December 2025

Mega Music Education Conference – 27th January 2026

Mega Conference

Its not too late to register for the GSW Mega Conference! 

To book your place contact sscotford@smscio.co.uk

Don’t Miss Our Exciting Breakout Workshop Programme!

Choose from an extensive range of practical sessions designed to inspire and support your teaching, including:

• Charanga and Music First – explore leading digital platforms
• Music Assessment in Schools – effective strategies for measuring progress
• Inclusive Music-Making – ensuring every child can participate
• Extra-Curricular Music Ideas – fresh approaches to enrichment activities
• Composition and Improvisation – developing creativity in the classroom
• Music in the Early Years – building strong foundations
• Notation – making reading music accessible
• …and many more!

Inspiring Keynote Speakers

We’re delighted to welcome James Sills and Rachel Shapley as our keynote speakers. Discover more about their work and expertise by scanning the QR code on the conference poster.

External Funding opportunities

Funding to Aid the Career Progression of School Music Teachers (UK)

The Universal Music UK Sound Foundation (UMUKSF) has launched a new funding round to enable teachers across the UK and Ireland to apply for grants of up to £1,000 towards the cost of a one-off music course or training.

The UMUKSF Teacher Awards will provide the funding towards a recognised course, training or a qualification to aid the career progression of school music teachers delivering the national curriculum.

To date, the Foundation has awarded grants to over 7,000 schools, individual students and teachers to improve their access to music.

Teachers interested in applying for support, should email umuksoundfoundation@umusic.com with a brief explanation of the course/training they would like to undertake and details of their current job. Those eligible to apply will be sent an application form.

The application deadline is 1pm on 27 February 2026.

Useful Links:

Application Hints and Tips (AI Generated)

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https://www.umuksoundfoundation.com/umuksf-teacher-awards/

TWINKL COMMUNITY COLLECTION SCHEME – the educational technology Twinkl is giving teachers the chance to win up to £20,000 towards an educational project they are involved in – whether that’s a new music room, a field trip, or new classroom materials. An additional £20,000 of funding will be awarded to smaller projects spread across the UK. Teachers across the United Kingdom who have a great idea that could transform learning in their setting are invited to pitch their classroom project or equipment request to Twinkl. Teachers can apply until Wednesday 31st December 2025. The direct route to today’s website item is via this LINK.

November 2025

We have now launched our Grand D – for schools.  To find out more see HERE

Welcome back and we trust you are all well-rested and ready for the new academic year!

Find out when and how to join your designated Cluster meetings HERE

Some updates:

1. Tuition subsidies – If you think you have applied, but not had confirmation from us about receiving funding, you may need to go back into the portal and check that you have submitted for approval – this seems to have become a common fault.
2. First Access Subsidies – all submitted requests have been actioned with the vast majority having been approved.  If you haven’t received confirmation from us, please contact pclark@smscio.co.uk

Instrument Hire – Whole class sets

Costs to schools

The cost of a set of instrument for the whole of the academic year is: £231.00 for a set of approximately 30 instruments (all of the same instrumental family – if you wish to change the set of instruments (say brass to strings  part way through the  year, or only need the instrument for part of the year,then you need to purchase as follows):

Full Year (same set) £231.00

4-terms of the year (6-term year) £200.00

2 terms of the year (6-term year) £100.00

The reason for this pricing structure is based on instruments being administered and delivered/collected at various points of the year.

Schools’ Singing Festivals

‘We are thrilled to invite Wiltshire schools to participate in the renowned Voice Festivals 2025/26, proudly presented by Swindon Music Service in collaboration with Swindon and Wiltshire Schools.

A 30-Year Tradition of Musical Excellence

For three decades, our Swindon Voice Festivals have provided children across the region with an unforgettable performance experience. Each year, approximately 1,000 young voices take the stage across four performances per festival, creating memories that last a lifetime!  And we are now opening this up to Wiltshire schools.’ For more information, contact Lynn at lhawkins@smscio.co.uk

We have now arranged the following Schools Voice festivals:

Wiltshire Music Centre – Bradford on Avon – Wiltshire schools: 10th November 2025

Salisbury City Hall – Salisbury – Wiltshire schools: 17th Novembers 2025

Wyvern Theatre – Swindon – Swindon and Wiltshire schools: 20th & 26th November 2025

Key Dates

Key dates for applications can be viewed HERE

School Grants for First Access now open

The Portal is now closed for applications as outlined in our Key dates document.

