Music
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
Music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory and challenging. In school, music can bring communities together through the shared endeavour of whole school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process and through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils, performing. The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthened the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school.
Early Years Foundation Stage – Expressive Arts and Design
The educational programme for expressive arts and design, set out in the EYFS Framework, is delivered in our preschool and reception classes in line with the Extend Preschool Curriculum and the Extend Reception Curriculum.
Key Stages 1 and 2 - Music
We follow the national curriculum.
We use the Sing Up Music scheme of work for an active musical approach to lessons, connecting singing and playing, composing and improvising, listening and appraising. Sing Up Music supports the model music curriculum.
Music Curriculum (Sing Up) overview
Music development plan summary
Windwhistle Primary School
Overview
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Detail |
Information |
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Academic year that this summary covers |
2025/2026 |
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Date this summary was published |
September 2025 |
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Date this summary will be reviewed |
July 2026 |
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Name of the school music lead |
Caroline Madeley |
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Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different) |
N/A |
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Name of local music hub |
West of England Music and Arts (WEMA) |
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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.
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Music at Windwhistle is timetabled on a weekly basis in every class. It is taught every term supported by ‘SingUp’. The curriculum is planned using a 2 year programme as we have some mixed aged classes and is a progressive approach to meet the requirements of the EYFS framework, National Curriculum and the approaches of the Model Music Curriculum – singing, listening, composing, performance/instrument performance. Children will cover appropriate musical learning, revision of concepts, repetition and regular practising. Lessons are timetabled for: • 30 minutes weekly in EYFS • 40 minutes weekly in KS1 |
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• 40 minutes weekly in KS2 plus 20 minute singing assembly Staff are encouraged and supported to access the wealth of resources to enhance other aspects of the curriculum and at different times during the day. Our curriculum is organised into the four phases of EYFS, KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2., over a 2-year teaching cycle (Year A and Year B). There a mixture of 6- and 3-week lesson blocks. 6-week units are based around a song and the musical learning flows through the features of the piece of music. These units combine singing, playing, listening and appraising. The 3-week units have a strong focus on composing/improvising or on listening/appraising. Through the teaching the children have the opportunities to use tuned and untuned instruments. The school is affiliated and works with the West of England Music and Arts (WEMA). https://windwhistleprimaryschool.co.uk/Music/ https://wema.org.uk/
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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.
Opportunities for children to participate in musical opportunities are shared via the school’s communication protocols.
We have had successful choir running since September 2024 performing at WEMA events, local care homes, ASDA and taking part in Young Voices at the BP Pulse arena.
Other opportunities for ensembles are currently being explored.
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.
The children have weekly singing assemblies led by the music lead and another class teacher throughout the year. In the lead up to Christmas this is split into key stages to work on songs for productions and concerts.
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We hold an annual KS2 Christmas Service where songs are performed. In KS1 and Early Years a nativity is performed with songs. KS2 children have had the opportunity to perform at Young Voices – an event at the NEC Arena for over 6000 children. In Term 6, our Year 6 pupils rehearse and perform a musical to their parents and carers. In the past this has been Magpie Manor and Alice in Wonderland. A grant is going to be applied for so that a samba band/steel pan band can be set up as an extra curricular ensemble. Musial events are shared through the WEMA communication bulletins which the school review accordingly. The ELAN Summer Music Festival is planned for 2026. Our young people will perform as a choir across the trust schools to an audience of parents/carers and guests at a local venue. This opportunity will enable our young people to: • use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes • listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music • play and perform in ensemble contexts, using their voices with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression • appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians This will be free for our young people and schools to participate; however, we will charge the audience for tickets at a minimal cost. We will draw on the local community, musicians and organisations to support and enable to young people to perform with live music. |
In the future
This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.
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September 2025 –Continue with school choir for children from KS2. |
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September 2025 – July 2026 – Increase the opportunities for children to enjoy live performances. |
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January - March 2026 – apply for a grant to purchase instruments |
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September 2025 – July 2026 – Review the opportunities we provide our children to learn a musical instrument. |
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April – July 2026 – Establish a samba band/steel pan band |
You can also download a copy of this plan below
Music Development Plan 2025_to_2026.pdf
Music lessons
Children are given the opportunity to learn to play the keyboard or guitar on an individual basis in lessons delivered by a peripatetic teacher and paid for by parents.
