Music
Music at Highfields Academy & Nursery
At Highfields Academy & Nursery, music is an essential and valued part of our curriculum. We are committed to providing every child with a rich, inclusive and ambitious musical education that nurtures creativity, confidence and a lifelong enjoyment of music.
Our Music Curriculum
All pupils from EYFS to Year 6 receive a minimum of one hour of dedicated music teaching each week. Lessons are taught discretely to ensure depth, progression and a high-quality musical experience for every learner.
Our curriculum is shaped by the Model Music Curriculum and is delivered using the Charanga and Sing Up programmes. These provide a broad and diverse range of musical styles, cultures and teaching approaches, supporting children to:
- Sing and play instruments
- Improvise and compose
- Listen critically and appraise music
- Develop musical understanding through a structured, spiral curriculum
Learning is organised around three core elements: Sing and Play, Listen, and Compose, with knowledge and skills building progressively year on year.
Specialist Opportunities
In Year 6, pupils take part in a specialist World Drumming programme delivered by the Love Music Trust. Each term focuses on a new drumming tradition—such as Djembe, Taiko or Salsa—combining practical skill development with cultural and historical understanding. Every term concludes with a performance for the school community.
Inclusive and Ambitious for All
Our curriculum is designed to be ambitious for every child, including those with SEND. Teachers make purposeful adaptations—such as reducing cognitive load, pre-teaching vocabulary or offering additional visual support—without diluting musical ambition.
For pupils with more complex needs, we draw on the Charanga Anyone Can Play scheme to ensure accessible but progressive musical pathways. Each year group has a clear overview of SEND adaptations to ensure music learning remains inclusive and responsive.