New guidance September 14th 2020

SMS is looking forward to returning to work and we are working hard to be ready for our return in October. Our first phase risk assessment is currently with the Covid recovery team at the council for sign off. This will allow SMS staff to return to daytime teaching in schools. We will then formulate a plan and risk assessment for our centre lessons, ensembles and Saturday Music Centre. However as you know Solihull has gone into local lockDown which will have an impact on our return.

Please find below all the up-to date guidance which we have tried to put in one place!

There is some useful information here:  Music Unlocked guidance. 

As you may be aware, there are many different pieces of guidance from the English government which may apply to your work (and all of these listed below have been updated recently so if you’ve not taken a look in the last couple of weeks please don’t assume the guidance is the same as before!):

School guidance

Guidance for Special Schools

Out of School Hours Guidance

DCMS guidance for performing arts

HE Guidance

FE Guidance

Early Years Guidance

General COVID-19 guidance updated in line with the new measures being put in place.

For most of our Schools, parents and pupils the key documents to read are the schools guidance – for activity within the school day – and the out of school hours (OOSS) guidance which is for after school and weekend activities such as ensembles, music centres etc.

Dear Parents, pupils and schools.
Welcome back to this new (strange!) academic year and we hope you have had a good summer.
SMS are working with schools and other partners to ensure we resume instrumental lessons, and ensembles as soon as possible. We have set up a Covid-19 response page which will support our return, and to share with you our policies that will be in place on our return to instrumental teaching. You can click here to access.

We have shared our draft risk assessment with schools to show what measures we are aiming to put in place to enable SMS staff to teach pupils safely.
SMS teaching weeks are here. As you can see we have started our teaching weeks as late as possible to allow schools, pupils and parents to settle into the new routine and give time to make sure they are ready for our return.

SMS ensembles and Saturday Music Centre will resume as soon possible after due process has been followed and signed off by Solihull MBC.

For those of you that missed it please find our summer term newsletter here and a link to our online resources that continue to be updated.
As the start of term develops we will update you when SMS activities start to resume.

For up to date information please follow SMS on twitter

SMS staff are really looking forward to getting started and to seeing you all again.

Best wishes SMS

Dear Parents/carers/pupils
From the end of Monday 20th July Solihull Music Service will be closed for the summer holidays.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding, patience and support through what has been an extremely difficult time.
SMS staff have worked hard to keep pupils engaged, created content for our online platforms and we have done our upmost to keep in touch and to keep you updated.
To see what we have been doing during lockdown please click on the link below:

As we progress into the new term we will keep you updated via the.website and through our twitter feed

So it goes without saying, have a great summer break and we will face the new term together.

Take care and stay safe.
SMS staff.

Soul Matters is proud to share its version of Mr Brightside…you have to listen to this with the volume turned up!

It was a year ago today we took over 500 Solihull students to perform at the famous #abbeyroadstudios and we hope to be back there in 2021. 

Today should also be the opening night of our 25th Rock and Pop anniversary at the #nec which we had planned so hard for…..but it will happen when it is safe to do so! We would like to thank the local venues mentioned in this video for their ongoing support and thanks to Mr Sansom and Mr Beatty for their help with the audio and the video! 

#cavernclub #hamptoninardensportsclub #whitelion #railwayinn #brickmakersarms #sansomstudios 

SMC staff and pupils have been working hard during lockdown and have created an SMC rock orchestra. To put you in good cheer for the weekend we hope you enjoy our vision of that classic SClub7 song ‘Reach’

We would also like to mention and wish our best wishes to Hannah Goodban (guitar) and Katherine Welch (vocalist) as they will be leaving SMC to go to university in the new term. They have both been long term and amazing members of SMC and we will miss them dearly. We hope they take with them some amazing memories.
We are really proud of the students that took part and the quality of this performance…….So the weekend is nearly here and what better way to start it with this uplifting song…..#SMCREACH #solihull #Sansomstudios
Best wishes – SMC Staff