FOI/202600518026 · FOI · not held
Instrumental music provision: FOI release
Information requested
1. What outcome measurement or return-on-investment evaluation the Scottish Government holds for each of:
(a) the annual instrumental music tuition funding (most recently £12 million);
(b) Additional Support Needs provision.
2. Any evaluation held that compares the measured outcomes of frontline education spending against discretionary grant spending paid to intermediary organisations.
3. Any assessment held of the educational impact of digital self-directed learning platforms (for example Sumdog, Scratch, Minecraft Education) in primary schools.
Response
To respond to your request, I have laid out the individual questions below and inserted the relevant response to that question
Question 1. What outcome measurement or return-on-investment evaluation the Scottish Government holds for each of:
1a. The annual instrumental music tuition funding (most recently £12 million)
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The reason why we do not hold this information is because the Scottish Government does not hold recorded information on the specific topic of “outcome measurement or return-on-investment evaluation” for the annual instrumental music tuition funding.
However, the Scottish Government does liaise closely with the Local Government Improvement Service in relation to their annual survey of Instrumental Music provision, which is the key means by which the government and local authority partners monitor the implementation of the policy. The survey is carried out on an annual basis by the Improvement Service on behalf of Heads of Instrumental Tuition Scotland (HITS). The aim of the survey is to highlight the current state of instrumental music services (IMS) in Scotland and to identify and share best practice.The survey covers all aspects of these services, including fees and charges, participation numbers, equality of access, instrument uptake, instructor and tutor numbers, service delivery costs, and extra-curricular additional activities.The most recent instrumental music survey published February 2026 demonstrated that the number of pupils accessing free instrumental music tuition was the highest on record since the survey began in 2022.
1b. Additional Support Needs Provision
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reason we do not have this information is because the Scottish Government does not hold information relating to specific outcome measurement or return-oninvestment evaluations of Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision. While we routinely monitor outcomes for pupils with ASN, we do not carry out analysis that specifically evaluate the impact of ASN provision on those outcomes or assess its return on investment.
However, information on outcomes for pupils with ASN is publicly available through the National Improvement Framework (NIF) Interactive Evidence Report. This includes Outcome 6, which enables comparisons between pupils with and without ASN. The report also provides breakdowns by other characteristics, such as disability status.
Question 2. Any evaluation held that compares the measured outcomes of frontline education spending against discretionary grant spending paid to intermediary organisations
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The reason we do not hold this information is because the Scottish Government does not hold any information on any evaluation held that compares the measured outcomes of frontline education spending against discretionary grant spending paid to intermediary organisations.
Question 3. Any assessment held of the educational impact of digital self-directed learning platforms (for example Sumdog, Scratch, Minecraft Education) in primary schools.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reason we do not have this information is because the Scottish Government does not hold any information on assessments held of the educational impact of digital self-directed learning platforms in primary schools. Education Scotland is the national body for supporting quality and improvement of learning and teaching in Scottish education. Therefore, you may wish to contact Education Scotland to ask if they have any relevant information on the use and impact of the platforms in primary schools. Contact details for Education Scotland are available at the following hyperlink:
https://education.gov.scot/contact-us/
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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