Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

eginning I used to talk to staff as I saw them around school, informally and in
meetings, to comment on students’ music therapy. Whilst this was an easy way to get
feedback it soon became clear that it needed to be documented in a more formal way
so I created forms (appendix 3.5.1a) for members of staff to complete. Most teachers
were happy to write down some of their key points in this way and recognised the
importance of such feedback.
During the course of this PhD research project, Ofsted made their initial inspection on
The Centre School because it had changed status from a Learning Support Unit and
had previously been inspected as part of the College. As a Unit in 2008 it was
classified as outstanding but in 2009, as a school, it was placed in special measures.
As a failing school it needed support for success, not just to be planned and delivered
but provided with a procedure of monitoring and evaluation (Farrell, 2001). As a
result, the inspectors made frequent visits and the way the staff worked and evaluated
each student’s progress was scrutinised. Music therapy was not an area that was
deemed inadequate but the process made me, along with my colleagues, focus on the
ways that I monitored my regular working practice and evaluate this provision in a
school alongside teaching and learning targets. I designed questionnaires to be
completed by staff before and after the student’s music therapy (appendix 3.5.1b). I
also created a half-termly monitoring system in line with all other subjects,
contributed to students’ personal learning records and continued to use the
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) unit award scheme. Regular
monitoring in a variety of ways helps to promote the work in evaluation-biased
educational settings, as they encounter Ofsted, struggle with over-stretched budgets
and question the value and effectiveness of music therapy, particularly in secondary
schools.
The short questionnaire (appendix 3.5.1b) that is used before and after a student’s
block of therapy is ideally completed by the same teacher or instructor each time.
They are asked to comment on the student’s attitudes to learning, behaviour, social
skills and to provide any other general comments. The questionnaires are then
compared and any positive changes after music therapy are highlighted. These can be
shared with staff and provide ongoing informal evaluation of the work. The
questionnaires are a useful way to guide discussion about a student with other
members of staff, particularly after a referral has been made, for the therapist to gain
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