Intent, Implementation, Impact 

Intent

At Haslam Park Primary School, our intention is first and foremost to ensure that all children see themselves as successful musicians and develop a lifelong love of music. Our curriculum is designed to nurture independent, creative, curious, resilient and reflective learners. All pupils — particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND — are entitled to experience the vast array of positive benefits music offers. Music supports the development of confidence, listening skills, social interaction and teamwork. Pupils are entitled to experience high-quality musical opportunities: to listen to and appraise professional performances, to create and perform music collaboratively, to learn to sing with confidence, to play instruments, and to progress further if they wish. Music is a powerful medium for communication across cultures, generations and social backgrounds. Our curriculum aims to develop pupils’ musical skills, conceptual understanding and knowledge through a rich and diverse range of musical experiences. We intend for children to gain a secure understanding of music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing and composing across a wide range of historical periods, styles, traditions and genres. We are committed to fostering curiosity and promoting respect for all musical traditions. Pupils will understand the value and importance of music within the wider community and recognise how music can be expressed and appreciated in different ways. Ultimately, we aim for children to use their musical knowledge, skills and experiences confidently in a variety of contexts both within and beyond school.

Implementation

Haslam Park Primary School adopts a holistic approach to music, where key strands are interwoven to create an engaging and enriched learning experience. The five key areas of music are:

• Performing

• Listening

• Composing

• The History of Music

• The Inter-related Dimensions of Music

Each unit combines these strands and is often linked to cross-curricular themes to capture pupils’ imagination and promote enthusiastic exploration. Throughout their time at school, children are taught to sing fluently and expressively and to play tuned and untuned instruments accurately and with control. Pupils learn to recognise, name and understand the inter-related dimensions of music: pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics. They apply this knowledge in their own improvisations and compositions, developing both technical skill and creativity. The school follows the Kapow Scheme of Work, which uses a spiral curriculum model. Knowledge and skills are revisited and built upon each year, enabling children to tackle increasingly complex tasks while refining previously learned skills. Pupils develop a growing understanding of musical notation, staff notation and the inter-related dimensions of music. Daily review is embedded within lessons to activate prior learning and strengthen long-term retention. This consistent revisiting ensures pupils build, recall and confidently apply a rich bank of relevant musical vocabulary and terminology. Knowledge organisers further support this by reinforcing key facts and subject-specific language. Lessons are active and practical, incorporating movement, performance and cross-curricular links. A range of teaching strategies are used, including independent work, paired and group collaboration, and teacher-led modelling and performance. Where gaps in learning are identified, key knowledge and skills from previous units are revisited to ensure secure understanding and progression.

Adaptations are carefully planned to ensure that all pupils can access and succeed in music lessons. Teachers use scaffolded tasks, visual supports, modelling, flexible grouping, adapted resources and targeted questioning to remove barriers to learning. Additional challenge is provided where appropriate to deepen thinking and extend musical understanding. High expectations are maintained for all learners, ensuring inclusive and ambitious provision. Strong subject knowledge is vital in delivering a robust music curriculum. The Kapow scheme supports staff through detailed planning, teacher guidance and subject knowledge videos, enabling teachers and teaching assistants to deliver high-quality lessons confidently and consistently. Music is timetabled weekly and taught as a discrete subject in line with current government guidance. Regular revisiting of knowledge ensures progression over time. The school actively promotes music by providing opportunities for children to listen to a wide range of music and share their musical experiences with the wider community through performances and school communications. When appropriate, children are encouraged to participate in performances, concerts and productions, fostering confidence, resilience and pride in their achievements.

Impact

The impact of Haslam Park Primary School’s music curriculum is monitored through both formative and summative assessment. Teachers assess learning within each lesson against clearly defined objectives, using questioning, observation, discussion and performance to inform next steps in teaching. At the end of each unit, performance elements provide opportunities for teachers to make summative judgements about pupils’ musical understanding and their ability to apply skills practically. These performances allow pupils to demonstrate their progress in singing, playing, composing and evaluating. In addition, end-of-year Mastermind quizzes are used as a summative assessment tool to evaluate pupils’ retention of key knowledge, concepts and musical vocabulary taught throughout the year. These quizzes support long-term memory recall and provide clear evidence of progression in understanding the inter-related dimensions of music, musical notation, historical context and genre knowledge. They also reinforce the importance of accurate subject-specific terminology and ensure pupils continue to build a secure and cumulative bank of musical knowledge. Following the implementation of our music curriculum, pupils will leave primary school equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to continue their musical journey at secondary level and to appreciate and enjoy music throughout their lives. The expected impact of following the Kapow scheme is that:

• Children will be confident performers, composers and listeners who can express themselves musically in and beyond school.

• Children will demonstrate appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and understand how music is shaped by cultural, social and historical contexts.

• Children will understand how music can be notated to support performing and composing

. • Children will articulate their musical knowledge using appropriate subject-specific vocabulary.

• Children will show enthusiasm for music and be able to identify and discuss their own musical preferences with confidence.