Music Development Plan Summary:

Overview

Detail

Information

Academic year that this summary covers

2024-2025

Date this summary was published

October 2024

Date this summary will be reviewed

October 2025

Name of the school music lead

Robyn Webster

Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different)

Robyn Webster

Name of local music hub

Musica Kirklees

Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place)

N/A

 

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.

Part A: Curriculum music

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.

Castle Hill school is an academy based in Newsome, Huddersfield, for learners with highly Complex Needs including those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and those with Multi-Sensory Impairments from the age of 3 to 19.

The fundamental principle behind the entire Curriculum design at Castle Hill school is personalisation. Every aspect of each pupil’s learning needs is reviewed, bringing in the experience and expertise of a wide range of staff, professionals, and parents/carers to identify priority areas for the pupil’s personalised curriculum.

The Castle Hill school Music Curriculum derives from an amalgamation of sources from the Music National Curriculum, Pre-key Stage Standards, EYFS Development Matters and Birth to Five Matters, QCA, Quest and the Sounds of Intent Framework. The Music Curriculum is ever changing and reviewed annually to meet the developing needs of cohorts of pupils within school. The Music Curriculum Overview available upon request highlights our Intent, Implementation, and Impact. The Castle Hill school Music Policy provides further information on Music Curriculum design.

Vision and Objectives

The Music Curriculum aims to drive engagement, motivate movement and communication (both receptive and expressive), provide a structure for language development and phonological awareness, support cross-curricular learning, as well as be joyful and social. Music supports the Total Communication Approach applied throughout school to enable all our pupils to become effective communicators. Music also provides an integral part of culture for pupils, connecting them to their family and wider community.

Music is delivered both as a stand-alone subject for identified pupils for whom subject-specific learning is appropriate. For all pupils, music is embedded throughout the day through a cross-curricular approach, developing their communication, understanding of routine through musical cues, providing opportunities for self-expression and supporting emotional regulation, through a range of instruments, music technologies, individual and group sessions, delivered by a wide range of professionals.

Curriculum Intent Statement – Music

The Music Curriculum aims to provide enriching and stimulating environments incorporating rhythm and rhyme, which encourage pupils to experience and participate in their learning. The Music Curriculum supports pupils’ phonological awareness, where all our students benefit from experiencing and exploring phase one Phonics. The Music Curriculum enhances pupils’ abilities to anticipate their daily routine through school-wide familiar, consistent experiential music cues and sung cues. Through the implementation of the Music Curriculum, we aim to empower pupils to develop their confidence, communication, anticipation, and exploration skills.

Embedding Music Throughout the Curriculum

Music is interwoven into the daily routine of learning experiences. It serves multiple purposes:

Understanding of Routine: Experiential musical cues and sung cues signal transitions between activities, helping students understand when to move from one activity or learning environment to another. For some pupils, the words in the song hold meaning and for others it is the melody that is the signifying factor. Musical cues resonate throughout school, from Early Years to Sixth Form, to ensure continuity in our approach.

Self-Expression and Self-Regulation: Pupils are encouraged to express emotions through music, whether it is through song, vocalisation, body movement, or playing an instrument, by doing so, pupils are supported to develop their creativity, body awareness and regulation.

Innovate and Bespoke Resources and Environments

Music is delivered through a highly personalised approach. Multiple bespoke resources, including music technology have been sourced to overcome physical and sensory barriers that pupils may have, in order to enable all pupils to access the Music Curriculum, some examples of which are outlined below.

  • Klipit-Korg: This accessible keyboard allows pupils with physical impairments to experiment with sound, supporting both musical exploration and fine motor skills.
  • Resonance Board: The resonance board translates sound into vibrations, providing a tactile music experience, ideal for hearing-impaired pupils.
  • Sound Beam: This sensor-based device allows pupils to create music through movement of their own body, enabling them to create music with as much independence as possible.
  • Sound Mattress: This piece of technology connects to an Alexa device to allow pupils to experience vibrations through their body to any song, particularly beneficial for hearing-impaired pupils.
  • Wheelchair-Accessible Playground: This area incorporates a musical tunnel with opportunities to experience and make sounds outdoors.

Music throughout the Week – A Cross-curricular Approach

Music is explicit throughout all class timetables at Castle Hill school. Cross-curricular links to Music can be seen throughout the day in many different subject areas, which is displayed in the example timetable below.

