Impact Report - Oakfield
Impact Report
Ambitious Music Curriculum
The Jean Freedman Music Foundation has enabled Oakfield Primary School to revise, plan and deliver an ambitious and exciting music curriculum. We have an eight year curriculum (Nursery – Year 6) which is sequential and progressive and enables all of our pupils to gain the knowledge and skills required to succeed in music.
In October 2022, Ofsted carried out a deep dive in Music and confirmed: ‘Leaders have put in place a well-thought-out curriculum. It is carefully ordered and ambitious. Leaders worked with subject experts to map out the key knowledge that pupils learn. The curriculum they have designed provides ambitious end-points for pupils.’
Ofsted also stated: ‘Subject leaders are confident and knowledgeable. They have a clear overview of strengths and next steps for their subjects. They provide training for teaching staff and help them with their planning and resourcing of lessons.’
Instruments
At Oakfield Primary, all pupils learn to play a wide range of instruments and enjoy performing as part of an ensemble.
In Nursery and Reception pupils explore their voice, body percussion and a range of classroom instruments. In the years that follow, pupils learn to play:
Year 1 – Bamboo Tamboo
Year 2 – Ocarina
Year 3 – Recorder
Year 4 – Djembe drum
Years 5 & 6 – Ukulele
Pupils also have the opportunity to take part in a number of after school clubs, which are all offered free of charge. These include: Young voices, Singing, Drumming, Keyboard and Oakfield Band.
Our Year 5 and 6 pupils are given the opportunity to extend their love of music further by taking part in Freddissimo which is instrumental tuition provided by our local secondary school. These pupils are then given the opportunity to rehearse together and perform as the Oakfield Band.
Pupil Voice
“I like singing songs from the nursery rhyme bag,” Year R.
“I love when we get to play the Bamboo Tamboo and when we change the pitch with our voice in singing,” Year 1.
“I like it when we clap rhythms,” Year 2.
“I love playing the recorder. I know notes B, A and G,” Year 3.
“I really enjoy learning about different types of music. I like playing the Djembe drums, learning new rhythms and practising new techniques,” Year 4.
“I enjoy learning different instruments each year. I like how we learn to read music and begin to write music too,” Year 5.
“I like how we get to experience a variety of instruments and play multiple instruments,” Year 6.
Staff Voice
“I now feel confident teaching music and also enjoy teaching it. Seeing the children smile and cheer when I say it’s music time is testament to how much they enjoy music at Oakfield.”
“Due to the way music is planned, children have a good understanding of what music is and they are continuously developing knowledge and musical terminology (pitch, rhythm, beat, etc.) when listening to and playing pieces of music.”
“The coaching and CPD opportunities take into account how nervous non-music specialists can be. The planning is clear and gives me the confidence I need to teach the relevant knowledge and skills.”
Future Development
We intend to continue to revise and develop our music curriculum and the enrichment opportunities that we offer. We would like to work towards putting concerts where each year group is able to perform.
