Our son has recently completed his first year at Sixth Form College, which he thoroughly enjoyed. The Y12 music class was very small, but the teaching seems to have been of very good quality.

However, we have now been delivered something of a bombshell as the Head of Music has decided to retire, and will not be replaced (presumably to save money). His place will instead be taken by another teacher who is very good within his own field, but says he does not feel confident to teach on classical music, and will therefore concentrate on pop and jazz. We learned today that another student has already decided to go elsewhere for Year 13 as he did not want to jeopardise his chances of getting into a music college because of failed A-Level results. .

I suppose switching colleges is one option, but this may prove difficult for subjects other than music.

My question is; having accepted music students into the college, does the college then have a responsibility to see this through, or can they effectively drop a subject if it suits them? Is there anything we can do to put pressure on the college to engage a part-time music teacher or do we just have to accept their decision?

After the problems at GCSE we had thought this was all behind us, but once again it seems we are banging our heads on the school wall.

SB

Could you and the other parents come to a private arrangement with the old head of music, using the school as a centre for the exam. It might be possible, unless he is moving away, to arrange something, just for year 13?

The natural sixth form college choice for daughter would have been the same one eldest attended. They had the opposite problem in that the students walked away as the teaching was so bad. New staff were embployed and for whatever reason things still didn't work so last year they got another set of new staff.....

I think I'd look at the practicalities of changing college or at least looking into the possibility suggested by Andante.

The only other thing I can think of is speaking to the LEA assuming this isn't a private school.

No; it is a state school. I think if it were a private school we would have more say in the matter as the school would presumably be in Breach of Contract if they withdrew teaching that was being paid for, or failed to provide an adequate replacement if a teacher were to leave. I suppose the same thing applies in the state system, as we are paying for education services through our taxes, but it seems rather more difficult to make that connection when dealing with head teachers or LEA's.

More to the point, there are several students that will be deprived of an education that they want and need, and who chose the college on the promise of a good music department.

I think Andante's point is a good one, but I am not sure whether that would work, or whether the old HoM would be prepared to do this, as he is already well past retirement age.

SB

I wonder if this is something that has been sprung on the college and they haven't had time to recruit another member of staff.

What I think I would consider doing in your situation is firstly to right a letter to the Head of the school, possibly copying in the Chairman of the Board of Governors. You could express your concerns and question the position your son is now in. It may be worth pointing out duty of care etc.

I think I'd also speak to Governor Services and make them aware of a potential dispute and I'd definately speak to Education Advisory Service for your area or another area and try and uncover the colleges actual obligations.

After our nightmare at GCSE and all the bad feeling in the aftermath we've been very careful about 6th form college. Luckily we've found an excellent one. I couldn't have gone through it all again. Trouble is some heads think music is a fun subject and don't realise how serious some of the students are about it.

Hi swellbox.

Our school's policy is that we don't guarantee to take any subject through to A2, depending on the numbers etc. In the 7 years I've worked there we've never done that but we do warn parents/pupils that if a class becomes too small we may cancel it.

In your case they're not cancelling the A level, so I think you'd have difficulty arguing your case. In effect, you'd be arguing against this particular teacher teaching your child, which would be pretty difficult I think.

My advice would be to ring and express your concerns, but I think it's unlikely now that they'd employ an additional teacher for September.

I'm sorry, it much be very disappointing for your child.

This is very dissapointing, but in my experience, surprisingly common.

I opted to do Music in Year 12, but I didn't know until the first day back in September, that due to staffing issues, it had been replaced by Music Technology. There wasn't any choice in the matter, and I wasn't going to go elsewhere, so I was stuck with it. I also opted for French (only 2 in the class) but after a few months, both teachers went on long-term sick leave, and there wasn't anyone to cover the class, so in the end, it just fizzled out (not surprisingly, despite doing as much as I could myself, I failed it!). In Year 13, I managed to get the new Head of Music to do AS Music with me at lunchtimes, but it was by no means an ideal arrangement!

