3. Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: The National Music Service: Delivering the National Plan for Music Education

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:58 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 2:58, 17 May 2022

I thank the Member for that. When I was on the committee that looked into this in the last Senedd, we took evidence from a range of music services. So, the ambition of the plan isn't to stipulate the form of the service delivery; that will remain a function for the local authority, but all music services will be able to work together with the WLGA to deliver the plan overall. But, one of the challenges that we faced for some time in Wales is actually the variability of the experience of music teachers in different parts of Wales, whatever the form that the service itself takes. And I think a really important advantage of the plan that we have here is, over the course of the next, 2023-24, academic year, an important and quite complex, actually, piece of work to look at the different terms and conditions that apply to music tuition right across Wales, and to seek to bring greater consistency and fairness to that, because I think, ultimately, to deliver a long-term, sustainable step change, which is exactly what all music services want to see as part of this plan that I'm confident will be delivered, it will be important to make sure that the workforce have that consistency across Wales, insofar as we can do that.