Children across the country to be supported to find and develop their passions through increased opportunities to study music, learn instruments, and take up sports and activities thanks to a multi-million-pound investment into sports and music education.

The announcement made by the government today (25 June) builds on the pledge in the School’s White Paper to provide all children with an enriching school curriculum, helping to level up their opportunities as well as their educational outcomes.

As part of this, tens of thousands of pupils will be given the chance to learn a musical instrument, thanks to new capital funding worth £25 million for schools to purchase musical instruments and equipment. This will include adapted instruments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), so that every pupil will have the opportunity to develop a love for music.

Schools will also be asked to offer at least one hour of music curriculum a week as part of the launch of a new National Plan for Music Education. Music has been shown to not only support children to develop their creativity, but also their cognitive development, which is why a further £79 million will also be made available every year until 2025 for the Music Hubs programme.

Further opportunities for pupils to get active and stay healthy will also become available through the PE and Sport Premium. £320 million will be delivered to schools in 2022/23 to give more children access to high quality PE lessons and sporting opportunities, supporting both their physical and mental wellbeing. £11 million will also support the continuation of the School Games programme to give particularly passionate and talented young people the opportunity to participate in competitive sport.

Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi said:

I want every child to have the opportunity to develop a love of music and sport, so they can explore their passions and fulfil their potential.

That’s why I’m thrilled that we’re updating our National Plan for Music Education, as well as providing students with around 200,000 new musical instruments.

The PE and Sport Premium will continue to support schools and I hope that upcoming events like the Women’s Euros and Commonwealth Games will inspire more young people to get active.

These opportunities will give thousands more pupils access to an ambitious, enriching curriculum that not only supports them academically, but also supports their physical and mental wellbeing.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

Every young person has the potential to succeed, whether they are destined to be the next Sam Ryder, Leah Williamson or simply inspired to have a lifelong love of music and sport.

We want to make sure every child, regardless of where they grow up or where they go to school, has the tools they need to achieve their ambitions.

As part of the updated guidance in the National Plan for Music Education, every school will be expected to have a designated music lead or head of department. The plan also sets out the ambition for every pupil to have at least one hour a week of high-quality music education in key stages 1-3. It will also provide teachers and young people guidance on how to progress a career in music.

The guidance comes alongside additional initiatives in the National Plan for Music Education to further develop instrument and music teaching, including a pilot to improve music progression in disadvantaged areas and the roll-out of an inclusion strategy in every music hub area so that all children and young people can benefit from high quality music education.

Chief Executive of UK Music, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said:

Music is a national asset that contributes billions to the economy, improves our health and wellbeing and boosts our global reputation – and that all relies on a strong talent pipeline. A thorough musical education also brings huge benefits to children, whatever they go on to do in later life, and it is in our national interest to have a musically literate society.

The new National Plan for Music Education, and commitment of capital investment is very welcome. Music can transform lives – so it is vital that music education does not become the preserve of a privileged few and is available to everyone, regardless of their background. Continued investment in music education is vital if we want to unlock the huge creative potential of young people and level up opportunities across the country.

Chief Executive BPI, BRIT Awards & Mercury Prize, Geoff Taylor, said:

We welcome Government’s renewed focus on music education, which will support the future of the UK’s world-leading music sector.  We know from our experience with The BRIT School that music can play an essential role in developing young people’s creativity, teaching them vital skills and, crucially, promoting wellbeing.

We are therefore delighted to see new investment to provide instruments and music equipment to schools. Our industry will continue to support a wide range of education programmes to ensure that skills learnt in the classroom can help young people thrive in our diverse and growing sector.  We will look closely at the detail of the plan and work collaboratively with government and education partners to maximise its impact.

To further boost children’s engagement with sport both inside and outside of school, the School Games programme aims to develop sporting talent at an early age. Multiple Olympic athletes have started their careers on the programme, with 29 School Games alumni winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, Ali Oliver MBE, said:

At the end of a really successful National School Sport Week, we welcome confirmation of this funding for primary schools across England, it is urgently needed, and we know schools will be relieved to be able to confirm arrangements for September. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those working in and with schools who have maintained momentum, keeping children active and schools moving.

Unhappy and unhealthy children don’t learn, if children don’t learn we won’t have a society fit for the future. The Youth Sport Trust is working to build back play, physical activity, and school sport in children’s lives, helping them to balance the demands of a digital age, and create societal change when it comes to the place and value of PE and school sport. Today’s announcement is a positive first step toward this.

The PE and Sport Premium and School Games programme support the government’s commitment to ensuring children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes, or 20 minutes for children with a disability, of physical activity a day. Building on this commitment, £10 million is supporting schools to open up sport and swimming facilities. The Department for Education has already provided funding from phase one and two of this initiative to schools and is currently procuring a national delivery partner to allocate further funding and advice to schools over the next phase of the programme.

Minister for Public Health, Maggie Throup said:

Levelling up the nation’s health, tackling disparities and giving every child the healthiest start in life – no matter where they’re from – is a top priority for government.

This major investment means children will have access to more high quality PE lessons and opportunities to try different sports.

Being physically active in childhood is vital to long-term health and wellbeing, and this funding will help children enjoy leading more physical lives.

The PE and Sport Premium is funded by both the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care.

The Government’s commitment to ensuring that children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of sport and physical activity per day is set out in the school sport and activity action plan.

Non-statutory guidance for schools on providing an ambitious and wide ranging music curriculum is set out in the model music curriculum for key stages 1 to 3.

We have estimated that £25 million will enable children to have access to approximately 200,000 new instruments on the assumption that one musical instrument is £100. This would build on existing stock of musical instruments and equipment.

