Music Teacher - Ofsted music subject report: interview with HMI Christopher Stevens

What does Ofsted's new music subject report mean for schools, and what does it have to say about pupils' access to music? Dr Anthony Anderson, research fellow in music education at Birmingham City University, interviews Christopher Stevens, Ofsted subject advisor for music.

If schools had newsstands, the latest Ofsted report for music would have hit the racks at the back end of September. There may not be cries of ‘Extra! Extra!’ emanating from newspaper sellers on street corners about this new Ofsted edition, but music teachers and senior leaders alike may choose to read, and reflect on, what Ofsted says, with their school music provision in mind.

Ofsted, the schools inspectorate in England, has published three subject-specific reports on music, the most recent appearing in 2012 (over 10 years ago). A lot has happened since that time and the new report, Striking the Right Note, covers a great deal of ground. It begins by outlining some of the recent policy contexts in music education, then gives its main findings and recommendations, before presenting a more detailed commentary for primary and secondary schools.