Abolishing Charges for Art and Music in Schools: Putting Creativity Back Within Reach

During this mandate, the SNP Government has taken action to remove financial barriers in schools and ensure that learning is not determined by household income. This includes making creative subjects accessible to all pupils.

Since the 2021–22 academic year, charges for instrumental music tuition and core curriculum arts activities in Scotland’s state schools have been abolished, backed by around £13 million in funding and delivered in agreement with COSLA.

This means that pupils are no longer required to pay additional charges to take part in music tuition or key arts-based curriculum activities within state schools.

This continues the SNP’s wider efforts to reduce the cost of the school day and promote fairness and equality of access across the education system. The removal of these charges helps ensure that creative education is based on talent and interest, rather than financial means.

Music and the arts support the development of confidence, communication skills, and wider engagement with learning, and ensuring equal access is part of delivering a fair education system across the country.

For families across Scotland, this change removes a cost barrier that previously limited participation. For pupils, it helps ensure that opportunity within the classroom is open to all.