At St. Polycarp's, our music education focuses on teaching the technical, constructive, and expressive elements through a varied and well-sequenced curriculum. We set high expectations for music proficiency, creating an environment where students can embrace their musical talents and cultivate a genuine love for music both in and out of the classroom. Recognising the social learning opportunities music presents, we value each student's contribution and aim to instil enthusiasm and enjoyment for music in all its forms. Through musical experiences, we provide students with skills and attitudes that support broader curriculum learning and develop essential life skills like listening, concentration, creativity, self-confidence, and sensitivity towards others.  

Musical skills and knowledge are taught sequentially using an active ‘hands on’ learning approach which promotes performance as a primary discipline whilst integrating composition and listening also.  

Our approach is adapted and taught with our children in mind to make learning music inclusive and enjoyable.  Children build up their musical understanding, knowledge and skills through listening, improvising, composing, practising and performing both individually and collaboratively.  Many opportunities are given for children to share their work both in class and to the wider school, to celebrate achievement and instil a sense of pride in themselves and their work.   

 KS1: 

In KS1 we use the ‘Jolly Music’ curriculum to practically introduce our young musicians to pulse, rhythm and pitch through singing, movement, and musical games.  This is combined with a more topic-based cross-curricular approach later in the year (using ‘Charanga’ as a resource) where children are encouraged to build on their prior learning and combine voices with tuned and untuned instruments to create, select and combine sounds. 

 KS2: 

As students progress into KS2, we encourage a more critical engagement with music through a specially designed curriculum, enabling them to compose, discerningly listen, and perform with confidence. Our KS2 children are fortunate to receive WCIT (whole class instrumental tuition) on the recorder (in years 3 and 4) and ukulele (in years 5 and 6).  These ‘gateway’ instruments are used to introduce the reading of staff notation and the technical aspects of woodwind and string playing.  Many choose to continue with playing these instruments for enjoyment during lessons (where schemes of learning in the Winter and Summer terms lend themselves to it) and extra-curricular clubs, some may progress on to having lessons with one of our many visiting instrumental teachers. 

In music at St. Polycarp's, children are both challenged and supported to ensure that all can access music and become well-rounded musicians. Learning is consciously challenging to stretch musical ability whilst accommodating for various learning styles and levels. This learning may include open ended tasks,  special tailor-made instrumental parts and a variety of playing techniques, opportunities for solos, small group (which allow for more support) and class performances and peer teaching and demonstrations.  Teachers provide constructive feedback, individualized guidance, and collaborative opportunities, creating a space where each child's unique musical journey is nurtured. 

 Our SEND pupils are encouraged to achieve full musical potential through this support (in addition to adapted instruments where appropriate) and our gifted and experienced musicians are also stretched. 

Singing is highly valued at St Polycarp’s, where we join together weekly to sing as a Key Stage and then also, as a whole school during Collective Worship.  Singing is a huge focus of our worship, with all children singing during masses and liturgies both at School and in St Joan of Arc’s Church.  Singing is promoted during lessons as the most accessible and universal way to make music.  Good technique and a range of repertoire (both sacred and secular) is taught by our specialist teacher and our year 3 choir is led by one of the Diocesan Choral Directors, Fraser Ellson, who visits weekly to take choir lessons based on the National Schools Singing Programme.   

As a singing school, we engage wherever possible in performance, especially for outreach, singing at local and school events (such as Christmas and Summer fayres) and also in local care homes for example. 

All students in KS2 are invited to join ‘Poly’s Polyphonics’, our school choir, which rehearses weekly during lunch and numbers currently between 40 – 50 students.  ‘Poly’s Polyphonics’ regularly perform out of school at events such as the Farnham Christmas Lights Switch On and also, for collaborative concerts with other schools.  

We also have a revolving extra-curricular club, so that all can access extra-curricular music no matter their interests, at some point during the year: 

Spring Term - ‘Conduction Club’  

A composition club based on collaborative improvisation and performance directed by the students themselves. 

Winter Term - ‘Rock Experience’  

'Rock Experience' provides the opportunity for students to play and sing popular songs (rock, pop and musical theatre) as a whole band with a choir.   

Summer Term – ‘Ukulele Choir’ 

Integrating singing of simple, fun songs accompanying ourselves on the ukulele. 

Alongside our curriculum provision for music, children are also able to participate in additional 1:1 or small group music teaching by being offered the opportunity to learn a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Our peripatetic music teaching is organised by Surrey Arts and Farnham Rock and Pop Foundation. 

To see which instruments are currently offered at St Polycarp’s and to enrol in lessons, please visit:  https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/arts/music/lessons-for-children and Music School | Rock & Pop Foundation | England (rockandpopfoundation.com). 

We want all children to have equal opportunities to access music; Surrey Arts has a remissions scheme which can offer support for pupil premium students, SEND ensembles, discretionary funds, and, for those that need it, there are bursaries that you can apply for:  Awards for Young Musicians, Cheryl King Trust and the Peter Hadley Percussion Award are relevant organisations that may be able to help, please see https://surreymusichub.com/parents/funding/ for more information. 

We have a store of instruments at school which we can loan out for free to those having lessons.  Surrey Arts loan also out instruments (for a nominal charge) and have an instrument assisted purchase scheme which may be worth exploring.  https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/arts/music/lessons-for-children/assisted-instrument-purchases