pressures are real, and idealism can’t pay the bills. School leaders must make difficult decisions every day. However, reducing music provision risks narrowing the curriculum and limiting opportunities for pupils who thrive through creative and expressive learning. With clear vision, creative planning, and inclusive approaches, schools can deliver a meaningful musical experience for all pupils, even when times are challenging. A full musical life is not defined by how much you spend, but by how many pupils are involved, inspired, and given the chance to make music together.
Dr Liz Stafford, April 2026. Copyright © 2026 Music Education Solutions Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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