Best Practice in SEN Music During the summer, I began a research project on behalf of Jersey Music Service looking into music provision in Special Schools and Specialist Units within mainstream schools. In the course of my research, I came across Dr Sarah Mawby’s PhD thesis Music in schools for children with Special Educational Needs (Leeds 2018), in which she sets out 7 ‘best practice’ recommendations for music provision in Special Schools. I found these so useful that I knew straight away that I wanted to share these with the readers of Primary Music Magazine.
The first three recommendations are: Adapt provision to suit pupil needs Adapt provision to suit pupil preferences Know the students This means that pupil needs (both musical and non-musical) and preferences will need to be taken into consideration before planning any lessons. This will require detailed discussions with teachers and teaching assistants, as well as consultation with parents / carers, as well as conversations with the pupils themselves where possible. The aim should be to amass enough knowledge about the pupils to design and deliver provision which meets pupils’ needs and preferences, and keep this up-todate through regular reviews and check-ins. I really like the focus on pupil preference here, so that rather than saying ‘they won’t be able to do that’ we think ‘how can we help them do that’, whether that requires adaptive instruments, use of technology, or new teaching and learning methods. For me that is the spirit of true inclusion.
The remaining best practice recommendations are: Offer musical opportunities Make it accessible Make it participatory Have fun
