Peripatetic Lessons

Peripatetic Music and Speech & Drama lessons are available from Year 2. A full list of our peripatetic teaching staff can be found in the staff list on the website. We offer tuition in the following instruments:

Trumpet/ cornet/ tenor horn/ trombone/ French horn/ baritone

Flute/ clarinet / saxophone/ fife

Piano

Violin/ viola/ cello

Singing

Drum kit / percussion

Guitar

Recorder

Speech & Drama Lessons

Speech & Drama lessons can aid your child’s development in a number of areas. Lessons are conducted in pairs or threes. The aim is to give 10 x 30-minute lessons per term.

Trial Lessons

Trial lessons with the relevant peripatetic teacher are available free of charge. This is a chance for your child to try a number of instruments and it is an effective way to start dialogue with the school before you make any decision.

Number of Lessons

The number of lessons given to a child may vary slightly from term to term owing to the differing lengths of terms. During the year each child should receive a minimum of 30 lessons, but potentially they could receive up to 36. Sometimes, particularly when preparing for music exams, the peripatetic teacher may seek your approval for your child to have additional lessons; such approval should be given in writing.

Practice

Pupils should practise their chosen instrument - ideally for twenty minutes every day. They may use the practice room at breaktime if available after obtaining permission from a teacher.

Instrument Hire

A limited stock of school instruments is available for hire. If you wish to hire an instrument, you will be asked to fill out an instrument hire form before the first lesson.

Suitability for Peripatetic Lessons

The Head of Pre-Prep or Deputy Headmaster authorise attendance at these lessons whilst considering the impact on a child’s academic profile. If they feel the child is not ready to start or able to cope with ongoing peripatetic lessons, they may propose delaying these lessons until they are confident that learning is secure. Suitability for instrumental lessons will be reviewed half-termly and may cease if instrumental teachers feel that a child does not have enthusiasm and desire to learn and progress is poor or Academic/Learning Support staff feel that going out of mainstream lessons for music or drama may be detrimental to their general education.

Peripatetic Exams

You will be informed by your child’s music teacher when they will be entered for an peripatetic exam. The exam will incur a fee. You must confirm your agreement via email to the music administrator. Year 6 pupils should not have music exams in the Michaelmas term due to their academic entrance exams.

Pupils receiving learning support

Pupils who are receiving Learning Support lessons are advised not to start peripatetic music lessons in Year 2 until they demonstrate secure understanding of required mathematical concepts and their reading and language skills are appropriately fluent. Conversely, Speech & Drama lessons can aid their development. Pupils who are receiving one Learning Support lesson each week are able to have one additional peripatetic lesson. Pupils receiving two Learning Support lessons each week will be considered for one peripatetic lesson.

Balancing Curriculum Time

Pupils receiving peripatetic Music and Speech & Drama lessons will miss some curriculum lessons in order to attend these sessions. Under normal circumstances, pupils can miss a total of two lessons a week for peripatetic opportunities. i.e. it is acceptable to have a Speech & Drama lesson and a music lesson on a regular basis.

Peripatetic lessons occur throughout the day during the normal academic timetable, at break-times and at lunchtime. Sometimes lessons are also scheduled before or after school. Every effort is made to ensure lessons are at an appropriate time for each pupil within a complex timetabling system. Regrettably, we are unable to entertain requests for specific lesson times. Rotating and fixed timetables operate at different times, depending on the year group of the child and the position in the senior school preparation cycle. The aim of these systems is to ensure that there is a fair system for all pupils attending these extra lessons.

Rotating Timetables

Under this system, your child is scheduled to receive a lesson at a different time each week. For practical reasons every effort will be taken to ensure the lesson occurs on the same day, unless you are informed otherwise. Your child can miss any lesson including core subjects. Due to the nature of the rotation, they will only miss a core subject occasionally.

Fixed Timetables

Under this system, your child will have a lesson at the same time and on the same day every week. As it is fixed, your child could potentially miss the same non-core subject weekly. Core subjects are protected and are never missed for peripatetic lessons.

Year 2 - Lessons commence after a settling-in period; normally at half term or longer if Head of Pre-Prep deems your child is not ready to miss a subjects lesson. Thereafter, children work on a rotating timetable for the entire year.

Year 3 - Lessons work on a rotating timetable throughout the entire year.

Year 4 - Lessons rotate from the beginning of the Michaelmas term to the half term point of the Lent term. From the second half of the Lent term to the end of the year, children have fixed lessons.

Year 5 - Lessons fixed throughout the entire year but children are not withdrawn from English or Mathematics at certain times due to exam preparation and examinations.

Year 6 - Lessons fixed from the beginning of the Michaelmas Term until after the half-term point of the Lent Term. Thereafter, children work on a rotating timetable but are not withdrawn from English or Mathematics at certain times due to exam preparation and examinations.

Missed Lessons

Missed lessons will not be rescheduled and will be charged. It is the responsibility of the children to ensure they arrive on time and in the right place for their lessons. Please be reassured that children are reminded about their times by their form teachers/ tutors and the lesson timetables are posted on the class boards at the beginning of the week. As the children get older they are encouraged to take more responsibility and are not reminded quite so frequently! A child’s absence is usually for one of two reasons:

Illness: For short term absence for illness, the lesson will be charged.

School Activity Clash: When your child misses a lesson owing to a clash with other school activities, such as an outing or a match, there will be no charge.

Notice Period

Should you wish to terminate your child’s peripatetic Music or Speech & Drama lessons, half a term’s written notice, addressed to the Music Administrator (music@princesmeadschool.org.uk) is required. Notice received after the first day of a term or half term, will only be effective from the beginning of the subsequent term or half term.

Parents' Handbook