Approval and Payment

1. After you submit your request for subsidy, our team will review and either approve your request or send it back for more information.
2. Lynn Hawkins will send mass emails to schools inviting you to invoice for the approved amount in two payments for First Access: one in November and the other in May.
3. Once your school or trust submits an invoice, we’ll verify it against the approved amount
4. Payment will then be processed to your school

Questions?

If you need any clarification, please email Lynn Hawkins at: lhawkins@smscio.co.uk

Instrumental & Vocal Bursaries HERE

The Portal will close on 22nd September 2025

See more about the changes

Important information about busaries:

You can apply for grants on our online Portal HERE

• Lessons attracting Bursaries are:
  • 15-minute individual lessons
  • 20-minute individual lesson (NEW FOR A/Y 2025-26)
  • 20-minute shared lessons
  • 30-minute shared lessons

Associate tutors will demand their own fees, but the hub’s recommended range is from £30.40 to £41.50 per hour.

Bursary amount on all categories above is: £5.60 per lesson.  For paired lessons, the lesson attracts the Bursary and not each individual pupil.

Associates can still state in the Portal their chosen cost for tuition ranging from £30.40 – £41.50 p/h.  However, no matter what they charge the Bursary amount is fixed at £5.60 per lesson. 

Important information about Financial Bursaries:

• Financial Bursaries are available when one of our associates is providing the tuition and they are being paid the equivalent of £30.40 – £41.50 p/h, . This is not to include a school’s admin fee, if there is one.
• Regardless of the hourly rate the Associate tutor charges,  the Bursary is capped at £5.60p per lesson.
• Financial Bursary requests need to come from schools, using the on-line Portal
• Financial Bursaries cannot be made retrospectively.
• Sessions are not to be compressed or doubled up.  We expect lessons to be spread out across the academic year (e.g. 1 session per week)
• We do not currently require proof of a pupils SEND – no EHCP is required.  Schools will however need to click a box on the portal to say the pupil has an EHCP if they are continuing tuition beyond last year.
• A pupil can only be supported to learn with ONE associate Tutor per academic year.

We have a limited budget for tuition bursaries – we encourage schools to apply early to avoid disappointment.

The deadline for requesting tuition financial bursaries for AY 2025-26 is Friday November 7th 2025

For those Pupils already receiving Instrumental Bursaries under the category SEND, the school should contact pclark@smscio.co.uk to discuss this so the pupil can look to continue with their instrumental lessons.

For schools wishing to claim for pupils who continue from previous years support, requests received after 22nd September cannot be guaranteed

Tuition Bursary Payment Process

(uploaded 23rd April 2025)

We would like to remind you about the process for receiving your First Access Subsidy payment.

Application Process for Tuition Bursary Payments

Apply for your Bursaries through our website: https://wmc-subsidy-portal.glide.page/  The website also outlines the eligibility criteria for subsidies – If you do not have a log-in as a requester, please email pclark@smscio.co.uk

Approval and Payment

Approval:

1. Once you have entered your request onto the Portal, we will be able to review it and take the following action:
   1. Approve the request
   2. Send it back to you for amendment, with an explanation
   3. Deny the request.  This is usually for the following reasons ( but the list is not exhaustive)
      • The request is unreasonable and doesn’t appear to be for the correct provision
      • You school has already had adequate funding to support the program(s)
      • All the year’s funding allocation has run-out

Payments:

1. Lynn Hawkins will send mass emails to schools inviting you to invoice for the approved amount in three payments for Tuition Subsidy in October, January and March.
2. Once your school or trust submits an invoice, we’ll verify it against the approved amount
3. Payment will then be processed to your school

Questions?

If you need any clarification, please email Lynn Hawkins at: lhawkins@smscio.co.uk

If you need to apply for a log-in as a Requester for your school, follow these steps:

Email: pclark@smscio.co.uk

• Your name
• Your school email Address

We will then register you so you can access the portal.

Letters of Assurance

See here the advice we offer to schools about letters of assurance and what schools need to do when working with Associates HERE

Our Lead schools will be offering some seminars

See more HERE