School Music Education Plan

A SCHOOL MUSIC EDUCATION PLAN

for

LUTON

Background

The Ofsted report ‘Music in Schools: What hubs must do’(Nov 2013) included the requirement for all music education hubs to have a ‘school music education plan’ (SMEP) in place by April 2014.

‘Arts Council is clear that a School Music Education Plan is part of the hub’s wider needs analysis and business planning. Arts Council England will require assurance that each hub has an effective plan in place by April 2014 that demonstrates effective engagement with all schools within a hub by 2016, as a condition of funding.’ (ACE guidance 2014)

In line with the Ofsted report ‘The MIX’ has responded by engaging in extensive consultations with the music education community of Luton so as to produce a SMEP firmly based in the local context. This SMEP recognises the autonomy of schools and ‘The MIX’ will work to support, advise and guide in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect. To this end the plan was developed by the Luton Music Education Working Group led by Mel Coyle – Head of Music at Luton VIth Form College.

Therefore:-

The school music engagement plan for Luton will be directly related to the Luton context and will have three key priority elements:

  1. Planning and Communication:
  2. employing strategies to help and support schools to engage with ‘The MIX’ and the National Plan for Music Education;
  3. offering regular supportive conversations to schools about the quality of music education for all pupils in that school;
  4. allocating a suitable proportion of staff capacity to work with school leaders strategically;
  5. Networks and Expertise
  6. promote themselves with schools as confident, expert leaders of music education in their areas, not simply as providers of services;
  7. facilitate school-to-school support as required;
  8. publicise their work effectively to schools and explain how it can contribute to and support school improvement;
  9. robustly evaluate the impact of ‘The MIX’ work on pupils’ music education.
  10. Curriculum and CPD
  11. offer support to schools in evaluating and improving the music education they provide
  12. offer expert training and consultancy to schools, which supports school leaders and staff in understanding what musical learning, and good progress by pupils in music, are like;
  13. ensure that their own staff and partners are well trained and ready to do this work;
  14. promote high-quality curriculum progression in schools and ensure that hubs’ work in schools is integral to this.

The School Music Education Plan for Luton will demonstrate:

  1. How ‘The MIX’ will use its range of core and extension activity to develop meaningful engagement and connections with all schools and by when;
  2. How ‘The MIX’ will work to engage with all its schools to gather robust intelligence on the quality of music education in each of the schools and by when;
  3. How ‘The MIX’ will use data in order to support schools through eg:
  4. Continuous professional development for all schools;
  5. School peer to peer support for some/all schools;
  6. More extensive conversations with some schools that want more support.

Current position

  1. ‘The MIX’ currently engages with 95% of its primary schools, delivering WCET and WCIT and offering access to Charanga Musical School and Gigajam;
  2. ‘The MIX’ currently engages with 81% of its secondary schools providing instrumental and vocal tuition and advice and support as requested. From September 2014 two High Schools will be delivering Yamaha Class Band;
  3. ‘The MIX’ has a strong relationship with Luton VIth Form College;
  4. The Principal is a member of ‘The MIX’ Board;
  5. The Head of Music is a member of ‘The MIX’ Executive;
  6. Heads of Music in Luton High Schools meet regularly and these meetings are attended by the Head of Luton Music Service and the Manager for Provision in Schools.

Initial development discussions have identified local priorities laid out in the table below.

Identified Priorities
To develop a data-led means of assessing the quality of music in Luton schools / A
To develop a town wide transition framework for music at KS2-KS3 / B
To develop a town wide assessment framework for music at KS2 & KS3 / C
To support the implementation of the new music national curriculum at KS2 & KS3 / D
To develop a robust method of assessing the impact of the SMEP / E
To develop CDP music provision for primary and secondary schools and LMS staff / F
To develop a music curriculum that can be delivered via instrumental teaching that builds on the first access programme in primary schools / G
To develop a wider ownership and responsibility of the SMEP in taking key initiatives forward. / H


*Related KPI will link directly to The MIX activity plan which will map this work against KPIs as appropriate.

