Agenda item

Sheffield Music Hub and Arts Education

18.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Chris Peace, and formally seconded by Councillor Mike Drabble, that this Council:-

(a)       wishes to congratulate the Sheffield Music Hub on the recent Wider Music Network Conference it hosted at the Sheffield Town Hall, attended by music educators from across the city and beyond;

(b)       continues to recognise the importance of, and support the work that Sheffield Music Hub does in, providing a rich and varied music education by: -

(i)         ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, at no cost to them, in a classroom setting;

(ii)        ensuring that those who want to, can progress regardless of means or background;

(iii)       ensuring that every school is a singing school, with deep, high quality and meaningful singing happening every day;

(iv)       ensuring that there are high quality ensembles in and out of school; and

(v)        working in partnership with schools and other agencies to ensure that music remains a vital part of every child’s school life; and

(c)        welcomes the recent Labour Party pledge to introduce an arts pupil premium for every primary school pupil in England in line with the existing PE pupil premium set up in 2013, as well as introduce a cross-department cabinet committee on the arts and creative industries tasked with increasing participation.

18.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Steve Ayris, and formally seconded by Councillor Roger Davison, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (c), “and welcomes the Labour Party’s acknowledgement of the success of the Pupil Premium, a Liberal Democrat flagship policy introduced in the Government by local MP, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg, which has been shown in analysis by the Department for Education to close the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils, with those secondary schools using the Pupil Premium to best effect halving the gap in three years, and the best primary schools almost entirely removing it in two years, and contrasts this with the comments of the then Shadow Education Secretary, the Rt. Hon. John Denham, in 2010, who described the programme as “a con”, and resolves to write to Nick Clegg MP thanking him for introducing the pupil premium.”

18.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

18.4

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried as follows:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       wishes to congratulate the Sheffield Music Hub on the recent Wider Music Network Conference it hosted at the Sheffield Town Hall, attended by music educators from across the city and beyond;

(b)       continues to recognise the importance of, and support the work that Sheffield Music Hub does in, providing a rich and varied music education by: -

(i)         ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, at no cost to them, in a classroom setting;

(ii)        ensuring that those who want to, can progress regardless of means or background;

(iii)       ensuring that every school is a singing school, with deep, high quality and meaningful singing happening every day;

(iv)       ensuring that there are high quality ensembles in and out of school; and

(v)        working in partnership with schools and other agencies to ensure that music remains a vital part of every child’s school life; and

(c)        welcomes the recent Labour Party pledge to introduce an arts pupil premium for every primary school pupil in England in line with the existing PE pupil premium set up in 2013, as well as introduce a cross-department cabinet committee on the arts and creative industries tasked with increasing participation.