Singing for my supper in Gateshead

Several keynote speeches this week  including one to the Sing Up National Gathering at The Sage by the River Tyne in Gateshead. 24 years ago I became Headteacher of a school about a mile from here along the Felling by-pass. Bede Community Primary School. It had 83% free school meals. Very few parents had a job as all the major employers including Clarke Chapmans had closed down. The community was split by a railway line - now the Metro - with the Old Fold on one side and Sunderland Road on the other. As a designated Community Primary School we reached out to the community and enabled local people to set up a number of groups and activities. The Community School was one of the few meeting places for families.  

Local teenagers - the older brothers and sisters of pupils at Bede - felt isolated, and detached. They began burning out cars on the school field. We responded to this by talking with them and then setting up a football team. Some of the  boys played, and girls and boys were cheerleaders and supporters. We met each week and trained and talked. The local Police agreed to make a minibus available for friendly matches.We raised funds for a football strip and to go to a professional football match. The Police assisted, but would not agree to either a Newcastle or Sunderland game as these could be negative role models. Instead we went to Hartlepool v Burnley. I thought this might not be cool, but the group loved it as they had never been to a real match before. A after a few more friendlies the group were enjoying the experience. Later that Summer one of the boys, Mark, went to the local Cemetery with a couple of friends, sniffed a fire extinguisher, and sadly he died. His Mum had him buried in the team shirt as she said, "It was the only positive thing in his life".

Veronicah, James and I called in to see Alison and Angela at Bede - still the Admin Officers at the School - and lifelong friends. 

Virtually 100% of Primary Schools in Swindon have signed up to Sing Up. Goddard Park has hosted an area training session, and our children have benefitted significantly from this. It has been a very successful initiative. Parents and children were recently singing at Debenhams. Alongside this Wider Opportunities has provided expert instrumental tuition to a whole year group at a time, together with Roadshows of brass/strings/woodwind/percussion that have stimulated interest and enjoyment amongst our pupils. I hope the Henley Review identifies the essential need for music education for all, and that the Government places a requirement in a new National Curriculum with earmarked funds. We need a John Winterflood (Swindon Music Service) and a Liz Terry (Sing Up) to make this happen. Our children would be much richer as a result, and it is difficult to see any effective alternative provision - it is a specialized area of school life.