--- title: The size of KS4 classes description: When it comes to class sizes for Key Stage 4, our subject is normally one of the smaller ones.  With a national average of 7% of the cohort taking GCSE Music, small classes shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  The recent change to the National Curriculum means that schools don’t have to offer music as […] --- [Skip to content](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html#main-content) [![Teacher and Musician](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/hs-fs/hubfs/81896E98-B64E-4BC2-A2A2-A247BD8FBD34.png?width=100&height=100&name=81896E98-B64E-4BC2-A2A2-A247BD8FBD34.png)](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/) Open main navigation Close main navigation May 10, 2015 10:01:00 AM # The size of KS4 classes [John Kelleher](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/author/john-kelleher) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/05/the-size-of-ks4-classes.html) [![survey - ks4 class sizes - gcse music - teacher and musician](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Survey-2.png) When it comes to class sizes for Key Stage 4, our subject is normally one of the smaller ones.  With a [national average of 7%](http://bit.ly/7pcMUSIC) of the cohort taking GCSE Music, small classes shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  The recent change to the National Curriculum means that schools don’t have to offer music as a KS4 subject, they can get away with offering [any art subject](http://bit.ly/NCmusts) rather than the broader range that I’m sure we’d all prefer. It seems important to me, therefore, that we start to gain an understanding of how this is impacting on the number of pupils taking music in our schools.  The survey below seeks to identify how many pupils took our subject this year and compare this to the number of pupils signed up to start studying music in September. Since the 2011 data referenced above only looked at GCSE, I’ve broken the Year 11 questions down into the various qualifications on offer.  For the incoming Year 10, I’ve avoided breaking this down since I know some schools will allow pupils to move between the courses they offer in the earlier stages of the course. A live version of the results can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WYo5lPiW4V3jSD06XKL4A_qreoKWIQJBnsaG5LCSVoI/edit?usp=sharing) and I’ll post an overview of the data next week. Loading… [Blog](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/tag/blog) ## Related posts [Blog](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/tag/blog) ## [Adult and Musician?](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/04/adult-and-musician.html) [John Kelleher](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/author/john-kelleher) Apr 29, 2015 10:11:00 AM [Read more](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/04/adult-and-musician.html) [Blog](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/tag/blog) ## [Advocacy: two sides, one coin](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/04/advocacy-two-sides-one-coin.html) [John Kelleher](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/author/john-kelleher) Apr 28, 2015 12:33:00 PM Music always seems to be in need of some advocacy. The Henley Review, the National Curriculum... [Read more](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2015/04/advocacy-two-sides-one-coin.html) [Blog](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/tag/blog) ## […and so it begins… The National Curriculum Review](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2011/12/and-so-it-begins-national-curriculum.html) [John Kelleher](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/author/john-kelleher) Dec 20, 2011 12:41:00 PM So, the government has announced that the new National Curriculum won’t be implemented until at... [Read more](https://www.teacherandmusician.com/2011/12/and-so-it-begins-national-curriculum.html) facebook-f icon linkedin-in icon Twitter icon instagram icon --- Copyright © 2026