Concerns raised after Kibworth Mead Academy announces removal of GCSE music once again

Staff say the decision was made due to financial pressures and because the subject was only selected by four pupils.

The school made the same decision last year before reversing it. It said the U-turn – which came at a cost of £14,000 – was because, following a low uptake, some pupils later switched their options to music.

However, parent Felicity Jacobs believes the earlier decision was reversed after pressure from parents.

She said the latest decision to scrap the subject has caused ‘distress and confusion’ to pupils like her son who is passionate about music.

She explained: “For students like my son, music isn’t just an option - it’s his passion and a possible future career path. Its removal limits educational opportunities and narrows access to the arts at a time when creative subjects are already under pressure.

“Removing this subject now not only affects engagement in the present but also closes doors to music-related A-levels and further education. Not every student has the means or opportunity to pursue music outside of school through private tuition.”

The school argues the removal of this GCSE option ‘is not ruining a music career’ and has suggested options to parents including the school’s extra-curricular music offering which can provide pupils with ‘the necessary skills to take into further education’.

But parents are continuing to question subject equality, claiming more importance is placed on lessons like history and geography.

Felicity added: “Families are losing faith in a process that seems opaque and inconsistent. We want to ensure that music, like any other subject, is given fair and equal weight in our children’s education.”

The school maintains music remains important to the school, emphasising its role in years 7 to 9 and its place in the options process, with free extra curricular provision also available.

Principal Steve Piggot added: “When we received the student option choices, it was disappointing that we only had four students opt for music at GCSE. The performing arts is something we as a school hold in high regard, evident in the wide array of extra-curricular events we host in addition to the lessons at both KS3 and KS4.

"Due to finances and staffing pressures myself and other senior leaders at Kibworth Mead Academy arrived at the difficulty decision that we could not run a course with four students on it, as it was simply not viable in terms of teacher to student ratios.

“This is a decision we made with a heavy heart, but one that parents and students were made aware could happen throughout the options process and was arrived at purely due to the numbers involved.

“Music is something we value at Kibworth Mead Academy and as explained above is a significant part of our curriculum. This difficult decision, which was not made lightly, and was made entirely due to pupil numbers and financial pressures all schools are under.”