Southwark Music Announces Lead Schools for Music
Southwark Music is delighted to share our newly appointed Lead Schools for Music for the 2025-2026 academic year: St James the Great Primary School, Cherry Garden School, and Kingsdale Foundation School.
Each school demonstrates a clear commitment to providing high-quality music education for all children and young people; fostering creativity and inclusion across the Southwark community. Alongside Southwark Music, our Lead Schools will champion professional development for schools and teachers across the borough.
Learn a little more about our newly appointed Lead Schools here:
St James the Great Primary School
At St James the Great, music anchors the curriculum across the school. They are a school that sings together, makes music together and performs together. Music supports the wellbeing of pupils and fosters a sense of belonging to a community. The skills developed by composing, playing and performing with others are life-long; they build confidence and a child’s self-worth.
Cherry Garden School is a play-based primary setting for children with complex needs. They prioritise music education as a key way to support young people’s learning and development. Cherry Garden offers accessible sensory music making, instrumental skills, singing and expressive performance as well as musical movement and dance. Music is used throughout the school on a daily basis as part of the communication work, literacy, and to support understanding daily routines.
Kingsdale has a well deserved reputation as a leader in music education. With over 30 ensembles for all skill levels and an innovative scholarship programme that involves over 800 pupils, Kingsdale provides access to high-quality instrumental tuition for all backgrounds. GCSE and A-Level music thrives, with many students progressing on to further study and into the industry.
A commitment to excellence and inclusion
The selection of these three Lead Schools reflects Southwark Music’s mission to enrich the lives of all Southwark children and young people through music. Our Lead Schools will play an important role in co-designing specialised professional development, and championing music-making throughout our communities. As part of the wider South East London Music Hub, Southwark Music and its Lead Schools will continue to build partnerships, share expertise, and create progression routes for young musicians.