Calls for Revision of English Baccalaureate

The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) and Music Teacher magazine have renewed calls for the Government to review the English Baccalaureate (EBac) with the aim of including music in a sixth pillar of creative and cultural academic subjects.

The EBac ranks schools on the proportion of pupils who get an A* to C grade in five pillars of subject option: maths, English, a language, a science and a humanities subject. But the respected (and higher level) International Baccalaureate (IB) has six pillars of subjects for pupils to pick from including a creative and cultural option.

Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the ISM, said: “We want to see music included in the English Baccalaureate as part of a sixth pillar of creative and cultural subject choices. Not only is music challenging and enriching as a subject in schools, but to forget music at GCSE level is to forget the creative, social, academic, economic, emotional and intellectual benefits of an excellent music education; this is to say nothing of its own unique musical value.”

Christopher Walters, Editor of Music Teacher magazine said:”Essentially a performance measure, the EBac will inevitably have negative consequences for any subjects that are excluded from it. Music Teacher is therefore delighted to be part of a campaign not only to include music but to introduce an entire sixth pillar of creative subjects, which we believe would greatly improve the impact of the EBac in our schools.’

The influential Education Select Committee, a cross-party committee of MPs, published a report last week calling on the government to revise its current arrangements and ‘think again’. The committee also called the decision to omit music ‘odd’ and could not see a ‘rationale’ behind this decision.

In response to this, Deborah Annetts welcomed the report and said: ‘The Select Committee report was clear: the Government must revise its decisions around what constitutes an English Baccalaureate. At the same time, they must be open and transparent in accepting that the current proposal does not constitute a ‘Baccalaureate’ but rather a league table or performance ranking.

“The Government has said it is prepared to listen and that is why we are asking musicians to write to their MP to ask them to support the review of the EBac with the aim of including music in an additional subject option.’

You can help campaign to get music included in the EBac by writing a letter to your MP telling her or him of your concerns. You can find a template at www.ism.org.