Agenda item

This report builds on the report brought to PDS in January 2022. It proposes further changes to the Music Service, ensuring it meets the DfE’s new delivery model for music education, protecting music education in B&NES.

The Director of Education & Safeguarding introduced this report to the Panel and was accompanied by Simon Lock, Music Service and Education Hub Lead. They highlighted the following points to the Panel.

This report builds on the report brought to PDS in January 2022. It proposes further changes to the Music Service, ensuring it meets the DfE’s new delivery model for music education, protecting music education in B&NES.

In July 2022, the DfE released its refreshed vision for the governance and delivery of music education in England. This new vision requires a significantly different delivery model to the present and signals the need for music services to radically transform to be viable in the future.

The DfE’s model for music education is to fund Music Education Hubs to deliver the National Plan for Music Education (NPME). Hubs are informal partnerships of local music and education organisations operating as a network of providers.  Hubs have a Lead Organisation, which receives the DfE grant, and is held to account by Arts Council England (ACE) for the delivery of the NPME. Locally, B&NES, North Somerset and South Glos Council Music Services are all Lead Organisations of the local Hub.

Since 2020, North Somerset and South Glos Music Services have been working in partnership, with a shared management team and increasingly homogenised strategy, development and operations, alongside greater sharing of resources. In March 2021, B&NES Music Service joined this partnership.

The result is that a broader, more universal offer is being achieved because of

the efficiencies and knowledge gained by working together. Through partnership, the services are beginning to realise their potential to deliver a bigger and better offer for all young people from the most vulnerable to those who are gifted and talented.

The bidding process will be different to the past in that:

·  The grant application process will be open and highly competitive. ACE are proactively encouraging and enabling a wide range of education and arts organisations to bid against us.

·  Small LA music services (such as B&NES) are unlikely to be eligible to apply. DfE/ACE are expecting mergers/partnerships, and that organisations will apply for a larger grant representing a wider geographic area.

The future delivery model and therefore fund-holding organisation will also be very different to the present model. DfE/ACE expect to see:

·  The grant being allocated to non-LA strategic organisations, largely volunteer led, whose role is to decide strategy.

·  This strategic body will then commission other organisations to deliver services.

·  DfE/ACE do not wish to see funding being used to support the

employment of a teaching workforce.

Establishment of a new organisation outside the LA, becomes the only route we believe is viable to ensure a future youth music provision in B&NES. This new organisation will have LA representation at Board level and will take forward existing services, deliver an aspirational growth plan and ensure a Service which is influenced by, and dedicated to, B&NES’ needs and aspirations.

The Proposal

·  For B&NES to merge with North Somerset and South Glos Music Services and spin out of the Local Authority into an independent company; a company limited by guarantee, registered as a charity, with a trading arm.

·  The charity will operate as the strategic Hub and will apply for the DfE funding to deliver the new National Plan for Music.

·  The trading arm will offer a teaching service, which can be commissioned by the Hub to take forward delivery of existing services.

·  Teaching staff will TUPE to the new organisation.

Councillor Rob Appleyard commented that he supported the proposed process to enable young people to continue to access a local music service. He identified that there was an error in recommendation 2.1 and that it should actually read ‘Support the proposal that the Music Service form a tri-LA shared service with North Somerset and South Gloucestershire’.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked what would happen if the Hub were not successful in bidding for the DFE money and were there any contingency plans for this.

She added that she believed that there are also no plans to introduce individual musical instrument lessons to children in B&NES free of charge. However, she said the Bristol Music Trust plays a significant role in providing musical instrument lessons to all Bristol children. She asked if there was any value in cooperating with them or learning from their experience.

The Music Service and Education Hub Lead replied that there are three great music services currently and that he believed that they were in a strong position to bid for the funding. He added that they would work together as three equal partners.

He said that he believed that Bristol were happy with their current status and that they do on occasions work in partnership with them.

Kevin Burnett asked if the bid had support from MATs and schools within B&NES and the Council.

The Music Service and Education Hub Lead replied that the bid is supported by and across the three Local Authorities.

The Panel RESOLVED to:

i)  Support the proposal that the Music Service form a tri-LA shared service with North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

ii)  Support the proposal of the shared service being established as an independent organisation outside the 3 Councils, taking forward and expanding a broader, universal youth music education offer on behalf of the 3 Councils.

iii)  Note the positive progress the service has made against DFE KPI’s since working jointly with North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Music Services.