It really just seems to be the luck of the draw. Whilst we might expect schools to continue offering what they've promised, it seems to me that in reality there are no guarantees.

I think you've got a right to be annoyed and to kick up a fuss, but cynical me thinks it probably won't make much difference.

I wonder... if A2 Music is an essential requirement for what he (or any of the others) want to do next, what is the college's position?

I could understand more if the course was being cancelled and this would probably be annoying but more acceptable. I'm not sure that it's ethical or fair of a school or college to dump a subject on a teacher that they don't have the skills to deliver. I thought stuff like this was put an end to years ago.

I'm not sure Swell Box is against the teacher and the argument agaist them is not personal just highlighting a need for someone with skills.

I really think this might be the best bet. Write and ask for an appointment with the Head, the current HoM who's leaving, and the teacher who's taking over so that you can talk through the problem before the end of term. Your son is keen on music, and it's only right that you express your concerns and see whether the Head is prepared to help.

I don't think moving colleges is a great option, because as you say, Swell Box junior is doing other A levels besides music, and the A2 courses will have already begun once the AS exams were out of the way. There really should be an answer to your problem, and I feel the college is morally obliged to listen to your concerns.

If the retiring HoM is unavailable it might be worth seeing if there are other semiretired music teachers who could attend the school for a couple of hours a week, or do an evening group for them. The school my daughters are at has an arrangement with the school next door, that they combine forces for some subjects eg music A level, because neither school has enough pupils taking it to run the course on their own. they also swap pupils for PE A level and some languages. It means a bit of running backwardss and forwards for the pupils, but allows them to offer a wider range of subjects.

At my local sixth form they are closing down the Alevel music dept and concentrating on the music B Tec students. When I have been to those classes it seems more like crowd control while keeping kids off the streets than anything! It all happened very quickly, and we are wondering what the Students going into their A2 year will do.

What is happening to music A level? It makes me despair. At the only school nearby that has a sixth form the HOM is disliked so much (and does very badly on results) that hardly anyone does music GCSE and there is no one doing A level this time.
It does not bode well for our musical future.

At the Birmingham Conservatoire Open Day, the Head of the conservatoire said that prospective students do not need music as one of their A levels, because he was aware that not all schools were able to offer it.

We considered D1 doing the A level at Birmingham conservatoire,( they run Saturday and evening classes) if we couldn't find a school that would do it.

Thank you all for your kind replies.

I should make it clear that we have received no written communication from the college about this. The only information we have received has come from our son, and from another parent, who it seems has decided to send their child elsewhere in September. The matter was discussed briefly at a parents evening earlier this term, when we were simply told that 'a new teacher would be found'.

The new A-Level music teacher currently teaches Music technology at the college. He is a popular teacher who we get on well with; but by his own admission has no experience outside of pop and jazz (he actually studied jazz at Uni), and he has said that he would only be able to teach on those subjects at A2.

As it happens, we met with an accompanist at a recital last night, who has worked with the college for many years, but does not teach herself. She knows the staff involved much better than we do, and shares our concenrs, saying that Mr X 'was never a music teacher'.

Our son is hoping to study for a B.Mus. in music performance starting in October next year, and whilst the university he hopes to attend (Birmingham) is fairly relaxed about A-Level grades he might have problems if he decides to go elsewhere; and in any case it seems a great pity that after doing well at AS he should then have the plug pulled on him for A2. Presumably future employers and universities would also be interested in A-Level results?

It is all very well for schools to have 'policies' about less popular subjects, but what about the students concerned? Are they supposed to change career because the school no longer wants to provide for their subject? I can see that music may be seen as unimportant by some, but not to those whose lives revolve around it. Surely schools and colleges have a responsibility to encourage less popular subjects, like music, the sciences and mathematics rather putting all their resources into media studies, sports technology and psychology, which seem to be the current favourites?

We shall be taking this up with the college, but from what has been said here it seems that we may be disappointed.

I shall let you all know one way or another.