UK Chief Medical Officer Physical Activity Guidelines are here and UK Chief Medical Officer Physical Activity Guidelines for disabled children and disabled young people are here.

The UK is committing a further £217 million for three major education projects across Commonwealth countries today [Saturday], on the final day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The funding will support global education data gathering, teacher training in Rwanda and programmes to get girls and vulnerable children into school in Pakistan.

Today’s announcements build on the UK’s track record. Between 2015 and 2020, the UK helped 8.1 million girls around the world to get a decent education. As President of the G7 last year, we led a collective commitment to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more reading by 2026.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

There are no easy fixes in this world, but the closest thing we have to a silver bullet is girls’ education.

By giving all children the chance to get at least 12 years of good schooling, we create more stable, prosperous and happy societies.

The UK is proud to be a world leader in championing girls’ education. The funding announced today will help end the injustice of education inequality and give millions more children the chance of a better life.

The Prime Minister also co-hosted the Global Education Summit in London last year with President Kenyatta, raising a record $4 billion to get children into school around the world.

Up £60 million of today’s pledge will go to the Girls in Rwanda Learn (GIRL) programme. Complementing Rwanda’s impressive achievements in education, the project will work with the Government to improve teachers’ English language skills and provide technical support, to further improve the quality of education and ensure girls remain in school.

The biggest funding allocation – up to £130 million – will go to GOAL’s Action for Learning Project to help girls and vulnerable children get back into the classroom in Pakistan. The programme will reduce barriers and schooling costs for girls, and work with the local authorities to train teachers and improve school management.

The Data for Foundational Learning Programme, which will receive £27 million, supports UNESCO to track children’s learning outcomes globally. With better data on literacy and numeracy, policymakers can understand what works and share resources.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

Supporting women and girls is at the heart of UK foreign policy. Investing in girls’ education is vital for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future.

We are working with our international partners to recover the learning lost during the Covid pandemic, getting 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by 2026.

Every girl deserves an education and at CHOGM we are helping to make this happen.

The UK is also playing a leading role in supporting women’s economic empowerment and tackling gender-based violence across the Commonwealth. This week the Government has confirmed a further £1m in funding for the SheTradesprogramme, which supports women-owned businesses.

Since 2018 SheTrades Commonwealth has directly supported over 3,500 female entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, helping to generate over £32m of sales for those women-owned businesses and supporting the creation of more than 6,600 jobs.

The Prime Minister will attend the Leaders Retreat today for discussions on youth, innovation, and global challenges like rising food prices, on the final day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America welcome the progress made in the talks between the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives and High State Council in Cairo facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). We welcome the degree of consensus reached so far towards agreement and appreciate the work of Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General Stephanie Williams and UNSMIL.

We call on the House of Representatives, the High State Council, and their leaders to urgently finalize the legal basis so that credible, transparent, and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections can be held as soon as possible, as set out in UNSCR 2570 (2021), the LPDF Roadmap, the Libya Stabilization Conference, the Berlin II conference conclusions, and the declaration of the Paris Conference on Libya.

The LPDF roadmap set the expiration of the transitional phase on 22 June, provided that Presidential and Parliamentary elections are held on 24 December 2021, which has not been the case. We stress the need for a unified Libyan government able to govern and deliver these elections across the country, achieved through dialogue and compromise as soon as possible. We firmly reject actions that could lead to violence or to greater divisions in Libya, such as the creation of parallel institutions, any attempt to seize power through force, or refusal of peaceful transition of power to a new executive formed through a legitimate and transparent process.

We urge Libyan political leaders to engage constructively in negotiations, including through the good offices of UNSMIL, to unlock the executive impasse and agree on a pathway to elections. We continue to expect the full implementation of the 23 October 2020 ceasefire agreement. Violence, incitement to violence and hate speech are inexcusable and unacceptable.

We underline that Libya’s resources must be managed in a transparent, responsible and accountable manner throughout the country, and for the benefit of the Libyan people. We urge Libya’s leaders to agree on the country’s public spending priorities and establish a joint revenue management and oversight structure through continuing engagement with the Berlin Process Economic Working Group.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and many thanks to Ireland for convening this important meeting. I’m also grateful to the Prosecutor and to our distinguished briefers for their powerful remarks — and the UK does, of course, align itself with the statement read out by Mexico on our behalf.

International criminal justice and accountability is a fundamental element of the United Kingdom’s foreign policy, and as the first and only permanent Court of its kind, the ICC marks a significant step in global efforts to end impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Rome Statute, the UK remains a strong supporter of the Court’s work. In this spirit, we note the obligation of States Parties to cooperate with the Court under the Rome Statute, and we also call on all States to cooperate with the Court where there are UN Security Council Resolutions which require this. At the same time, we continue to urge the Council to consider steps to address non-compliance issues when they occur.

The Security Council is charged with ensuring international peace and security, but too often it has failed to protect civilians from mass atrocity crimes – genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This risks impairing its credibility in the eyes of the wider UN membership, and of the public. This is why the United Kingdom, alongside 122 other Member States, is proud to have joined the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. In doing so, we have committed not to vote against any credible draft resolution intended to prevent or halt mass atrocities.

Chair, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the reports of atrocities and deliberate attacks on civilians, have led to the largest ICC referral in its history. The United Kingdom is proud to have played a leading role in that effort, which secured the support of 42 other countries. The ICC investigation is already underway and we will make every effort to assist it and other ICC investigations consistent with respect for the Court’s independence.

We will continue to demonstrate our support for the Court, and to work together with States Parties and the Court, to ensure that the Court delivers justice for victims, and accountability, in respect of the most serious crimes of international concern.

Thank you.