Schools Support Hub

In April we will be launching our exclusive resources for This is Croydon Schools. The pages will bring together all that we have learnt from the London Borough of Culture programme with additional CMA resources to help continue your school journey.

This will include:

  • -This is Croydon primary school resources

    -This is Croydon secondary school resources

    -Music Heritage Trail primary resources

    -Music Heritage Trail secondary resources

    -NXT GEN Croydon education pack for routes into the music and creative industries

    -CMA Primary Scheme of Learning and learning through the arts project guidance 

  • -Percussion warm ups: inclusive activity supporting self-expression – especially valuable for children and young people with SEND.

    -Songs: introducing cultural diversity with teaching tracks – for Early Years and Key Stage 1

    -Pop Band: songs with playable chord progression, harmony parts and percussion groove with melodic riffs and improvised solos – for Key Stages 2 and 3

    -Folk Band: folk tunes with playable chord progression, harmony parts and percussion groove with simplified and ornamented melody parts – for Key Stages 2 and 3

    -Street Band: playable wind instrument riffs and carnival percussion groove with improvised solos – for Key Stages 2 and 3

    -Indian Music: simple or complex melodic improvisation based on a raga with tala percussion cycle – for Key Stage 3

    -Music Production Instrumental Fusion: making beats using DAW combined with melodic improvisation – for Key Stage 3

  • -Early Years and Key Stage 1 Singing in the Classroom, with songs and teaching tracks introducing cultural diversity

    -Primary ECT course and resources which can be delivered by school music leads to their own staff, with optional Digital Badge certification

    1. Children Performing

    2. Drama

    3. Movement to Music

    4. Creative Writing and Rap

    5. Singing and Songwriting

    -SoundStart, Sound Progress courses with Scheme of Work and teaching resources. Music leads attending the course is a condition for schools delivering the programmes using CMA instruments from the DfE instrument fund. Music leads can deliver the course to their own staff. Optional Digital Badge certification

  • -Star Award Guidance

    -Pupil Self-Directed Learning Resources (which can be used by primary class teachers)

    -Percussion: Stars 1 to 3

    -Ukulele: Stars 1 to 3

    -Guitar: Stars 1 to 3

    -Keyboard: Stars 1 to 3

School Music Development Plan

Creating a Music Development Plan

The revised National Plan for Music Education (NPME, 2022), also titled ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives,’ was published jointly by the DfE and the DCMS. It recommends all schools have a Music Development Plan in place to show their ongoing commitment to the development of music in their school. The ministerial introduction outlines the life-shaping and life-changing opportunities that an excellent music education can provide:

“…music is an essential part of a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils. It must not be the preserve of the privileged few. Music should be planned and taught as robustly as any other foundation curriculum subject, as exemplified in the Model Music Curriculum we published last year.”

Schools are the gatekeepers to a well-rounded music education for the vast majority of children and young people, particularly those from a less-privileged background. For students to find their musical voice and flourish, schools need to deliver the following interlinked areas of music education on regular, on-going basis:

  • A robust curriculum offer

  • Instrumental lessons and ensembles

  • Musical events and performance opportunities

As a condition of our DfE Music Hub grant, Croydon Music and Arts is required to ask schools annually for information about their music provision and engagement with the DfE expectations for schools, including the status of their School Music Development Plan. With the support of school colleagues in our Schools Advisory Board, CMA has created this short self-evaluation audit which will auto-populate a draft School Music Development Plan for the school. This will help the school music lead to:

  • Benchmark their school against DfE expectations

  • Understand what excellent music provision looks like

  • Decide on the actions for their school

  • Identify support available from CMA

  • Create a record for passing on to a new music lead

  • Complete the data for the annual DfE survey

  • Provide evidence for an Arts and Culture endorsement, Osted Deep Dive and Artsmark

Completing this self-evaluation audit will auto-populate a draft School Music Development Plan based on this template. The document can be used for school conversations about music and arts provision with final edits made to complete the plan.

Self-Evaluation Audit