Music Education Hubs Contextual statement questions:

Please confirm which geographical area/s you propose to cover as MEH lead in 2018–20?

City of Kingston upon Hull

Max 100 words

What will music education look like in your local area by 2020?

You should include your unique context, your vision, your key objectives and local priorities for meeting the core and extension roles during 2018–20. You may outline any changes you envisage or expect to your business model, delivery plans, financial viability, governance or local context.Max 1000 words

Context

  • Hull is compact and highly urbanised, with a population of 259 000, itis the most densely populated local authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Children and young people (aged 0 to 19) make up almost a quarter of the city’s population, with a school population of 39,822.The English Indices of Deprivation (2015) placed Hull 3rd out of 326 local authority areas, according to End Child Poverty, after housing costs, more than a third of children (33.8%) and young people live in income deprived households.
  • The activities of the Hub will be delivered largely through the existing Music Service. The Hull Music Service has 42specialist teachers that meet the schools’ current identified needs and possess the necessary skills to deliver the core and extension roles. WCET is being delivered in over 90% of the primary schools by the Music Service and in the 5 schools not engaging directly, three have reported making their own provision. For the last two years the Hub Board has supported the adoption of five, two year coordinator posts which have developed tub’s role in supporting the delivery of the NPME as well as providing additional capacity to meet the challenge of the Hub’s contribution to the City of Culture 2017 and legacy from 2018 onwards. It is anticipated that similar posts will continue in the future.
  • The Hub, through the Music Service currently teaches 6500 pupils every week which represents 24% of the school population (KS2 – KS4). The number of pupils achieving at NQF2 and 3 are increasing each year and the Music Hub governance board is focussing on quality of continuation and on the achievement of pupils. In addition to this, we are also developing more programmes of activity for pupils in Special schools, PRUs and Youth Centres

Vision

Kingston upon Hull Music Education Hub will raise musical aspirations by ensuring that every child across the city has access and opportunity to participate in active music-making according to their need. (Kingston upon Hull Music Education Business Plan).

Key objectives and local priorities

·Support Hull schools to continue at above the national average in the provision of WCET 1st access;

·Seek to strengthen communication with those schools which do not buy into WCET through the Music Service, encouraging data sharing, so that the Hub has a comprehensive picture of provision at KS2;

·Challenge and support those few schools which are currently not providing continuation, other than further WCET, to do so as a minimum in Y6;

·Develop pupils’ self-confidence and sense of achievement, and maximise the number of children continuing with their learning, by providing regular performance and external assessment opportunities for pupils from KS2 upwards;

·Challenge and support teachers to get an increasing number of instrumental/vocal pupils to NQF levels 2 & 3, by motivating and inspiring pupils to achieve their full potential;

·Provide regular ensemble opportunities for pupils from KS2 upwards to support pupils’ learning, to develop pupils’ social skills and to provide a sense of enjoyment and belonging;

·Develop new ensemble opportunities closer to pupils’ homes and schools, to draw in those currently excluded by location and circumstance;

·Support the growing enthusiasm for singing in Hull schools through resource and repertoire sharing and CPD for staff;

·Increase the number of children regularly singing in a choir, by better targeting of information to children and families;

·Use the Hub website and the established primary music coordinators’ termly meetings to develop a regular and relevant programme of CPD for primary teachers;

·Capitalise on relationships established during the 2017 Year of Culture to develop projects using professional musicians;

·Explore the use of different venues which have developed in the city during 2017 (eg. Hull Minster, the newly-refurbished Middleton Hall);

·Develop the work established with PRUs and Youth Centres, funded by Youth Music (Grant A?), hopefully reaching NEETs also in future projects;

·Increase Music Service staff’s understanding of Arts Award and Arts Mark, and incorporate these more regularly into working practices.

Financial Viability

The Music Service is currently well supported by the LA both by core funding and through in-kind support. National funding cuts mean that core funding will in the future be cut so the Hub Board are currently working and consulting with staff to reduce ancillary and staffing over the next eighteen months. Consultation with staff has already started and some reductions in costs will have been implemented by the beginning of the new academic year. A restructure of the Music Service’s senior leadership team is also being planned and will, with the other savings mean that the Music service can operate independently of the LA whilst continuing to offer the children of our city the current level of provision.

Over the last twelve months Music service staff have been particularly successful in bidding for national funding and delivering projects across the city which meet the requisites of the Hubs expectations and needs of our young people. As their knowledge and skills set increase in this field it is anticipated that this particular style of funding will persist.

What is the proposed governance structure for the MEH? Are there likely to be any changes between now and 2020?

For example are you considering options for future change, moving out of LA or merging with another MEH, what are your succession plans?

Max 400 words

There will be some changes to the structure in 2017/18.The current head of the Music Service/Lead Hub officer will be retiring on 31 August 2018. The Chair of the Hub Governance Board is working with a subcommittee from the full board to produce a strategy for succession. This will include proposing a new structure for the management of the Music Service/Lead organisation which will come into place on 1 September 2018.

There are no plans at the moment to come out of LA control because the LA is still prepared to provide the in-kind support previously mentioned (HR, Finance etc) and also cover the costs of the Albemarle Music Centre.

Over the last three yearsthe majority of schools in the city have converted to be academies and many are now in local multi academy trusts. Relationships between the schools and Music Hub are very positive with the very large majority continuing to intimate that they will be continuing to purchase music provision from the Music Service.

Which strategic and delivery partners will you work with to deliver the vision in and out of school settings? How do you propose to continue and develop your engagement with schools? How do you plan to work with neighbouring hubs, consortia or collaborative hub groups to support your vision? What challenges do you see ahead?

Through funding from Youth Music the Hub is working on a musical inclusion project with youth centres city wide and groups of young people who don’t access music through schools. This is developing partnerships outside the school system and developing staff skills in working with these young people. A key objective of this work is to expand the Hub partners to include more representation from popular musicians and organisations.

We will continue to deliver opportunities with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra through open rehearsals and further linked creative projects in primary schools are already being planned. These will also include CPD for music service staff.

The Hull Music Hub already has a strong and very positive relationship with the Hull Schools as described above. There are three primary head teachers on the Hub governance board plus a secondary head of music who are extremely supportive in ensuring good relationships with all the school encouraging them to engage and offering advice and support to their colleagues.

CPD will continue to be offered to primary schools. Several sessions were delivered last yearincluding sessions on singing (as mentioned above) and on using music technology, also the use of the Hub website as a resource for teachers is being developed for sharing good practice, lesson plans and learning resources.

We will; seek to build-on and further develop the substantial and exciting work undertaken during the 2017 City of Culture of Year. 2017 has given us the opportunity to work with existing partners in new and innovative ways and also to form new partnerships. As a legacy, these partnerships will become embedded into the work of the hub to ensure that the raised profile amongst the wider community is capitalised-on in future years.

We have good links with our neighbouring Hub in the East Riding sharing resources and often pupils cross over the boundary to take part in ensembles and workshops. We have also held joint CPD training sessions and over the years we have shared staff too.

Max 500 words

Total: 2,000 words