What schools are asked to do

• Have a music development plan, as set out in the .
• Publish a summary of it on the school website (first due before the 2024 to 2025 academic year).
• Update that summary before the start of each new academic year.

The template itself is not mandatory and schools can adapt it, for example by splitting it by key stage. Your local can help you write yours.

How to use this example: the school, names and partners below are invented. Swap in your own details, keep the four headings (curriculum music, co-curricular music, musical experiences, in the future), and write for parents: plain language, concrete times and costs, and what pupils actually get.

Music development plan summary: Oakfield Primary School (example)

Overview

This summary sets out how Oakfield Primary School delivers music education, in line with the . It covers what we offer this year, what we plan for future years, and how we work with Northshire Music Hub. It is written for parents, carers and pupils, and for anyone who wants to know more about music at Oakfield.

Part A: Curriculum music

This is about what we teach in lesson time.

Every class at Oakfield has at least one hour of music each week, made up of a timetabled lesson plus singing in class and assembly. Our curriculum follows the national curriculum for music and is informed by the DfE’s non-statutory Model Music Curriculum.

How music is taught

• Lessons are taught by class teachers, supported by our music lead, using a planned scheme that builds year on year.
• Pupils listen to and talk about a wide range of music, from classical and film music to pop, jazz and music from around the world.
• Singing is part of every lesson, and the whole school sings together in a weekly singing assembly.
• Pupils record and share their work, so they can hear how they have progressed.

Supporting all pupils

Lessons are adapted so that every pupil can take part. This includes adapted instruments and beaters, visual and symbol-supported notation, ear defenders where helpful, and extra adult support. Our music lead works with our SENCo to plan for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Qualifications and awards

Pupils who take instrumental lessons can work towards graded exams through their tutor. Year 4 pupils taking part in whole-class ukulele receive a certificate from Northshire Music Hub at the end of the year.

Part B: Co-curricular music

This is about opportunities for pupils to sing and play music outside of lesson time.

Pupils can sing and play outside lessons in free school ensembles and in paid instrumental lessons, with help available for families who need it.

Help with costs

Pupils eligible for pupil premium, and children looked after, can have instrumental lessons free of charge. Other families facing hardship can apply to Northshire Music Hub’s remissions scheme; our school office can help with this.

Instruments and practice space

Pupils can borrow an instrument from the hub for their first year of lessons. Our music room is available before school and at lunchtime for pupils to rehearse and practise.

Progression beyond Oakfield

We signpost pupils to Northshire Music Hub’s Saturday music centre and area ensembles, so they can keep playing and play with pupils from other schools.

Part C: Musical experiences

This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise.

Every pupil performs at least once a term and sees live music at least once a year, at no cost to families unless shown below.

Every week

• A whole-school singing assembly.
• Live music played as pupils enter and leave assembly, often performed by pupils.
• A “piece of the week” that pupils listen to and talk about in class.

In the future

This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.

Over the next two years we will widen the range of instruments pupils can learn and give more pupils the chance to keep playing after Year 4.

We will review these plans with pupils, parents and the hub each summer, and update this summary before the start of each academic year.

Further information (optional)

To find out more about music at Oakfield, contact our music lead, Mrs J. Patel, through the school office. Northshire Music Hub’s website lists instrumental lessons, area ensembles and its local plan for music education, and explains how to apply for help with costs.

Tips for writing your own Music Development Plan

The national plan sets out seven features of high-quality school music. Readers of your summary will look for them, so make sure each one is easy to find. Here is where this example covers each.

Common gaps to avoid

• Leaving the DfE’s guidance text in the published page. The template asks you to delete it before publishing.
• Saying “opportunities are offered where appropriate” instead of naming the club, day and cost.
• Leaving out costs and the help available. Parents want to know what they will pay.
• Forgetting the review date, then not updating the summary before the new academic year.
• Not saying how pupils with SEND take part.

Final Note on writing your Music Development Plan

This post is just an example to use as you wish, please double check all information and that the requirements requested by the DfE are all met.

The post Publishing a Music Development Plan on your school website appeared first on realsmart.

Now and next, from any page

The lesson button in the bar shows the lesson you’re teaching now, or your next one, with the class code and room. Tap it to see the whole day, with how long is left of this lesson and what’s next. Tap a day to look ahead. A gap of 50 minutes or more that isn’t lunch shows as Free.

Today and your week on the Launchpad

Your Launchpad opens with your next lesson and today’s classes in a row. See my week shows Monday to Friday on one page, with a Week A or Week B label if your school uses them, and arrows to look at next week.

Coming up: Classroom work and events

Coming up lists Google Classroom work due in your classes over the next 7 days, with how many pupils have handed in so far, so you can see at a glance who to chase. It also lists school events from the Smart Parents app for the next two weeks. Cancelled events stay on the list, marked Cancelled, until the date passes.

Classroom figures refresh once a day, at 16:00.

