How to develop an outstanding music provision

Last reviewed on 15 September 2023
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 47006

Understand what the government expects of you as part of its national plan for music education. Know what you should do to create a music development plan, and how to work with your music hub and improve your music curriculum.

Article tools

Contents

  1. Understand your responsibilities
  2. First, create a music development plan
  3. Then, develop a strong music curriculum 
  4. Next, provide opportunities outside the formal curriculum
  5. Work with your local music hub
  6. Create a music policy to share what you're doing with parents and carers
  7. See what other schools have done to improve their music provision
  8. Have a look at the music resources available to you

This article is based on the government’s policy paper, The power of music to change lives: a national plan for music education. This isn't statutory guidance, but it explains what the government wants schools to achieve.

Understand your responsibilities

Once you know what you’re expected to provide, work your way through the rest of this article to help you achieve it.

You should:

  • Work with your local music hub – see how to later in this article
  • Have a music development plan which captures your high-quality curricular, co-curricular, and enrichment offer, and sets out how it will be staffed and funded (the government wanted this in place by the start of the academic year 2023/24 but you can still make one if you haven't yet – read more about this later in the article)
  • Make sure that music education is accessible to all pupils

The government would like every school and multi-academy trust (MATs)

Most popular

Also in 'Structuring the curriculum'