|
Detail |
Information |
|
Academic year that this summary covers |
2024/5 |
|
Date this summary was published |
March 2025 |
|
Date this summary will be reviewed |
March 2026 |
|
Name of the school music lead |
Jane Draper |
|
Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different) |
Colin Buchanan |
|
Name of local music hub |
Oxfordshire County Music Service |
|
Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place) |
NA |
This is a summary of how our school delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years. This information is to help pupils and parents or carers understand what our school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.
This is about what we teach in lesson time, how much time is spent teaching music and any music qualifications or awards that pupils can achieve.
At Key Stage 3 we offer a broad wide ranging curriculum focusing on practical performance, composition and listening skills. All students have opportunities to learn to sing and play instruments during lesson time, through whole-class and ensemble teaching in all year groups.
Our curriculum is informed by the model music curriculum.
At Key Stage 4 we offer Edexcel GCSE music and have a high number of students opting from across the full range of ability, prior attainment and social background.
At Key Stage 5 we offer Edexcel A level Music
At all key stages those students taking extra curricular instrumental lessons are offered the opportunity to take graded music exams. To support students where families are in receipt of PPG, students are able to receive free music lessons. This is about 10 percent of students learning instruments.
Facilities
We have a very well equipped department including:
Two large classrooms, one equipped with 6 workstations each comprising a Roland drum kit, keyboard and microphone connected to Roland HS-5 Session Mixers.
Seven practice rooms equipped with pianos. keyboards electric drum kits and amps A suite of 24 PCs and 2 macs.
Full class sets of each of the following:
We use the following software:
This is about opportunities for pupils to sing and play music, outside of lesson time, including choirs, ensembles and bands, and how pupils can make progress in music beyond the core curriculum.
The music department is a thriving vibrant community where music making of all genres is actively nurtured and encouraged across all age, ability and social groups.
Music Instrumental Tuition
Students can participate in one-to-one and/or small group private tuition outside of their class time. Peripatetic teachers of piano, guitar, drums, woodwinds, strings, brass and voice give weekly lessons during the school day.
Presently over 120 students receive lessons from 12 different specialist teachers.
Lesson fees vary and are set by the instructors. Financial and practical assistance is available to support pupil premium students.
Extra Curricular Groups and Ensembles
We offer a wide range of musical groups throughout the school week at lunchtimes and after school. These groups are well attended. We encourage students of all abilities and backgrounds to get involved and enjoy making music together.
The following groups run regularly:
In addition further groups are formed throughout the year in response to demand from students, for example djembe drumming groups or ukulele bands. We actively encourage performance of all genres in the school and our students are very keen to get involved.
We make instruments available for students to practice on in the department if they don’t have access to instruments at home.
We run a daily composition drop in for exam students to progress their composition where they can receive support from a teacher.
We run 2 large scale concerts a year: one at Christmas and one in the Summer term featuring all our ensembles and a wide variety of soloists.
In March every year we run a highly popular Battle of the Bands featuring some 20 bands from all year groups.
Every two years we produce a large-scale musical in partnership with the Drama department. This year we performed Beauty and the Beast.
In March there is an A level recital for those doing A level music to perform for family and friends.
There are lunchtime concerts in the library which give a platform to soloists of all standards.
We also regularly perform at a local care home for those with severe dementia.
Last year we joined in workshops with the Oxford Bach Choir and took part in a concert with them at St John the Evangelist Church Oxford.
We also liaise closely with the Oxfordshire County Music hub and have a significant number of students in county ensembles such as Oxford County Youth orchestras, ensembles and bands.
Due to the exceptional range and number of musical experiences on offer to students across the school, whether in music lessons or beyond, our plan is to continue to support and offer this in a sustainable way moving forward.
We are bucking national trends for the decline of music uptake at GCSE and are looking at how we support an increasingly broad range of students to participate and enjoy musical success at this level.
In the future we would like to expand our offer of trips to concerts and especially to the opera.
We will continue to build instrumental tuition and especially encourage those learning orchestral instruments
We will continue to develop the MASsive orchestra which offers opportunities for orchestral musicians of all standards.
