Music Development Plan Summary

Music development plan summary: Bradfields Academy

Bradfields Academy is an SEND provision with a role of 451 students ranging from Reception to Year 14. Bradfields has six different communities: Primary, Birch (KS3), Oak (KS4), Sixth Form (KS5), Maple (KS3-KS5) and Pine (KS3-KS5).

Overview

Part A: Curriculum music

The delivery of the music curriculum varies according to the community. There is one qualified specialist teacher, one peripatetic teacher (one afternoon a week) and classroom teachers that teach music.

Primary students are taught by class teachers and a peripatetic teacher, funded by the Kent Music hub, who comes in one afternoon a week. Planning is based around the iASEND S and E curriculum with given assessment criteria focusing the aims, objectives and planning.  Lessons average 30 minutes a week and are delivered in teachers’ classrooms.

In Pine Community, students have a lesson of music per week. The lesson can be up to an hour long or split over the week and delivered by the class teachers. Planning is based around the iASEND S and E curriculum with given assessment criteria focusing the aims, objectives and planning.

Music in Key Stage 3 (Birch Community) is part of a 5-subject rotation. Students have (up to) 7 double lessons per rotation. Planning is scaffolded through Key Stage 3 (see schemes of work) building students’ understanding and skills as well as potentially preparing those who choose Music as an option in Key Stages 4 and 5. Looking at the broader picture gives students a better understanding of music’s place in history.

Students can take the subject as an option in Key Stage 4 (Oak) and Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form), completing a range of qualifications. Key Stage 4 students work towards achieving a WJEC Creative Pathways Entry Level qualification. Some also work towards achieving a Trinity Rock and Pop qualification. Key Stage 5 students are now working towards a WJEC Level 1 qualification. These students also work towards achieving a higher-grade Trinity Rock and Pop qualification. Some students are working towards achieving Trinity Arts Award Bronze.

Maple students are taught, on rotation, by the music teacher. Each rotation is in two term blocks with students accessing Music for a total of four terms. Students in Key Stage 5 have completed two units of the WJEC Entry Pathways qualification working at Entry Level 2.

Each community has its own set of resources within that are accessible to staff and students. 

Part B: Co-curricular music

Bradfields has a partnership with Rock Steady whose musicians provide live music workshops for students in our Pine, Maple and Primary communities. Music is important in supporting our more complex needs students, transitioning between unstructured and structured time, in addition to a more formal style of teaching and learning.

Pine Community has a choir that practises once a week.

Maple community has put on shows to Parents and Carers.

Students have opportunities to take part in the local community, examples include:

• The Music Man (Kent/Medway) Project is a national Education and Performance charity service for people with learning difficulties.
• Rochester Cathedral Children’s Choir is a vocal ensemble for students aged 7 – 13.
• Medway Music Association provides opportunities such as their Online Music Technology sessions and the Saturday Music Centre.

Students are involved in local Salvation Army bands and choirs.

Part C: Musical experiences

Concerts and shows are put on throughout the year. Students from across communities take part in the Winter Concerts. Arts Award students take part in the Arts Showcase. Other opportunities include afternoon teas and community assemblies. 

For all of these, parents and carers can watch students’ class performances in person and celebrate achievements. These are also shared through platforms such as Seesaw and our other social media outlets.

Pine Community has an assembly once a week and this includes singing as a whole community.

In the future

We are planning to further develop the formalisation of the curriculum for Primary and Pine.

Plans are being put in place for a Christmas Week in which the communities have their own day in the last week of term to put on shows to the other communities and parents, carers and families.

A funding cut, for September 2025, of 15% by the Kent Music Hub, meant a reduction in the support from outside the academy. At this current time the funding details are unavailable for 2026-2027 as the application process has only recently been open.