Ofsted

Ofsted questions arts ‘carousel’ at KS3

Watchdog official says teaching music only in part of the year could affect pupils 'aural memory'

Watchdog official says teaching music only in part of the year could affect pupils 'aural memory'

Secondary schools that timetable music lessons in “carousel” with other arts subjects at key stage 3 may face questions from inspectors, a senior Ofsted official has warned.

Mark Phillips, the national lead for music at the inspectorate, said teaching the subject in only part of the school year and alternating it with other subjects could affect pupils’ “aural memory”.

Phillips told a Westminster Education Forum event this week this practice was “immediately…placing the brakes on increasing aural memory and increasing sophistication.

“You’re saying, if music is in a carousel in key stage 3, ‘let’s build your memory for a term and then pause for two terms without any more music, but we expect you to retain that knowledge without any loss when you come back to it in eight months time’.”

The national curriculum for music at key stage 3 states that pupils should be taught to “identify and use the inter-related dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication”.

And the government’s supplementary model music curriculum states that the development of a reliable musical memory is a “valuable skill for performers and composers”.

Phillips said it was “always interesting to ask” schools teaching music and art in carousel at key stage 3 “why the other foundation subjects such as geography, history and languages are not taught in carousel”. He said the issue of choice at key stage 4 “may have something to do with that”.

Ofsted analysis earlier this year found that curriculum music teaching for most pupils in England currently consists of one period of 40 to 60 minutes per week in key stage 3, “although some secondary schools have reduced even this”.

Phillips said if the Covid pandemic had “taught us anything about learning, then surely it’s about the importance of regular, unbroken learning to build memory”.

Latest education roles from

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

FEA

Deputy Director of Apprenticeships

Deputy Director of Apprenticeships

Manchester Metropolitan University

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

League Football Education

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Ofsted

Small schools demand Ofsted clarity over report card impact

Inspectors will conduct three learning walks on the first day of inspections and hold at least five 'reflection meetings'...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Ofsted chief calls for new state school standards ‘enshrined in law’

Sir Martyn Oliver says new legislation would 'stop Ofsted from tinkering' and 'deciding to do something new'

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Ofsted inspections of MATs should be ungraded, says CST

Confederation of School Trusts (CST) gives its feedback on plans for academy trust inspections

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Ofsted

Ofsted claims it’s ‘transparent’ despite refusing to publish reform feedback

'We set out really clearly the negativity that we heard,' says Oliver after watchdog is criticised for lack of...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *