Spontaneity and inspections rarely appear in the same sentence but yesterday afternoon proved the exception. Upon arrival an mid-inspection NBHS, I overheard mention of voluntary meetings with members of the inspection team and NBHS staff with the intention of discussing ACfE and AIFL. I took the liberty of inviting myself along and was welcomed with open arms.

For obvious reasons I cannot divulge names and details but suffice to say it was the first time I’ve sat round a table with colleagues from such diverse disciplines – and that the debate was very lively. The magnitude of current curricular reform and seems to encourage – in fact, requires – thinking out of the box and I found myself questioning aloud the automatic faculty grouping of Music with its traditional bedfellows. I would describe music as a language with an unmistakable numerical component, yet we rarely pursue these associations.