Music subject leader file: inspection-ready evidence for governors
A music subject leader file should let someone outside music understand three things fast: what pupils are meant to learn, what they experience in classrooms, and what you are doing next. If it grows into a folder nobody opens, it stops being useful.
Audit questions governors and inspectors will ask
- What is the planned journey? Show how singing, listening, composing and performing build from Nursery to Year 6, with increasing musical demand.
- How is time protected? State weekly minutes per class and what happens during trips, rehearsals and assessments.
- How do teachers teach it? Describe the normal lesson shape and the musical vocabulary teachers use.
- How do you check impact? Explain what staff look for in pupils responses, and how leaders spot patterns across classes.
- What does a governor see? Identify the two or three items that answer assurance questions without jargon.
Keep a link to the current Ofsted inspection guidance for state funded schools so your file stays aligned with current expectations: School inspection toolkit, operating guides and information.
Quick wins before you add more evidence
- One contents page. Put it first and keep it to under a dozen core items.
- One version only. Date documents and remove superseded copies.
- Choose typical examples. Keep one unit plan and one set of pupil outcomes that represent everyday practice.
- Write for a non specialist. Short captions beat long explanations.
Medium-term plan across the year
A termly rhythm keeps the file current without a big workload spike.
- Autumn: confirm curriculum map and timetable protection, then run a short staff check in on singing routines.
- Spring: monitor one focus strand, such as rhythm accuracy, then provide follow up support and adjust sequencing.
- Summer: review impact through a performance or sharing event, pupil voice, and a short governor conversation.
The music subject leader file, what to include
1 Curriculum map with a short sequencing story
Include a whole school overview and a short narrative explaining why the sequence works for your pupils and staffing. Link the map directly to statutory entitlement in the National Curriculum: National Curriculum music programmes of study.
If you use Kidstrument, keep your chosen route and year by year outline together, so you can show coverage and progression at a glance: Kidstrument Curriculum Map.
2 Lesson design and what teaching looks like
Add a half page summary of the lesson shape staff follow, for example warm up, skill focus, listening discussion, creating, then recap. If you follow a scheme, include one unit overview and note what stays consistent across classes. Kidstrument schemes are organised into repeatable sessions, which helps you show consistency without scripting lessons: Kidstrument Schemes of Work.
Classroom example, Year 2, 30 minutes, blues focus: Pupils enter to a steady backing track. The teacher says, ‘March the pulse, then freeze on my signal.’ After one minute of marching, pupils echo clap a two bar rhythm, then sing a call and response line. In pairs, they swap one word to create a new lyric, rehearse twice, then perform with a clear start and finish. Keep a short teacher note that names the musical learning and the next revisit point.
Classroom example, Year 5, 45 minutes, funk rhythm and tuned instrument: Pupils listen to a groove and identify the clap on beats two and four. The teacher says, ‘Count four steady, clap on two and four, keep it even.’ After a brief desk drumming routine, groups compose an eight beat rhythm using food words, notate it on mini whiteboards, and perform in unison. The final five minutes are for a simple chord change on ukulele or keyboard, so pupils build control over time.
3 Assessment evidence that stays light
Include one page on assessment: what teachers notice, when they check it, and how it informs the next lesson. Avoid spreadsheets unless your school already expects them. A better artefact is a short note that captures what improved and what still needs practice.
If staff want a consistent prompt for capturing next steps, Kidstrument includes optional assessment notes that email to the teacher, useful for reflection and handover: Kidstrument Assessment and Notes.
Add one example of responsive teaching. For example, Year 3 pupils rush paired quavers, so the teacher slows the tempo, returns to stepping the pulse, and uses short echo claps before asking pupils to notate again.
4 Monitoring record plus staff support
Keep a single monitoring log for the year with dates, focus, what you saw, and what changed. Include evidence of how you support staff confidence, such as modelling, agreed vocabulary prompts, or a short briefing on singing.
If you use Kidstrument, teacher notes provide a consistent set of delivery tips and adaptations, which helps you explain how non specialists teach successfully: Kidstrument Teacher Notes.
5 Governor reporting, coverage and impact
Governors usually want assurance that planned learning is taught and that pupils get better at musical skills. Provide one coverage view and one impact view. If you use Kidstrument, the reporting dashboard can show coverage and outcome progress without manual collation: Kidstrument Tracking and Reporting. Add a short commentary on any missed units and what you did to recover them.
Mini case study: one decision, clear outcome
A one form entry school found that music dropped during test weeks, so classes missed regular singing. The subject lead agreed a protected 30 minute slot on a morning with fewer interventions and moved whole school singing to a different day. Staff used the same two minute warm up across KS1 for six weeks, then added a new song each fortnight. At the next governor visit, pupils in Year 1 kept a steadier pulse and could explain tempo and dynamics using examples from their songs. The subject leader file included the timetable change, the shared warm up routine, and a one page note explaining how singing was protected during assessment weeks.
To ground subject conversations in national thinking about progression and teaching, keep the Ofsted research review for music: Ofsted research review series for music. For a content reference point, keep the Model Music Curriculum and highlight the parts you draw on: Model Music Curriculum.
FAQ
How big should the file be?
A contents page plus 8 to 12 core items is enough. Archive anything older or rarely used elsewhere.
Do we need attainment data for music?
No. Clear expected learning, examples of typical pupil outcomes, and notes showing how teaching responds give better assurance than numbers.
What can a link governor do that is helpful?
Look at the curriculum map, sit in for a short part of a lesson, listen to pupils talk about what they are improving, then ask what the subject lead is working on next.
What should be ready if an inspector asks about music?
The map, time allocation, one unit overview, the monitoring log, and two classroom examples you can describe clearly.