A radical shakeup in children's music education has failed to have a significant impact on the quality of provision, with only a minority of pupils feeling the benefits, according to Ofsted.
Music hubs took over responsibility for music education in September last year, but in a report published on Wednesday Ofsted says that in more than two-thirds of the schools it visited "there is little discernible difference from the support previously given by local authorities".
The hubs were championed by the government to tackle disparities in quality of provision. They were selected through a bidding process arranged by Arts Council England. In practice, many local authorities, who had been responsible for music education before, were chosen.
The hubs' tasks included giving every child the chance to learn a musical instrument and ensuring that every pupil sings regularly.
Ofsted says many of the hubs have done valuable work in supporting those in ensembles outside the classroom, but were failing to promote music in schools for all pupils, including those who do not currently play an instrument.
"Every child should experience high-quality music education. These are early days – Ofsted's findings are based on just a quarter of the 123 hubs, which were assessed only a few months after opening. But Ofsted is clear that when hubs are properly run, they are already making a real difference."
