April 2015: Music education hubs update
Advisory Group update
Since the last issue in February, the MEH Advisory Group has met to discuss how we might be able to assess the impact of School Music Education Plans, Local Authority support for hubs and the impact of cuts for children and young people and hub data analysis. We also touched on the relaunch of Artsmark the Arts Council’s flagship award for arts and cultural engagement in schools and other settings.
At a time when cultural education is featuring in many political discussions ahead of the General Election, the advisory group proposed that the Arts Council use evidence and case studies that demonstrate the impacts of funding cuts or in-kind support, to use in wider discussions and advocacy work. At our next Advisory Group meeting, we will discuss hubs key messages that we would like to communicate.
Arts Council Artsmark relaunch
Following changes to the educational landscape and as evidence of the impact of high quality cultural education grows, the Arts Council is working with school leaders and specialist art teachers to update and refresh its Artsmark programme.
We will be grateful if you could start flagging the award with the schools that you regularly interact with.
From September 2015, Artsmark will encourage and support schools to celebrate the strengths in their arts and culture provision, and to celebrate the impact of their arts and culture activities on their community.
The new award is designed by schools, for schools and will support deeper connections with schools’ own strategies, align with school curriculum and planning cycles.
Through the new Artsmark, all participating schools will develop a Statement of Commitment to arts and culture that connects to the broader curriculum and help provide evidence for Ofsted. More information about the award will follow as the launch date approaches.
Hub data report
The Key Data on Music Education Hubs 2014 report, written by NFER, has now been published on our website. You candownload the full report. We are delighted to see increases in the numbers of young people and schools engaged with hubs, although there is still more we can all do to reach a more diverse range of children.
We are now working with the Department for Education and some hub leaders to finalise this year’s data return. Changes will be kept to a minimum and we will get it to you as soon as possible.
Relationship framework section
We have recently refreshed the relationship framework, which can be foundhere.
What a good hub looks like
Many thanks to everyone that attended or was involved in making our What a good hub looks like events a success over the past couple of months. The events have proven extremely useful in bringing hub lead organisations together to discuss important issues and learn from one another.
Discussions ranged from re-thinking governance, how to make time for strategic leadership through to ensuring quality and frontline delivery. Please feel free to contact your Relationship Manager if you would like to give any further feedback on the sessions. We’ll be working with hub leaders on our Quality group to look at future events.
Peer development pilots
We have now completed two pilot projects as part of the Peer Development Programme. The pilots took place in Hertfordshire and Leicestershire and feedback from the hub leaders that were involved has been extremely positive, showing it to be a rewarding and constructive experience. The task now falls to the Quality Group to evaluate how the programme or elements of it, will be of value to hubs more widely, ensuring it is both affordable and suited to match hub leaders’ capacity.
Music Educations Hubs and Creative Employment Programme case studies
Two music education hubs have joined forces with Creative & Cultural Skills and the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural as part of the Creative Employment Programme. The music education hub in Telford and Wrekin Council applied to the programme tocreate four apprenticeshipswithin the local authority and its arts venues. Whilst Rotherham music education hub worked with the programme, local employers and Rotherham Children Festival to support the employment often apprentices and twelve interns.