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Music teaching in England isn’t consistent in quality or given enough time, Ofsted finds

This week Ofsted published a subject report on the teaching of music in England’s primary and secondary schools.
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The report found that primary school pupils had more opportunities to learn music, but too many schools still don’t give music enough time. There was a particular inconsistency in the time allocated to music across Key Stage 3, and secondary schools are not building on the passion for singing developed in primary schools.

Many teachers also reported a lack of confidence in teaching music, particularly in primary schools.

Out of the schools visited, those with stronger musical curriculums focused on teaching pupils musical skills rather than simply ‘doing’ music. Senior leaders were largely in favour of emphasising the importance of extracurricular music alongside the curriculum, which has been harder to re-establish following the pandemic.

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