Surrey Arts announces the appointment of two new ‘Lead Schools’ to support music learning across Surrey

Surrey Arts is delighted to announce the appointment of St Joseph’s Specialist Trust (Cranleigh) and Clifton Hill School (Caterham) as ‘Lead Schools’. 

Both schools bring a wide range of experience and expertise which will further develop the current portfolio of Lead Schools.

The Lead Schools scheme was launched in March 2025 as part of an Arts Council initiative to inspire children’s musical learning supporting both mainstream and special schools.  The existing six Lead Schools include George Abbot School, Magna Carta School, Hermitage Junior School, Laleham C of E Primary, Long Ditton St Mary’s, and South Farnham School.

Sarah Lee, Head of Service for Surrey Arts said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to appoint two new schools who are both experts in inclusive education. Our vision is to ensure that all young people across Surrey have access to high quality music experiences and through the appointment of Clifton Hill School and St Joseph’s Specialist Trust, we will be able to further support both mainstream and specialist schools to develop their curriculums, musical opportunities for pupils and inclusive approaches.”

Councillor Denise Turner-Stewart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities said: “Surrey County Council knows that music plays such an important part in the lives of young people in terms of wellbeing, enjoyment and educational success. We are pleased to be able to formalise our partnerships with new Lead Schools and look forward to bringing many more music activities to as many young people as possible in Surrey.”

Since its launch, the Lead Schools project has been a great success, with current Lead Schools working with Surrey Arts, the lead organisation for the Surrey Music Hub, on a variety of musical projects and activities to inspire and engage children and young people whilst also offering support to other schools throughout Surrey.

More information on the Surrey Music Hub and the network of organisations and schools working together can be found here: Surrey Music Hub.

Note for editors:

Surrey Arts, the Arts and Music service for Surrey County Council, receives funding from Arts Council of England to work in partnership across the county to support music development in many settings, including schools. Surrey Arts is the lead organisation for the Surrey Music Hub.