Example Timetable


(Click to enlarge)

Supporting Transitions and Actions

Music plays a crucial role in supporting pupils’ understanding of transitions. By using specific tunes or rhythms to signal changes, we help pupils anticipate what is happening next, reducing anxiety, and increasing engagement. Bespoke songs may be used for specific pupils, related to their unique Engagement Profile. Additionally, musical activities that require movement support motor skills and promote a sense of rhythm and coordination.

Castle Hill school is a member of the Music Mark, Leaders in High quality Music Education. We also collaborate with Music Kirklees, which provides opportunities to engage in partnerships with other music education organisations.

Assessment and Accreditation

  • AQA Units: We incorporate AQA units to recognise students’ achievements in music, tailoring assessments to individual capabilities.
  • ASDAN Units: Students can also engage in ASDAN projects that focus on musical skills, these projects are over a more extended period of time, that celebrate a large body of learning.

Conclusion

Our Music Curriculum is designed to be inclusive and responsive to the needs of all pupils. Music can be heard throughout the whole school, throughout the day, providing valuable opportunities for communication and the familiarity that our pupils need so that they can understand what is happening now and next. Through innovative resources and enriched music partnerships, each pupil has the opportunity to explore and enjoy music.

Part B: Co-curricular music

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.

Music resonates throughout the Castle Hill school daily routine, through experiential music cues and sung cues to support pupils’ understanding of transitions and actions. For all, music is embedded throughout the day through a cross-curricular approach, providing opportunities for communication, supporting pupils’ phonological awareness, understanding of routine, self-expression, and emotional regulation.

  • Mrs Sunderland Festival: Students participate in this annual event, celebrating their musical talents and building confidence, as they create music with peers from across a number of local schools.

In addition, staff have the opportunity to explore and develop their own musical skills and wellbeing, through a weekly Ukulele Group held after school and we have organised a number of staff singing and music sessions before and after school, in partnership with Jessie’s Fund.

Part C: Musical experiences

This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise, such as singing in assembly, concerts and shows, and trips to professional concerts.

At Castle Hill school, students have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of musical experiences.

Castle Hill school Sign and Sing is hosted every Tuesday afternoon for Primary and Early Years students and every Friday afternoon for the whole school, which is an opportunity for students to engage in familiar songs with associated Makaton signs modelled by staff and Makaton Tutors. This is a weekly opportunity for pupils to engage in a whole-school music event, often with thematic elements, supporting SMSC understanding.

Whole school assembles, such as, Harvest and Ramadan, which are also open to our families and where appropriate, some of our community partnerships, such as, Greenacres Care Home, provide the opportunity for all to participate in performances related to festival celebration, again, developing pupils’ SMSC understanding.

Each year, Castle Hill School host Castle Fest in the summer term. Castle Fest consists of an array of multi-arts performances over a two-day period for all students to experience and enjoy, including many partnerships, such as, with Shabang! Inclusive Learning, and Honley High School.

Each year, the Shelley Over 60’s Ukulele band host a performance at Castle Hill school with the opportunity for classes to participate in this musically enriching event.

All musical opportunities are funded by Castle Hill school or our partnerships. Our partnerships have been carefully considered to align with the unique needs of the pupils at Castle Hill school.

In the future

This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.

Moving forwards, Castle Hill school aims to seek further innovative musical resources to meet the ever-changing needs of the cohorts of pupils, as well as ensuring the maintenance and upkeep of current resources. Our dedicated music room will continue to be updated to provide an inspiring space for students to express themselves musically.

The music mastery intent each year changes to ensure excellent coverage of all aspects of musical skills and understanding. Progress is continuously measured through Medium-terms Plans, Progress in Provision documents, Music Progress Headlines, Music Lead Progress Monitoring documents and Music Case Studies, the outcomes of which drive next steps in subject development within the Music Curriculum Action Plan.

As a school, we will continue to provide a rich calendar of live performances for pupils to participate in from a range of inclusive providers and partnerships. We aim to capitalise on new partnerships, through the Together Learning Trust, by establishing a number of new links, such as, Honley High school choir and band.

We will use the Parallel Rhythms project, to develop the Music Curriculum further, by providing a platform for teachers to further develop creativity within their own practice and teaching, along with the ability to ignite and inspire pupils.

Castle Hill school has provided advice to the local Music Hub, Musica Kirklees on means of increasing the inclusivity of the current events offer. Castle Hill school continues to reach out to form further music-related partnerships, providing students with increased opportunities to engage in music enriching experiences.  

Further information (optional)

The Department for Education has published Music education: information for parents and young people - GOV.UK, a guide for parents and young people on how they can get involved in music in and out of school, and where they can go to for support beyond the school.