Music Development Plans

One of the key recommendations of the revised National Plan for Music Education (published June 2022) is that all schools should have a Music Development Plan. While this guidance is not new, DfE have recently reiterated and strengthened the wording and now expects all schools to include a summary of their Music Development Plan on their website by 1st September 2024.

Every school should be able to articulate their plan for delivering high-quality music education and supporting pupils to progress, just as they would in any other curriculum subject. This should be connected to the school’s Improvement Plans and, where relevant, trust Improvement Plans.

A suggested template is now available – the template is not mandatory and schools should feel free to adapt it. Schools should then update the summary before the start of each new academic year.

Devon Music Education Hub has produced a Music Development Plan self-evaluation tool – this goes above and beyond DfE requirements and is intended to support schools with this process. To be eligible to receive Music Education Grant (MEG) funding, schools will need to share their self-evaluation judgment with the Hub, as well as completing a basic data submission. Additional support is available from local Music Development Leads.