KEY THEMES / PRIORITY / HOW / TIMESCALE / RESOURCES/DEPENDENCIES / RISK LEVEL/REVIEW / REVIEW NOTES
PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION / To develop a data-led means of assessing the quality of music in Luton schools /
  • Review of accessible data, e.g. Ofsted reports, GCSE results
  • Design online questionnaire for completion by Primary/Secondary Heads and Primary Music Co-ordinators/Secondary Heads of Music. Focus on identifying criteria by which to measure success within the music curriculum and CPD priorities
  • Using the data collected, design a framework for assessing the quality of curriculum music that schools couldapply.
/ Completed and analysed by November 2014 / Creation of online questionnaires
% completion of questionnaires and the quality and detail of responses
MIX Executive to undertake analysis
HLMS & MuSL to lead / AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
GREEN
To use data collected to identify an accurate picture of achievement and progression within music in schools (identifying areas of best practice as well as priorities for further support and challenging conversations). /
  • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of questionnaire responses.
  • Key priorities identified: e.g. list of initial schools to work with, CPD and other support requests
  • Review of, and further consultation process as part of the remit of the hub Music Education Working Group and Annual Music Education conference in July
/ Completed by December2014 / Data analysis
Creation of MuSL role
School portfolios and visit records
Creation of a central database / AMBER
GREEN
AMBER
AMBER
To develop a robust method of assessing the impact of the SMEP / Design and implementation of a self-assessment framework. To include:
  • Review of school ‘contact’ in 2014-2015, through self-evaluation ‘style’ questionnaires.
  • Evaluation of Hub/School partnerships e.g. First Access programme
  • Evaluation of CPD initiatives
  • Pupil snapshots (7, 11, 14) to establish baseline for assessing wider impact in 2015-2016 and beyond
/ Ongoing. Review July 2015 (Year 1 review) / MuSL
HLMS
MPS
MEWG
MIX Executive
Data collection and quality of data / AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
EXPERTISE AND NETWORKS / To develop a town wide music assessment framework at KS2 and KS3 /
  • Establish KS2 & KS3 partnership working groups with appropriate geographical areas within the town
  • To lead the development of a common KS2-KS3 music transition project
  • To work with primary and secondary senior leaders and music staff to consider the development of a town-wide assessment strategy at KS2 &KS3
/ April 2015
July 2015 / MuSL
MIX Exec
HLMS
MPS
MWEG
MuSL / AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
To develop a wider ownership and responsibility of the SMEP in taking key initiatives forward. /
  • Establish Hub Music Education Working group
  • Hub Music Education Conference 9th July 2014: to provide CPD for new NC implantation and to review/work on SMEP
  • Building on existing networks e.g. Secondary Music Network
  • Through the consultative data collection process (outlined above)
/ May 2014
July 2014
Ongoing – review July 2015 / HLMS
MuSL
MPS/HLMS/MuSL
Conference organisation including keynote speakers
Associated administration costs borne by LMS on behalf of ‘The MIX’ / GREEN
AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
CURRICULUM AND CPD / To support the implementation of the new music national curriculum at KS2 & KS3 /
  • July 9th Hub Music Education Conference conference
  • Designing CPD for LMS staff to complement First Access programme at KS2.
  • Develop the sharing of good practice through music network groups
  • Seek opportunities to work with partner hubs
/ July 2014December 2014
Ongoing – review July 2015 / MWEG
MPS
MuSL
Mix Executive / AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
AMBER
To develop CDP music provision for primary and secondary schools and LMS staff /
  • Identify priorities for CPD through questionnaire data, working group meetings, July conference, primary/secondary network group meetings
  • Working with LMS and School staff to design/organise CPD as identified.
/ Ongoing but first review end of July 2014
Feb 2015 / HLMS
MuSL
MPS
Cost implications if this involves outside parties rather than being led by MPS/SLME?
3 separate strands of CPD may be necessary – Primary, Secondary and LMS staff. / AMBER
AMBER
To develop a curriculum that can be delivered via instrumental teaching that builds on the first access programme in primary schools /
  • Specific training for Luton Music Service Staff
  • SOW revision/rewriting
  • Continue to develop key collaborative primary partnerships
/ Ongoing during 14/15 Academic year. / MPS
MuSL / AMBER
AMBER
GREEN

Key personnel:

HLMS: Head of Luton Music Service

MPS: Manager of Provision inSchools

MuSL: Music in Schools Lead

MWEG: Music Education Working Group

Bibliography

ACE SMEP letter

\ACE SMEP guidance