Exam Results Music To The Ears Of Our Schools

Budding musicians are turning their interest in music into great exam results, the latest figures reveal. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

More than 150 teenagers from Swansea took GCSE music this year and all of them passed, with just over 90% gaining an A* to C grade. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The results have been hailed as a big success which the city’s new Swansea Music Unit – Swansea Council’s new music education team – plans to build on over coming months and years. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Jen Raynor, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said the exam results, which were achieved by the music service working together with school teachers, show the new unit, developed out of the former joint West Glamorgan Music Service, has a solid base on which to build. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The unit’s experienced staff have a successful background of helping children learn music and enabling those with a particular talent to succeed in their instrument of choice. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Raynor said: “It’s a new era for school music services in Swansea and the exam results also show that the schools which have signed up to the service have made a good choice. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The service will open up opportunities to so many youngsters, building on the existing provision to meet schools’ expectations and their aspirations for pupils.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Karin Jenkins, Manager of the Swansea Music Unit, said: “We are very proud to have such musical talent in Swansea schools and I would like to pass on my congratulations to those pupils who have achieved success in music GCSE and A-Level examinations. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The Swansea Music Unit staff have made a tremendous effort to prepare pupils for their exams and I would like to thank them too for their contribution.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

More than 80% of city primary and secondary schools have signed-up to the Swansea Music Unit under a service level agreement which sets out what the school will gain from the unit for its money. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Swansea Music Unit was launched after Neath Port Talbot Council and Swansea Council de-coupled the West Glamorgan Music Service and set up separate music services. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The way the system works nationally is that schools make their own decisions on purchasing music tuition provision from their budgets. They can choose music services from a council-run service under what’s called a service level agreement (SLA). ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​