“This is a step in the right direction”: Ed Sheeran gives thumbs up to government’s national curriculum changes

Ed Sheeran seems to be a happy chap. The government appears to have addressed several of his criticisms of the national curriculum, specifically the way it was sidelining music education.

Earlier this year, Sheeran wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, calling on the government to commit £250 million to “repair decades of dismantling” music education in UK schools. The letter was co-signed by Elton John, Annie Lennox, Harry Styles and Central Cee, among others.

Starmer appears to have listened. Following a review of the national curriculum, the government has taken up one of Sheeran’s suggestions and are scrapping the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a progress measure for schools introduced in 2010, which assesses schools based on how many pupils take English, maths, sciences, geography, history, and a language, but not, crucially, music.

And the PM has written to Sheeran personally informing him of these changes. “The review places creative subjects firmly at the centre,” he wrote. “We are revitalising arts education, strengthening music and drama, and launching a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education to support teachers and raise standards. Learning music at school made a huge difference to my life. We will make sure every child has access to those experiences — from arts and culture to nature and civic engagement - so that creativity isn’t a privilege, but a right.”

Anyway, the 34-year-old singer responded to this news on Instagram, saying they were “a step in the right direction.”

He wrote: “Without the encouragement I received in school, especially from my music teacher, I wouldn’t be a musician today, and I know so many of my peers feel the same. My music education went beyond learning and playing. It helped me find confidence in myself, and music itself was - and still is - so important for my mental health.”

“There’s a lot more to do to support music education, especially our music teachers, but this is a step in the right direction.”

The Arts Council also chimed in, calling the changes "a great day for the next generation of creative talent in England".

Other changes to the national curriculum include financial literacy being taught in maths classes, more content on climate change and more focus on spotting misinformation, which, let’s face it, is going to be a crucial skill for the young adults of the 2030s and 40s...