Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
School music tuition fees will be waived
Charges for school music tuition are to be waived from the start of the new academic year.
And that will also roll out to other curricular costs, from theatre visits to cooking ingredients for home economics classes.
Funding has been announced by the Scottish Government to remove fees for instrumental lessons and for core curriculum activities, following an agreement with local government organisation COSLA.
North Lanarkshire Council is set to receive £351,000 to cover music tuition costs for the next academic year while South Lanarkshire Council will receive £321,000, meaning families will no longer need to pay for young players’additional lessons from next month.
The two authorities will also respectively receive £420,000 and £385,000 for the 2021-2022 academic year to meet costs which may currently be passed on to families such as materials for art, technology and home economics, equipment needed for themed learning weeks and theatre trips linked to drama qualifications.
Musical pupils in North
Lanarkshire previously paid £150 per year for 30 individual instrumental lessons per year, while the cost in South Lanarkshire was £210.
Cost exemptions were already in place for those eligible for free school meals or clothing grants, with additional support needs, of studying music as an exam subject in S4 and above, while younger pupils were already able to have up to a year of free tuition before P6.
Neil Gray, the Airdrie & Shotts MSP, who is convener of Holyrood’s social justice and social security committee, says he is“delighted”by the Scottish Government action.
He told the Advertiser:“so many young people would love to learn a musical instrument but the charge to do this is quite restrictive for parents on a tight budget, or who have more than one child looking to learn.
“Educational trips such as theatre visits for drama students can change a child’s perspective and open their minds to new possibilities; things like this should not be just for those who can afford it.
“I am so pleased that this government is looking to give every child the same chances in life as they go through the school journey – equality in life chances is central to my work on social justice.”