Researching and developing music provision in Special Schools in England for children and young people with complex needs

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper investigates music provision in special schools in England for children and young people with complex needs, defined as Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD). It draws on the PROMISE project, a three-phase national exploratory study involving questionnaire sampling, school visits, and discussions with teachers and professionals. Findings highlight substantial variation in music education and therapy availability, curriculum inconsistency, and generally positive views of music activities’ benefits, while noting limited uptake of on-site music therapy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

PROMISE project background

Scope and participants

Main findings from PROMISE report

Researching and developing music provision in Special Schools in England for children and young people with complex needs Evangeline Cheng Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom Adam Ockelford Roehampton University, London, United Kingdom Graham Welch Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom Abstract The House of Commons Select Committee on Education (2006) estimated that around 18% of all pupils in England were categorised as having Special Educational Needs (SEN).‘Around 3% of all children (250,000) had a statement of SEN and around 1% of all children were in special schools (90,000) which represent approximately one third of children with statements’ (House of Commons, 2006, p. 5) . However, until very recently, there has been no overall perspective on what might count as an appropriate music curriculum for pupils with complex needs (here defined as Severe Learning Difficulties [SLD] or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties [PMLD]) . In order to investigate the nature of music provision in special schools in England that catered for children and young people with complex needs, Welch et al.,(2001) undertook a nation-wide research investigation, which became known as the PROMISE (Provision of Music in Special Education) project. The PROMISE project was funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Trust (see [http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/index.html](http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/index.html)) and supported also by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). The research was designed as an exploratory study of three phases using questionnaire sampling, school visits, and informal discussions with teachers and other professionals. A total of 53 schools participated. The evidence gathered from the project suggested that ‘there is considerable variation in the quantity and quality of music education and music therapy available to pupils’ (Welch et al., 2001, p. 5) . In the course of PROMISE research, it was noted that, within the special school population in England, there were more than 30,000 children (32%) with complex needs (SLD or PMLD) . SLD and PMLD children were to be found in many different parts of the special education sector and were often educated with children who had other forms of disability. Most of the participating schools catered for a broad age range from early years to post-16. The paper reports research and development in the music provision in Special Schools in England for children and young people with complex needs following the PROMISE research (2001) . Keywords: Special Educational Needs, Severe Learning Difficulties [SLD], Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties [PMLD]), PROMISE (Provision of Music in Special Education) project, Sounds of Intent. Australian Journal of Music Education 2009:2, 27-48 Introduction The House of Commons Select Committee on Education (2006) estimated that around 18% of all pupils in England were categorised as having Special Educational Needs (SEN).“Around 3% of all children (250,000) had a statement of SEN and around 1% of all children were in special schools (90,000) which represent approximately one third of children with statements”(House of Commons, 2006, p. 5) . However, until very recently, there has been no overall perspective on what might count as an appropriate music curriculum for pupils with complex needs (here defined as Severe Learning Difficulties [SLD] or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties [PMLD]) . In order to investigate the nature of music provision in special schools in England that catered for children and young people with complex needs, Welch et al.,(2001) undertook a nation-wide research investigation, which became known as the PROMISE (Provision of Music in Special Education) project. The PROMISE project was funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Trust1 and supported also by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) . The research was designed as an explorator

FAQs

What does the paper define as complex needs for the study?

Complex needs are defined as Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).

How was the PROMISE (Provision of Music in Special Education) project conducted?

It was an exploratory three-phase study using questionnaire sampling, school visits, and informal discussions with teachers and other professionals, with 53 schools participating.

What key pattern did the PROMISE evidence show about music education and therapy?

There was considerable variation in both the quantity and quality of music education and music therapy available to pupils.

Oct 15, 2026

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