The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation is delighted to award a grant to Hillsborough Primary School to help broaden music opportunities for children in the heart of Sheffield. This support will fund new instruments and extra-curricular music experiences, with a particular focus on early years pupils and children with additional needs.
Hillsborough Primary School is committed to giving every child rich musical experiences, and has identified a particular need to strengthen provision for pupils with additional needs and for those starting school with lower than expected speech and language skills. The school already treats music as a core part of the curriculum from Early Years onwards, and this project will help them go further in making music truly accessible to all.
With the Foundation’s grant, the school will purchase new percussion instruments, including tambourines and djembe drums, so that more children can participate actively in lessons. The funding will also support visitors, singing and dancing groups, and live instrument sessions that bring music to life beyond the classroom.
Hillsborough has a higher-than-average proportion of children with additional needs, and staff are developing a toolkit to support pupils who may initially find music overwhelming, helping them take small, manageable steps into full participation. Access to a wider range of instruments and carefully designed music groups will help build confidence, creativity and communication skills for these children.
At the same time, many UK schools are struggling to maintain music provision as costs rise for staffing, venues, and instruments, leading to higher lesson fees and fewer opportunities for those who cannot afford them. In this context, small, targeted grants can make the difference between a basic offer and a vibrant musical life for a school community.
The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation exists to advance the arts by enabling, encouraging and guiding socially and economically disadvantaged people to develop their musical talents. In Sheffield, this means backing schools, community groups and individuals who use music to improve wellbeing, inclusion and opportunity, especially for those facing hardship.
From funding music classes and instrument purchases to supporting workshops for pupils with special educational needs, the Foundation’s grants aim to remove financial barriers so that music is not reserved for those who can pay. Partnering with schools like Hillsborough Primary shows how modest, well-directed funding can help sustain high-quality music education in financially difficult times.
Across the UK, the cost-of-living crisis and long-term cuts to arts and education budgets are putting intense pressure on music services and school music offers. Rising fees for lessons, ensembles and instrument hire risk turning music into a luxury rather than a universal right, with children from lower-income families most likely to miss out.
By continuing to offer small grants on a rolling basis, alongside a limited number of larger project grants, the Foundation is intentionally directing resources where they can protect and expand access to music education. Supporting Hillsborough Primary School is part of a wider commitment to ensuring that, even in difficult financial times, Sheffield’s children can still find joy, confidence and community through the power of music.