Waldegrave School has been awarded the ISM/ISM Trust’s Gold Certificate. This means that more than 20% of all the school’s GCSE students achieved an A* to C in GCSE music, putting the school in the top 76 schools in England.

Headteacher Philippa Nunn said: "This is a great achievement for Waldegrave School and is on account of the hard work and commitment of the staff who teach and the students that study GCSE music".

Adam Albrighton, Assistant Headteacher and previous Head of Music at Waldegrave said: "We are thrilled to receive the ISM Gold Certificate at Waldegrave. Music is a huge  part of so many of our students’ lives and we are hugely proud of our results. Nationally, music is a declining subject with numbers at GCSE and A Level falling and we are proud that Waldegrave values and celebrates music within the school  curriculum".


Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the ISM – the professional body for musicians – congratulated the school, saying: "We are delighted to recognise Waldegrave School’s achievement in music and celebrate the commitment to music education shown by the school in their high uptake and high achievement of pupils.
‘Music is a valuable subject, it brings value in itself to pupils as well as supporting achievement in other subjects. Music also opens doors and generates educational opportunities for pupils from all backgrounds. We are delighted that Waldegrave values music within their school curriculum and as the professional body for musicians and a subject association for music education, we are delighted to recognise this high level of achievement with this certificate".


The certificate is awarded by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) and the ISM Trust (www.ismtrust.org).
The Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK’s fastest growing professional body for musicians and a nationally recognised subject association for music, set up in 1882 to promote the art of music and to protect the interests of all musicians. Today it supports nearly 8,000 members with unrivalled services and expert advice, from study up until retirement and beyond.

The ISM Trust, the Incorporated Society of Musicians’ (ISM) sister charity, was created in 2014 to advance education, the arts and to promote health.
The primary focus of the Trust is to deliver high quality professional development by leading practitioners from the ISM and also in partnership with other organisations.

The ISM Trust is dedicated to creating pioneering resources to support music and all those who work in the sector inducing music educators, performers, and composers and delivers its work through webinars, regional seminars, training events and advice packs.

Article supplied by Adam Albrighton