BEST VALUE REVIEW - SERVICE SPECIFICATION

Service Review Title: Hampshire Music Service (HMS)

Review Team Leader: Richard Howlett Date: 4 May 2001

Departmental Lead Officer for Best Value: Nigel Hill

1 Aims of the Service and Statutory basis

We aim to provide leadership to the educational community of Hampshire. We will all make sure that we help to create the conditions in which self-managing schools can flourish and achieve the highest possible standards for all their pupils. The vision is to create an environment in which everyone involved in education in Hampshire is working together to promote and sustain good teaching and learning.

The mission of the Music Service is to encourage participation, enjoyment and achievement in music by providing the highest-quality learning opportunities.

The aims of the Service are:

· to develop to the full all pupils' musical potential, and to enhance the impact of music on their lives

· to support all schools, their teachers and others in extending the range of music provision, improving the quality of teaching and learning, and implementing the National Curriculum

· to encourage life-long learning, fulfilment, and social awareness.

Statutory basis

Following the Education Reform Act 1988, subsequent acts and the Curriculum 2000 review, music is a statutory subject for all pupils in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. This requirement comprises:

· controlling sounds through singing and playing - performing skills

· creating and developing music - composing skills

· responding and reviewing - appraising skills

· listening, and applying knowledge and understanding.

Across the National Curriculum, music contributes to:

· promoting pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

· promoting key-skills provision.

There is no statutory basis for the specific provision of a music service by a Local Education Authority (LEA). However, Music Services' Guidance will be available on the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) web-site during the course of this review.

HMS is a business unit providing support to schools. It is the responsibility of the governing body of each school, and not HMS, to ensure that pupils experience the statutory National Curriculum for music.

2 Objectives of the Service

Pupils: to develop to the full all pupils' musical potential, and to enhance the impact of music on their lives by:

· improving rates of progress and standards achieved in music-making

· increasing active participation and enjoyment in instrumental and vocal activities.

Schools: to support all schools, their teachers and others in extending the range of music provision, improving the quality of teaching and learning, and implementing the National Curriculum by:

· providing effective professional development and advice

· promoting strategies, which raise the level of pupils' engagement and achievement in music.

Community: to encourage life-long learning, fulfilment, and social awareness by:

· increasing out-of-school learning opportunities in music

· promoting rewarding musical experiences in the community.

HMS staff: to encourage the continuing personal development of staff and to enable them to fulfil, more effectively, the aims of the Service by:

· providing effective professional development.

3 Links to corporate aims

Through instrumental and vocal teaching, performance opportunities in music ensembles, and at special events, young players and singers, and their audiences, are encouraged to engage in musical experiences. These activities and other areas of HMS work, make a significant contribution to the County Council's Corporate Strategy and, in particular:

Corporate Aim 1: Developing the quality of life in Hampshire:

· provide high-quality, life-long learning for the whole community.

Corporate Aim 4: Partnership for strong communities in Hampshire:

· encourage participation in local issues and activities

· develop opportunities for young people.

Corporate Aim 5: Providing high-quality services to the public through
well-trained, managed and motivated staff, and through third parties where the County Council acts as an enabler.

4 Other links

The Music Service is committed to working with a wide range of partners and other organisations. The key stakeholders and the main areas of involvement are shown below.

Governors and headteachers:

· management partnership service review group

· Service Level Agreement (SLA) for instrumental and vocal teaching, class teaching and curriculum inspection and advice.

Teachers in schools:

· professional development and advice

· curriculum-development opportunities and initiatives.

Pupils and parents:

· music-making opportunities in schools

· music-award provision

· music-ensemble provision

· ensemble Parents' and Friends' organisations.

HMS staff:

· Council of Reference

· professional development.

General public:

· music in the community

· business sponsors.

Voluntary and charitable organisations:

· music events and performances

· fund-raising.

Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service (HIAS):

· music inspection and advice to support school improvement

· Health and Safety guidance in music.

Professional bodies and groups:

· Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

· Federation of Music Services

· membership and/or links with many national music and other arts organisations.

5 Service policies

The funding for instrumental tuition is delegated to schools. Governing bodies will determine the school's policy for delivering instrumental and vocal tuition to pupils.

The policy for music ensembles and awards was agreed by the Education Committee in January 1997 and endorsed by the Education Committee at its meeting in March 1999. This is funded through the provision of a core budget.

Hampshire Primary Music Curriculum Project (PMCP) funding is a centrally-held budget following consultation with all primary schools in Autumn 1998, under Fair Funding requirements.

The policy and budget for the use of Standards Fund grants to protect and to expand music service provision in Hampshire, was agreed by the Education Committee in March 1999.

6 Summary of existing service and delivery methods

HMS is the County Council's single point of reference for the leadership, guidance and provision of music education for its pupils and schools.

Services to schools

Through a SLA, the following services are provided to schools:

· instrumental and vocal teaching

· class music teaching

· music workshops and performances

· direction of orchestras, bands and choirs

· music inspection and advice.

HMS teachers visit schools on a regular, timetabled basis to provide these teaching services for groups of pupils.

Music ensembles

The Service manages and leads Hampshire's provision of 69 music ensembles for pupils. No charge is made for membership of these groups. Membership is unrestricted, except where demand for places necessitates a process of audition. This is normal practice for membership of the 11 county ensembles.

Music awards

The Service manages the Hampshire music award scheme. The awards offer individual, specialist instrumental and vocal teaching to pupils living in Hampshire, who are judged, after audition, to have exceptional musical ability. There is no charge to parents for this tuition.

