Our curriculum is centred around a music-based scheme called Charanga which teaches through a range of thematic topics and children have opportunities to make and link learning through our threshold concepts in music which are: performing singing, performing with instruments, improvising and exploring, composing, listening and appraising. We plan activities to build upon our children’s prior learning, whilst giving children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding. Through the use of Chris Quigley’s milestones we plan for progression throughout the school so our children have the opportunities to further develop themselves as musicians as well as provide challenge.

Each Charanga unit of work comprises strands of musical learning which correspond with the National Curriculum for music and the EYFS framework 2021.

Within our whole class teaching, children experience a broad range of musical opportunities with regards to appraising, composing and performing. They explore a wide range of music through our music spine which ensures that children are introduced to a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.

As well as this, a love of music is promoted to include all of these skills from both staff and children.

Opportunities to perform to own class, whole school or within our local environment ensure our children understand the significance and place of music within the wider world and that these excite and inspire children’s thirst for knowledge and participation in the subject and foster a deep sense of well-being. Music offers lifelong opportunities for the development of imagination, sensitivity, inventiveness, risk-taking and enjoyment. Musical activity, alone or with others, contributes to our children’s developing creativity and self-esteem.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Formative assessing of children’s understanding of topic (including vocabulary) using the milestones created by Chris Quigley
• Summative assessment, through the use of assessment activities in Charanga
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning including seesaw
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice)
• Annual reporting to parents of standards across the curriculum