Redbridge Music Service Remissions Policy • Vision RCL

Redbridge Music Education Hub – Remissions Policy

Redbridge Music Service, lead partner of Redbridge Music Education Hub, has had financial support schemes in place for many years. This has enabled pupils from all economic backgrounds and circumstances to participate from beginner standard through to membership of Redbridge Music School.:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided parent/carers not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) – Working Tax Credit is a disqualifying benefit regardless of household income – this would mean that applicants would not be entitled to Free School Meals whilst in receipt of Working Tax Credit
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after parents/carers qualify for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit (provided applicants have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of their most recent assessment periods)

Instrument hire normally charged at £5 a month payable by direct debit is only £2.50 a month for pupils whose parents qualify for any of the criteria listed above.

Charges to Schools

For the past two academic years there have been three charging models made available to schools:

Full Cost – The hourly rate (£45.25 per hour from 1/9/22) is charged to schools where the schools can decide how much they wish to pass on to the parents. The school invoices the parents on a termly basis.

Shared Cost – Secondary Schools are charged £31.25 per hour and Primary Schools £38.50. Parent/Carers are charged via direct debit the remaining amount of £17 a month in Secondary Schools and £9.25 in Primary Schools.

Direct Cost – Parents pay for lessons via direct debit set up through our partner company DFC. The charges are spread over 12 months:

20 minute shared£24.70 per month
20-minute individual£49.40 per month
15-minute individual or 30 minute shared£37.20 per month
30-minute individual£74.40 per month

Regardless of the charging model, all schools are invoiced for pupils in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) where schools use pupil premium grant (PPG) to pay for children on FSM or looked after children. School policies do vary where the majority are happy to pay 100% of the costs and others ask parent/carers to contribute 25% or 50% of the fees.

Free School Meal Support Scheme

Following analysis undertaken in Spring 2022 it was noted that the uptake of lessons for pupils in receipt for FSM was low which was due to several factors.

  • Pandemic recovery, schools not having the time or the capacity to consider supporting music delivery within school.
  • Lack of space in schools for lessons to take place. Spaces previously the preserve of the visiting music teachers were given over to booster classes who needed the additional space due to bubbles and social distancing. This was certainly the case until April of this year and as a result we have only been operating under normal circumstances for one academic term.
  • Reduction in funding in schools or having to redirect funding streams to cover cost that have been incurred over the past two years. This includes PPE, hand sanitising equipment and staff cover costs.

In recognition of these challenges, Redbridge Music Service is offering all schools a financial support package for pupils in receipt of free school meals for the 2022/23 academic year.

Having analysed pupil numbers learning an instrument against the numbers of pupils learning pre-pandemic, we are offering financial support and establish a partnership between the schools, parents and the Music Service.

The support we are offering is a subsidised hour of woodwind or brass instrument tuition for pupils in year 5 and year 7.

The aims of this support is to target FSM pupils who may have been particularly affected by the restrictions around covid.  The reason for targeting brass and woodwind instruments is that these will give the pupils access to joint music making opportunities.  This has proved to be beneficial particularly in terms of the benefits of groups music making for mental health and social mobility.  

  • Pupils learn in groups of two in 20 minutes or three in 30 minutes.
  • Up to a maximum of 6 pupils an hour, this financial support is only for FSM pupils.
  • The school and parents commit to the end of the academic year the lessons commence from.
  • Parents set up a monthly direct debit for £8.25 a month for tuition with payments spread over 12 months from September to August.
  • Schools will be invoiced £33 per pupil per term for the 2022/23 academic year.
  • Schools have the option of paying £66 per pupil, per term if they wish to cover the costs that would be passed onto the parent/carer.
  • Pupils will be charged a nominal amount of £1 per month for instrument hire. A 50% subsidy on the standard charge will apply from the 2023/24 academic year onwards.
  •  When the pupils have developed enough skills to join a school-based ensemble or one of the groups at the John Savage Centre we will support them to do this. There would be no additional cost for the pupils to take part in an ensemble based at our centre which is currently free for pupils on FSM. 
  • We would anticipate that the Music Coordinator/Head of Music would act as a mentor and point of contact between the school and the Music Service for the FSM Support Scheme.

Search Vision