Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper

On 20th October 2025, the Government published a white paper on post-16 education and skills. Music Mark welcomes the government’s attention to the Higher and Further Education sector at a time when it faces great financial difficulty and instability. Our membership represents the full music education ecology including music education at FE and HE, and we are heartened by the steps the government has taken to remove barriers to higher-level education. However, we are concerned by the proposed introduction of an international levy to fund an increase in maintenance grants and the lack of clarity with regards to the financial security of higher education institutions. 

We strongly believe that music is important as a subject of study in its own right. Rather than being reassured about its place in the higher-level education sector, we are concerned by the language used in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper. There is a disparity between the prominence of STEM in the white paper and the promises made in the Creative Industries Industrial Strategy Sector Plan which highlights the creative industries as a priority sector. This disparity raises concerns that the upcoming Curriculum and Assessment Review and related white paper on tertiary education will also prioritise certain subjects despite clear evidence supporting a broad and balanced curriculum.  

We will be seeking clarity on the definition of ‘priority subjects’, given that the creative industries have been identified as a ‘priority sector’ by the government.  

Bridget Whyte, CEO of Music Mark, stated: 

‘We are disappointed that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport was not involved in the creation of the white paper along with the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Their omission signals an emphasis on the seven other priority sectors (namely Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Defense, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences and Professional and Business Services), over the creative industries.’  

We will be completing a comprehensive review of the white paper and providing a more detailed analysis in due course, together with preparing a formal response to send to the Secretary of State for Education in partnership with other key national representatives of music in higher and further education.