A PRIVATE music teacher has raised concerns after he was charged by a primary school to teach on the premises in school time.

Stuart Ellerton, who used to teach at Whinstone Primary School in Ingleby Barwick, says he is worried that music teachers being charged to teach could eventually lead to some private tutors giving up on schools.

But the headteacher at the school Mike Poppitt countered that schools have a duty to make as effective a use of its assets as possible and, in any case, more children were engaged in musical education in his school than before.

Mr Ellerton, who has a music school called The Northern School of Contemporary Music, explained he used to teach drumming to children at Whinstone Primary at £15 per half hour, often with three children paying £5 each, during school time.

However last year he was presented with an £80-a-month bill and, forced to pass on the extra cost to parents, has left the school in protest.

Mr Ellerton said he'd be happy to pay the rent for hiring rooms out of school hours, but it should be free in school time. He says he has been backed by the Musician's Union and he believes charging in school time is against the rules.

He said: "This could set off a very dangerous trend that could be the demise of quality music teaching in schools. If other headmasters copied this idea it could drive out quality musical education."

Mr Poppitt said the decision to charge was taken by the school's governors who have to make the best use of the school's assets and said an alternative drumming teacher is coming into the school.

He said: "In fact we've got more and more children taking drumming now than before, and it is more popular than before."