Music curriculum

Curriculum leadership and guidance is provided to schools through:

· inspection and advice services, courses, conferences, focus groups and resources

· music festivals, workshops and projects

· class music teaching in primary schools.

All primary schools have full access to the PMCP, which provides courses, conferences, area focus groups and documentation for teachers.

All secondary schools have access to a range of courses, conferences and some area focus groups.

All special schools are able to subscribe to the PMCP, and have access to a range of opportunities for their staff and pupils.

Inspection and advice is provided in response to specific requests from individual schools, through the SLA arrangements.

Standards Fund grants to LEA music services

In April 1999, the Government introduced Standards Fund grants to music services. The purpose of the grants is to protect and to expand LEA music service provision, and to improve the quality of taught music and equality of access. The initial three-year period, to March 2002, has since been extended to March 2004.

Hampshire's bids, in 1999 and 2000, for grants to sustain and to expand the musical opportunities in the county, were successful. From 2001, allocation of the grant is through a formula-basis. The funding enables HMS to improve and to extend its existing provision, and to broaden the range of opportunities for pupils and for teachers.

7 Costs of the Service (2000/2001 budget and fte staff numbers)

Budgets for the Service:	2000/01 Out-turn	2001/02 Cash Limited Budget
	£	£
INCOME
Service Level Agreement charges - HCC LEA schools	2,023,500	2,157,300
Service Level Agreement charges - Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council schools, 6th-form colleges	151,300	172,600
Miscellaneous - services to HIAS, PCC, SCC and workshops	86,100	85,800
Grant funded - Standards Fund (including LEA contribution)	1,085,000	1,112,100
Centrally funded	476,000	501,700
TOTAL INCOME	3,821,900	4,029,500
EXPENDITURE
Salaries	2,812,500	3,101,900
Other employee-related costs	46,100	39,300
Transport, car allowances	98,900	102,900
Supplies and services	737,200	771,300
Central overheads	121,100	103,100
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	3,815,800	4,027,500
OPERATING SURPLUS	6,100	2,000
Staffing: The Service employs 105 fte. staff The total number of staff is 268. Of these, 36 are full-time teachers, 6 are administrators and 8 are managers.

8 Recent consultation

Through a management partnership agreement between the County Council and school governors, a music service review team meets regularly to consider the current work and future plans for the Service. This team comprises headteacher representatives from primary, secondary, and special schools, and HMS managers.

All HMS staff are consulted on major plans and developments. Feedback on
staff-development provision, courses and conferences is gathered for all events.

An elected group of HMS teacher representatives - the Council of Reference - meets regularly with managers to discuss staff/service staff issues.

The work of the Service is evaluated, regularly, through:

· observation reports and other feedback on teaching

· discussions with headteachers and music managers

· an annual service review questionnaire to all schools

· schools' annual provision requests and timetable analysis

· evaluation by delegates at courses and conferences

· feedback from parents and pupils

· auditors' comments and reports

· pupil-performance data

· annual-performance reviews of staff.

9 Performance data

The HMS Strategic Plan, 2000-2004, includes performance data and targets for improvement. The key data relates to:

· quality of teaching provision

· pupil achievement and progress in HMS-taught lessons

· levels of school and pupil take-up of HMS opportunities

· school music profile and achievements

· provision and take-up of music-ensemble opportunities.

The Service collects and monitors an extensive range of data including:

· an annual service review questionnaire to all schools, reporting schools' levels of satisfaction and feedback

· feedback on all HMS courses, conferences and projects

· annual observation and review of all teachers, reporting quality of teaching and learning

· annual performance review for all staff

· staff register information on all pupils taught

· timetable analysis including balance and distribution of teaching

· staff sickness levels

· levels of SLA take-up, by school phase.

Data is used to monitor trends in uptake, provision and quality whenever possible.

In order to provide additional comparative data, HMS has been represented at the southwest regional benchmarking group for music services. This group has met over a period of time and has considered the range of information currently available. It has proved very difficult to identify areas of benchmarking as the basis for music service provision, as the nature, funding, organisation and range of provision of services varies very widely between LEAs. The DfEE is currently preparing guidelines for music services. It is expected that this guidance will provide a useful basis for the identification of additional key performance data.

10 Competition and other providers

HMS faces competition for all its SLA teaching, inspection and advisory work, festivals and projects in schools. This competition is from many private music teachers and music consultants, and from other established providers of music services. Schools are able to select and to purchase services from any of these providers.

Membership of music ensembles is entirely optional for pupils. A wide range of other music ensemble opportunities is available to young musicians throughout the community of Hampshire. Music-ensemble opportunities are also provided in adjacent local authorities.

Application for a music award is at the discretion of pupils, their teachers and parents. Other providers of music awards are charitable trusts and bursaries, specialist music schools, and conservatoires of music.

Competition for the provision of music curriculum resources and documentation is provided through commercially published materials.

11 Current challenges facing the Service

The major development issues facing the Service include:

· responding to the OFSTED inspection report on HMS, through the development of an action plan.

· improving the quality of HMS teaching, including planning that fulfils all requirements of the National Curriculum 2000

· the introduction of performance management for all staff

· extending the use of information communication technology and music technology, including the HMS web-site

· on-going training and up-dating on all aspects of Health and Safety, including

Child Protection.

Additional challenges to the Service are:

· uncertainties regarding the long-term future of Standards Fund grants

· difficulties in staff recruitment

· the provision of suitable and sufficient permanent accommodation, following HMS' temporary relocation due to flooding in Winchester.