Sheffield Music Hub – INCLUSION STRATEGY
Sheffield Music Service, as the lead organisation for Sheffield Music Hub is ambitious to instigate real and lasting change to become more inclusive, diverse and representative within our governance structure, workforce and the work we do with, and for, children and young people in Sheffield.
Our Inclusion Team
Heather Burge – Hub Inclusion Lead – CLA project co-ordinator and Trauma Informed Practitioner – contact Heather for all queries about Free Looked After Children provision and general inclusion queries.
Rachel Greene – Furthering Talent Connect (Bursaries) – contact Rachel if you have queries around bursaries and opportunities around the city for fully or partially subsidised music provision.
Travis Finch – Commercial Music – contact Travis if you work in the Music Industry or Commercial Music (including Urban Music) or you would like to know more about pathways into industry.
Ian Naylor and Gillian Hume – Music Hub Leadership team – Available to discuss any areas of inclusion
Inclusion is change.
It’s about increasing learning, participation and meaningful progression for all children and young people.
It is mission for Sheffield Music Hub and inclusion happens as soon as the process of increasing participation is started.
Being an inclusive organisation will make us stronger. It will improve the outcomes of our children and young people. It will enable us to reach children and young people from all backgrounds.
What is the purpose of the strategy?
The strategy builds on our ambition to develop an inclusive educational culture where all children and young people are valued and recognised for their unique qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives.
The strategy is based on seeking positive answers to three key questions:
- How do we enable all children and young people in Sheffield to receive a high quality music education that is tailored to their needs, interests and abilities and supports meaningful progress?
- Do the hub’s values embrace inclusion and does its practice promote it?
- How well can the hub partnership, individually and collectively, recognise and overcome barriers to learning – how can we learn from the leaders in the sector, sharing good practice and adapting as we learn?
We commit to using our ongoing Needs Analysis and Data Strategy to influence our choices, planning and development.
As we develop our strategy we aim to ensure we explore and understand the barriers to access to our organisation across all protected characteristics. We understand that language has power and will work to ensure that every step we take moves us closer to this ambition.
Our Priorities - as outlined in SMH Local Plan for Music Education:
DATA AND NEEDS ANALYSIS - We must continue to strive to understand ALL the challenges faced by learners who face the most barriers to musical engagement and progression
YOUTH VOICE AND MUSICAL DIVERSITY - We must move forward side by side with the young people were are here to serve, through meaningful consultation and engagement (Youth Voice & Musical Diversity).
WORKFORCE - We must develop with purpose to ensure our workforce is fully representative of the city we serve and knowledgeable about how to work best in the rich cultural tapestry in which we work. We should learn from areas of expertise, develop stronger community links, explore how we can support the wider network in the future.
TRAUMA INFORMED APPROACH – As we continue to work with a broader range of children and young people our workforce, systems and processes must respond to the lived experiences of all of the children and young people in our care. By adapting a Trauma informed approach we will build a reflective community that is able to respond to the diverse needs of children and young people
Our full inclusion strategy is available here
And our Local Plan for Music Education is here
