Equality Impact Assessment
NAME
Associate Director of the Junior Academy
DEPARTMENT
Junior Academy
POLICY/PROJECT etc.
BEING SCREENED
First Strings Programme – ‘A Chance to Play’
Could the policy/project etc. have an adverse impact on equality in relation to:
 Age
 Disability
 Gender or Gender Re-assignment
 Marriage or Civil Partnerships
 Pregnancy and Maternity
 Race
 Religion or Belief
 Sexual Orientation
The Junior Academy First Strings Programme has been in existence for 25 years. The three year programme
has an annual intake of 32 children who are aged 4 when they join the programme. The first year of the
programme is pre-instrumental, followed by years 2 and 3 when the children start to learn to play a stringed
instrument.
Up to now entry has been non-selective and based on a random ballot, with siblings of existing children being
given priority entry. This has meant that the intake has focussed on a small North West London geographical
area and the Junior Academy now wishes to introduce measures to diversify recruitment for the programme.
The proposal is to create a ‘Chance to Play’ scheme to sit alongside the ‘First Strings Programme’ which will
offer means tested bursaries of up to 100%. Initially 5 such bursaries will be offered, but as the intake rolls
onto years 2 and 3 of scheme, there will be a requirement to fund 15 bursaries. The total funding of these
bursaries across a 3 year rolling programme is calculated to be £7,500 p.a. Junior Academy has begun
research into potential sources of sponsorship and is confident that this can be achieved, although a financial
commitment by the Academy will also be required initially.
The ‘Chance to Play’ scheme is aimed at diversifying the current student intake by attracting children from
non-traditional backgrounds and in particular those from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME)
background.
Places on the scheme will be offered to children based on application following nomination by organisations
with whom the Junior Academy has previously worked with in partnership, including music directors within
specific local authorities. The bursaries awarded will be of up to 100% of the cost of the programme, with the
level of the award being determined by existing Academy means-testing procedures. The offer of places and
award of bursaries will be the responsibility of the Junior Academy Bursaries Committee.
Initially the ‘Chance to Play’ scheme will be run on a pilot basis. The criteria used for nominations will be
detailed within the application form and will focus on those children currently in state nursery education who
would benefit most from, and whose parents/careers show most commitment to, the programme. Parental
support will be crucial to the success of the scheme and parents will be invited to attend meetings with the
Junior Academy and other partners involved in the ‘Chance to Play’ scheme as it progresses.
Timescale: the programme will run on a pilot basis with an initial intake of 2 students for September 2014,
and then on an extended pilot basis with an intake of 5 students for September 2015.
The EIA sub-committee provided advice on the framing of the scheme and on best practice in the wording of
promotional literature. As a result the Junior Academy revised the proposal, promotional literature and
application form including the addition of a section on ethnicity monitoring. Data on Academy students from
a BAME background was included in the internal proposal document, detailing stages of progression i.e.
primary and secondary Junior Academy, Senior Academy and senior student. Sector wide benchmarking data
was also included where available. A ‘positive action’ statement was produced and submitted to the
Academy’s Equality and Diversity Committee for consideration alongside the scheme proposal.
Does this policy/project etc. provide opportunities to make a positive impact on equality?
Please detail.
Yes, the ‘Chance to Play’ scheme is aimed at diversifying the current student intake by attracting children
from non-traditional backgrounds and in particular those from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME)
background. The scheme will be part of the Academy’s over-arching Widening Participation Strategy and
applications from the BAME community are particularly encouraged as this is a very under-represented group
within the field of classical music. The experience that children gain from the scheme will further the
promotion of equality and diversity as they spread the word and promote the Academy within their own
communities.
What evidence has been considered in the above?
The Associate Director of the Junior Academy consulted widely ahead of the framing of the proposal of the
‘Chance to Play scheme’. This included consultation with the Academy’s own Open Academy, whose
outreach work seeks to extend opportunity to the fullest range of society via a series of creative projects
which challenge preconceptions of what music conservatoires do.
The Associate Director of the Junior Academy is also a founder member of the Advance Network
(http://theadvancenetworkuk.wordpress.com) which brings together organisations who are diverse in their
structure, musical approaches and history; yet share common values of excellence and a commitment to
diversifying the cultural landscape. The Advance Network is committed to creating more diversity in the
classical and jazz sectors and in helping to remove the barriers that students from a BAME background face in
establishing a career as a professional classical/jazz musician.
Specific discussions regarding the ‘Chance to Play scheme’ were also held with Kuumba Youth Music and the
Music Hubs of the London Boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Waltham Forest; boroughs which are known
to have a high level of social disadvantage.
The proposal and supporting documentation was reviewed and approved by the Academy’s Equality and
Diversity Committee on 7 October 2014.
Is a full Equality Impact Assessment required? No.
Date: 17 December 2014