Our Music Curriculum
At St. Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy, we follow the National Curriculum and we use the music scheme, Charanga, to ensure that children receive a broad and balanced music education. The intention of our music scheme is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers, and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.
Currently, our Music lessons are taught throughout the school by class teachers and our dedicated Music coordinator, Ms. McWalters.
Our children in Lower Key Stage Two, will take part in a whole class instrumental programme. In Year 3 and Year 4, the children will learn to play the recorder as part of their music provision later in the academic year.
Diocese of Leeds Schools Singing Programme
Across the academic year, children receive weekly singing sessions as part of the Diocese of Leeds Schools Singing Programme. These are delivered by an expert Choral Director from the Diocese, Mrs Woodhead, focusing on positive engagement with singing and supporting the Catholic life of the school through sacred music. The sessions offer practical and incremental coverage of areas of the music curriculum – including notation – in a two-year curriculum framework developed by the Diocese, the National Schools Singing Programme and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. At the end of each term, classes perform a musical concert in collaboration with the choral director in which parents are invited.
AUTUMN TERM - Year 3 and 4
SPRING TERM - Year 1 and 2
SUMMER TERM - EYFS, Year 5 and 6
Pupils also have the opportunity to join one of the Diocese’s acclaimed after-school choirs. You can find online resources that support this work on the Schools Singing Programme’s YouTube channel (www.schoolssingingprogramme.org.uk). Our local Diocese choir is Huddersfield Youth Choir – please contact office@dioceseofleedsmusic.org.uk for more information about joining.
Key Stage 2 Choir
This year, Ms. McWalters has begun a choir for Years 3 - 6, which currently takes place on a Tuesday lunchtime at 12.15pm. All our welcome and if your child has an interest but not started yet, they can have a taster. Choir will be singing during school Celebration of the Word assemblies and also Carols by Candlelight and the school's Carol Service. Dates TBC. We are also hoping choir will be singing in the local community.
Further Information
Private Instrumental Tuition
The Kirklees Music Hub visit St Patrick's throughout the week and children who apply can learn to play an instrument. Lessons can be individual or in small groups and take place in the Music Room (St Cecelia). Throughout the academic year, the instrumental tutors provide taster sessions for classes to encourage participation in learning to play a musical instrument.
During the academic year 2026-2027, we have pupils learning a range of instruments:
Guitar, Piano, Guitar, Singing (vocal tuition)
If you are interested in registering your child to learn to play a musical instrument through these tuition classes, please speak to the school office for further information.