Wolverhampton Music Service offering new courses for SEND students

The sessions, starting next month at Action for Independence, Albert Road, will be run by Big Top Musical Adventures and have been devised following consultation with schools and local parents of children and young people with SEND.

There will be weekly term-time sessions for children with autism, social anxiety or learning disabilities taking place on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm-7.15pm.

There will also be weekly Tuesday sessions with a change of focus each week, targeted at specific ages and needs, including sessions for under 11s with moderate learning difficulties, for 11 to 18-year-olds with moderate or severe learning disabilities and for children and young people with profound and complex learning disabilities.

Wolverhampton Music Service’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead and Assistant Head Sarah Tulley said: “I’m delighted about the launch of our new inclusive music sessions, which will enable more children and young people to access meaningful music-making.

"The Music Service is part of the council’s Educational Excellence team, and we work together to understand priorities for embedding inclusion in our teaching and learning.

"We are trying to remove barriers for young people, and we are working with Big Top Musical Adventures along with schools, parents and carers to tailor the sessions so that they are as engaging and enjoyable as possible.”

Councillor Chris Burden, the Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: “This is a great opportunity for youngsters with SEND to enjoy some exciting music-making opportunities with Wolverhampton Music Service; this is sure to be popular so I would encourage parents and guardians to book their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

For full details of the programme, please visit www.wolverhamptonmusicservice.org.uk/inclusive-out-of-school-music-sessions.