Updated 24.06.21
CALL TO ACTION – for Associates who teach peripatetically in Wiltshire Schools
This current academic year, we estimate that 900-1200 fewer school pupils (approx. 25%) have received instrumental / vocal tuition from our Associates than during academic year 19-20.
Bearing in mind the established importance of Music to Wiltshire children’s well-being, that should be of concern to schools as should its impact on the incomes of approx. 90 freelancers / small businesses.
One of the key factors which has affected this was the break in the usual cycle of tutors and music leaders being able to recruit new pupils in terms 5 & 6, often by providing showcases of various sorts in schools.
With advice from our new Expert Group for Progression and other colleagues, we’ve developed a plan and a set of resources which will mitigate against this gap in opportunity arising again
We encourage all Associates to start talking to their peers and schools NOW about potential showcasing of musical opportunities for pupils during terms 5 & 6 with a view to seeing more pupils taking up tuition for academic year 21-22.
This can be possible whether schools are fully open or not and we strongly advise you to be sensitive to the huge challenges faced by all schools and staff at the moment. Where possible we will highlight and share schools’ plans and responses so others can benefit from solutions they’ve found.
We also encourage Associates and schools to:
- Consider providing reduced price or even free taster sessions to those pupils interested as a potential bridge between the showcasing / inspiration and actually starting lessons (face to face or virtual).
- Consider the potential for some online sessions / tuition between June and September if it is likely to sustain interest and lead to longer term engagement.
- Secondary Schools and Associates may also wish to consider running introductory First Access programmes across part of the next academic year
We hope to support new pupils who may wish to start as soon as term 6 this academic year but will need to know their school, instrument (and for those in eligible ‘categories’, any tuition subsidy requirements) by 12 noon on Friday 21 May at the very latest. We cannot, at this stage, 100% guarantee that we will be able to deliver a suitable instrument to the school / pupil at start of term 6.
What we have done
We have now published a range of video making resources / advice to support all Associates these include tutorial videos, templates and guidance. We’re asking Associates to register for these here before being able to access them.
The resources include info on how Associates can submit their completed video to us and a checklist relating to safeguarding and permissions so it can be checked by our team before we upload it to our YouTube channel and then link it to your Associate Profile.
A heroic group of Associates have made their own videos as examples to which you may want to refer:
Angela Williams – Ben Jones – John Sandford – A.C.T.S. Theatre Arts School – Roz Osborne – Samantha Evans – Suzanne Wilson – Michele Lomas – BMT School of Music
You can find the link to their Promotional video on the left hand side, beneath the photo, location and website link (if they have one)…
We clarified ways for schools to request tuition subsidies for term 6 new starters in need of financial support and ways for Associates to request instruments for term 6 new starters – the deadlines for both have now passed.
Finally, if you want to check on which other Associates have been or are working in the same schools as you, you can use our checker here Please note this system uses data combined from Academic Year 19-20 and subsidy requests from academic year 20-21 so may not be entirely up to date.
We have also refreshed resources in our #Don’t Drop Music campaign toolkit
