School music tuition unaffordable for many pupils says Ofsted

Pupils from low-income families are missing out on the chance to
learn a musical instrument because schools don’t give
sufficient discounts or encouragement, say schools inspectors.

An Ofsted report on school music tuition found the average
charge for tuition is £25 an hour, but fee remission for
families on low incomes is sometimes very small.

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals who were
learning an instrument was low, and there are no guidelines on
encouraging pupils to participate.

“Schools must work harder to identify and encourage those
pupils who may wish to learn an instrument but who do not put
themselves forward because of their family’s financial
circumstances,” said chief schools inspector David Bell.

Report at:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=pubs.displayfile&id=3741&type=pdf