Primary Schools – England

Our team of primary music specialists understand the unique pressures faced by primary schools in teaching this subject. Often primary staff are daunted at the prospect of teaching this subject which they feel they know little about. However, we believe that everyone can teach music with a little help and guidance!

Live INSET Sessions

We understand how difficult it can be to for staff to make it out to external courses, so we therefore offer an INSET service, providing realistically-priced expert music training in your own school for the benefit of all your staff. Choose from one of our package options, or contact us to design your own bespoke training.

NEW and best-selling INSET topics for 2024-25 include:

  • Primary Music National Curriculum Essentials
  • Excellence in Primary Music
  • Planning & Assessing Primary Music
  • Planning Music within the Creative Curriculum
  • Vocal Confidence for Non-Singing Teachers
  • Developing a Whole-School Singing Strategy
  • Learn to Read Music Notation in 1.5 hours!
  • Devising Composing activities for KS1 and KS2
  • Dive Deeper into Music
  • Developing Core Skills in Music
Fees: Full Day: £395. Half Day: £295. Twilight: POA. Travel surcharges apply.

Curriculum Design

We offer a range of curriculum design services carried out by experienced consultants who have worked on many individual school curriculums and national and international resources such as the Kapow Primary Music Curriculum, the pBuzz KS1 Music Curriculum, and the Pearson International Music Curriculum. We can audit your current curriculum and suggest improvements, help devise documentation such as progression of skills and assessment frameworks, or even write your entire curriculum for you from scratch! The process can be as collaborative or as hands-off as you would like, and we can complete the work on site or remotely to suit your requirements.

Fees: from £300 per day.

Online Learning

Through our online learning platform we offer a range of interactive self-study courses for primary music teachers on a variety of topics. These are priced at £9.99-24.99 for 6 months’ access and include a certificate on completion of a final optional assignment. View our online course menu here

We also offer a regular programme of webinars throughout the year covering a myriad of topics relevant to primary music teaching, including lots of content linked to the National Curriculum, Model Music Curriculum, and National Plan for Music Education. View our webinar menu here.

Fees: £9.99-24.99 (Online)

Mentoring

We offer bespoke mentoring services from Open University certified music education mentors.

Adopting the ‘Reflective Model of Mentoring’, mentees are helped to identify their own areas for development during an initial one-to-one session (which may include lesson observation if the mentee requests this). Following the initial session, mentees are then offered follow-up email support to help them address their development aims.

The MES Mentoring approach is bespoke, and therefore differs according to each individual’s requirements. Listed below as a guide are some of the topics and areas that teachers commonly ask for support with, but these are by no means exhaustive.

Mentoring support might include areas such as:

  • Planning for Musical Development
  • Assessment of Musical Progress
  • Resourcing
  • Developing extra-curricular activities
  • Planning performance events
  • Managing Peripatetic Staff
  • Supporting other staff in their own music teaching
  • Creating supportive music networks between schools
  • Identifying suitable CPD course opportunities

Fees: £100 per online session (Zoom, Facetime or Skype)

Demonstration Lessons & Team Teaching

We offer a range of demonstration lessons which give teachers the opportunity to observe an expert music leader working with their class. These sessions are bespoke and based on individual teachers’ needs, but might include opportunities to observe:
  • Teaching of creative activities
  • Development of children’s singing skills
  • Assessment of pupils’ musical skills
  • Demonstration of adaptive teaching strategies
  • Ideas for follow-on music lessons after first access programme
Each session ends with a feedback discussion to allow the teacher to ask questions and have assistance from the workshop leader to develop ideas for how they would replicate or adapt these approaches in their own practice.

Fees: Full Day: £395. Half Day: £295. Travel surcharges apply.

Deep Dive-style Music Reviews

We are not Ofsted Inspectors, nor are we endorsed by Ofsted because they don’t endorse any private provider! However we do have extensive knowledge of how to plan, deliver and assess the primary music curriculum! We can carry out a review of your current approach to music, looking at planning and assessment documentation, and observing teaching, in order to help you prepare for a ‘Deep Dive’ inspection in music.

Fees: £395 per day. Travel surcharges apply.

Artsmark Support

Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England, recognising their commitment to high-quality arts and cultural education.

Music Education Solutions® is proud to be supporting schools and education settings on their Artsmark journey, inspiring children and young people to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.

We offer education settings who are working towards, or currently hold an Artsmark

Award, with the following opportunities:

  • Support with planning for Music & the Creative Curriculum
  • Music CPD & INSET sessions in school and online
  • Music demonstration lessons & team teaching
  • Opportunities to share practice at our three annual national teacher CPD events

Find out more about Artsmark at www.artsmark.org.uk

To find out how Music Education Solutions® can support your Artsmark journey, fill out our enquiry form, and a member of our team will be in touch.