Oak National Academy Curriculum: a resource for the nation

After 18 extraordinary months, we are delighted to share that our brand-new Oak National Academy Primary Music curriculum, lesson plans and teaching videos, created in partnership by Bristol Beacon and Cathedral Schools Trust, are now live and freely available.

This partnership was built on a shared vision: to create a curriculum that not only meets the highest educational standards but also ignites a passion for music in young learners.

Over the past year and a half, Bristol Beacon has collaborated with Cathedral Schools Trust to write the curriculum; creating a total of 216 lesson content and resources. We have also partnered with national cultural organisations and acclaimed artists within the sector, drawing on their expertises and resources to produce a range of diverse and engaging content. Creative partners include Paraorchestra, National Children’s Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Jasdeep Singh Degun, Jason Singh, Nate Holder and more.

Lesson materials are free to access, and comprise lesson slides, a modelled video of lessons being taught, accompanied with audio and visual examples for teachers, alongside a selection of worksheets, quizzes and further resources.

These 36 units (216 lessons!) span Years 1–6, helping primary school teachers nurture pupils’ musicianship through singing, composing, performing, and listening. Each unit builds musical understanding, from “Finding our singing voice” and “Feeling the pulse” in Year 1 to “Improvising with the minor pentatonic scale” and “Music that comments on social change” in Year 6.

The primary music resources are all designed to better support teachers with the planning, in-class teaching and also developing of their own curriculum.

Content is diverse and progressive, including themes of protest, decolonisation, and climate change, and includes exciting musical genres ranging from beatboxing to West African, North Indian, to Hindustani Classical and Afrobeat, as well as opera, operetta and musical theatre. The resources teach about the history and power of storytelling through song, and cultivate curiosity and pure joy in music!

You can view the full curriculum at the link below.

Project partners

Oak National Academy is the national publicly-funded provider of high-quality curriculum and lesson resources, used by one in three teachers in England.

Cathedral Schools Trust is an academy trust with a music specialism working with both primary and secondary schools. They have a passion for learning within and beyond their classrooms and a deep commitment to music and the creative arts.

Bristol Beacon and CST have been sharing expertise and collaborating for over 2 years on curriculum development. We are excited to have developed our partnership in collaboration with them, to co-create a curriculum which has accessibility and inclusion at its heart. We have also worked alongside leading national cultural organisations to utilise their expertise and resources as part of this project.