SB

Well; I had a long and fruitful discussion this morning with the person who schedules lessons and caricculum at the school, and whilst he didn't say anything specifically, I got the impression that I was not the only parent to have raised concerns on this matter.

The good news is that from New Year onwards, the recently retired Head of Music will take an additional lesson each week to cover classical music; the idea being that students will be taught both pop and classical by their respective teachers, and will then chose which to answer questions on when they sit the A2 exam next year.

(The school's concern was that students who were more interested in classical music might try to answer the questions on classical music in the exam paper when they had received no tuition on the subject from the school.)

The bad news is that from September onwards, new students will only be able to study pop in A-Level music. I suppose it is better than nothing, but I am sure many students will be left disappointed by this decision.

SB

That's rather sad. Until my son started doing AS music he prefered rock and jazz music. He is now very keen on classical too - he was listening to Borodin on his iPod this morning and was telling me how good it was. I think there's alot to be said for introducing new things to students, that's what education should be about. I have always listened to classical music in the house, but it is only since my son has come to it through school that he has been really keen.

The phrase 'dumbing down' comes to mind.

Instead, we now seem to have an obsession with sport in British schools; presumably because the government thinks that everyone can do it.

SB

Can I ask which exam board the school uses? The A-level I teach requires candidates to answer a question on both classical and pop music.

I actually think that you've got a more positive outcome for SBJ than I expected. He can still cover the classical option in the syllabus, and studying the jazz option as well will give him a back-up option in the final exam should the classical questions set turn out to be horrible. I know this approach seems to have fallen out of favour, but at Sixth Form we were always made to do an extra option off the syllabus in case one of the preferred options had horrendously difficult questions that particular year. There were a couple of subjects (French and Chemistry - which I didn't take) where most of the people in my year answered the questions for the back up topic... For my German exam, I had intended to do the back up topic because I found it more interesting than one of our main ones - but the questions were horrible and I was therefore glad that I'd learnt three of the options in depth rather than just doing the two I intended to answer.

OCR.

I agree with Flossie that the outcome is better than expected, and possibly better than it would have been otherwise, but only because of parental pressure. And as I have said, the situation for new students doesn't look so good.

SB

Shame they didn't think of that when they were selling off huge tracts of the school playing fields. Sorry off topic.

On topic - I think the original poster has done extremely well to get this outcome. The generosity of the teacher to keep teaching for another year and the college to provide the funding is an amazing success, without those no amount of pressure would have succeeded.

I have my methods.

As it happens the school has a pipe organ which is quite proud of, although it is in need of serious work. Six months ago the college was celebrating the fact that that after a gap of many years they had a student who played the organ, and they even arranged for SBJ to play the National Anthem on it when a 'nationalization' ceremony or suchlike was held at the school. I think the Principle probably agreed with me that pulling the plug on the student concerned would not make very good press.

SB

Don't know if this helps, but my local county music service offer a Music A level course as part of their saturday music school. Perhaps there is something similar on offer in your area, that your son could do outside school, as a back up option.

There used to be options for external A level music study. Unfortunately since the coursework regulations have changed and all the work has to be done under supervision it's very difficult to get teaching other than through an actual centre. It makes it very difficult, if not impossible, for County Music Services and Junior Departments to offer the courses now.

I think what they have offered is probably as good as it's going to get as others have said.

My daughter has just finished her A level music. She was the only music student in her year. In fact for four years now there has only been one A Level student in the year, but it didn't stop the school (state not private) from providing the tuition. In fact, the school have two music teachers, and each taught a different aspect.
As for specialising in jazz, half of her upper sixth module was on Jazz 1910 to 1950, the rest being Vaughan Williams.

This sounds a very reasonable outcome for those like your son who have done AS Music in the belief that A2 classical would be available. At least anyone opting to do A-level Music in future will know that pop is the only option, and that they will have to make other arrangements if they want to study classical.

I'm sure you must be very relieved that the school has done what it can to mitigate the problems caused by the retirement of the current HoM. I hope Swell Box Junior enjoys his A2 year.