(2) what research has been undertaken since 2004 to monitor the participation of young people in (a) music and (b) learning outside the classroom in the natural environment;
(3) how much his Department has spent on implementation of (a) the music and (b) the learning outside the classroom manifesto in each year since 2004; and what forecast expenditure is for such activity for (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10;
(4) how many children have had access to learning outside the classroom in the natural environment in each of the last five years;
(5) how many staff in his Department work on the implementation of (a) the music and (b) the learning outside the classroom manifesto.
The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom will be established by March 2009. The Department does not routinely collect information on pupils' access to and participation in learning outside the classroom in the natural environment. In 2006 the Department commissioned “Education Outside the Classroom: An Assessment of Activity and Practice in Schools and Local Authorities”, which can be found at
www.dcsf.gov.uk/research
The Department does not routinely collect information on young people's participation in music. In 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2007 the Department commissioned surveys of local authority music services, which collected data on the prevalence of music tuition. Survey reports are available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/research.
The Department has 1.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff working on learning outside the classroom policy and support for the Manifesto partnership's delivery of their agreed Action Plan. There are l.5 FTE staff working on music policy and the delivery of music education. The extent to which that resource is spent on the Music Manifesto is not readily quantifiable. Through the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom partnership, we are encouraging schools, local authorities and visit providers, to sign up to the vision that “every young person (0-19) should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances”. More than 1,000 have already done so. The Department is supporting the Manifesto partnership to realise this vision through funding of just under £4.5 million between 2006-07 and 2008-09. Funding is not yet allocated for 2009-10.
The Music Manifesto is a campaign to which over 2,000 signatories from every part of the music sector have signed up with joint aims to improve music education. The Department has funded the campaign since 2003. Since the Music Manifesto's second report "Making Every Child's Music Matter" in 2006, Government funding has been targeted on programmes arising out of the main recommendations of that report. Other Music Manifesto signatories are also making their responses to some of the report's recommendations, and their response is being led by the independent Music Manifesto Partnership and Advocacy Group. An announcement of £332 million government funding for music education over the next three years was made last November and further details set out in the announcement of 20 June.