Pin apps and add your own links

Tap Edit my apps to put your apps in your own order and pin the ones you use every day. They also appear first in the bar. Add your own links too, such as a planning folder or a booking page, each with its own picture and colour. Only you see them.

Tap Change background to pick a picture, gradient or colour, and use the moon button for dark mode.

My apps in the admin

If you use the Realsmart admin, the My apps button in its top bar now opens your own Launchpad apps, in your order and with your own links.

Profile: password, photo and look

Tap your picture in the bar and choose Profile to change your password and photo, and to pick light or dark, an accent colour, tile size and background. Your school’s password rules apply, and the page shows them as you type.

The bell

The bell in the bar is where Realsmart tells you about new features. We keep it short, and each notice links to a guide like this one.

Find out more

• (help guide)
• (help guide)
• Make the Launchpad your own

Need a hand? Email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post Your Launchpad and timetable appeared first on realsmart.

1. Make sure your timetable reaches Realsmart

The timetable comes from your MIS through Wonde, or straight from SOS if your school uses it. For Wonde schools, check that:

• your school is connected to Wonde and has approved Realsmart’s access, including timetable (lessons and classes) data;
• pupils and staff are matched to your MIS in Realsmart, so they have Wonde ids.

Anyone without timetable data sees “Your timetable isn’t available yet” instead of an empty day, so nothing looks broken while you sort it out. SOS schools are supported in the same way.

2. Choose who sees the timetable and Coming up

In ADAdmin, open School settings and select the Launchpad tab. Four switches let you show the timetable and Coming up to pupils and to staff separately. Everything is on until you switch it off, and changes reach people within about an hour.

If your school has neither Classroom reporting nor Smart Parents events, the two Coming up switches are greyed out. The next two steps switch those on.

3. Switch on Google Classroom reporting

Go to Google Workspace → Classroom and tick Classroom reporting. Coming up then shows pupils the work due in the next 7 days that they haven’t handed in, with a button to open it in Classroom, and shows teachers how many in each class have handed in. The reporting data refreshes once a day at 16:00.

4. Put school events in Coming up with Smart Parents

Events you create in the Smart Parents app appear in Coming up for pupils and staff as well as for parents.

1. Open Smart Parents. On the Settings tab, make sure the app is enabled.
2. Set Calendar source to Events created here and save. A school uses one source or the other: events created here can take sign-ups; a Google Calendar is read only.
3. On the Events tab, select New event, add the date, time and place, and publish it.

Coming up shows events in the next 14 days. If you cancel one, it stays on the list marked Cancelled until the date passes, so nobody turns up by mistake.

5. Set your school’s Launchpad: order, pins and backgrounds

Your school’s app order is everyone’s starting point. Go to Apps → Ordering to choose which apps are starred and the order they appear in. Pupils and staff start from that order and can then pin, move and add their own.

Apps → Personal layouts decides how much people can change: arranging and pinning apps, adding their own links, and whether pupils can hide school apps. It’s also where you can keep the old Launchpad design for now. Backgrounds are each person’s own choice, from the Realsmart picture library, gradients and colours.

If someone’s Launchpad gets in a muddle, open them under Users, go to the Launchpad tab and select Reset their layout.

6. Check your password and picture rules

Everyone now has a Profile page, opened from their picture in the Realsmart bar, where they change their own password and photo and choose their look. Profile follows your school’s rules:

• School settings → Password: the password policy (including the DfE standard), minimum lengths and complexity. Disable student passwords stops pupils changing their own password; you can also do this for chosen year groups, or for one pupil from their record. Staff can always change their own.
• School settings → Profile: Disable student profile pictures and Disable teacher profile pictures stop pupils or staff changing their own photo.

7. Put the Launchpad on your school website

If your website runs on Realsmart, add the Realsmart Launchpad block to any page, such as a pupil or staff dashboard. Signed-in visitors see their own apps and links; everyone else sees a Sign in with Realsmart button.

Help guides

For pupils and staff, share What’s in your Launchpad and Your Launchpad and timetable.

Need a hand? Email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post Set up the new Launchpad for your school appeared first on realsmart.

See what lesson you have now

Look at the bar along the top of the page. The lesson button tells you what’s on now, or what’s next, and which room it’s in. Tap it to see your whole day, with a bar showing how long is left. Tap a day, such as Tue, to see that day’s lessons.

See your week

Tap See my week to see Monday to Friday on one page. Each subject has its own colour, and today is picked out. Use the arrows to look at next week.

On a day off, such as half term, your Launchpad tells you when school is back.

Work that’s due and school events

Coming up shows Google Classroom work due in the next week that you haven’t handed in yet, with a button to open it in Classroom. It also shows school events, such as trips and assemblies. If an event is cancelled, it says Cancelled.

Classroom work updates once a day, after school. If you hand something in during the day, it may still show until the next morning.

Make the Launchpad your own

Tap Edit my apps, then tap the star on an app to pin it to the top. Tap Done when you have finished.

Tap Change background to pick a picture, a gradient or a colour.

The moon button switches between light and dark.

Change your password and photo

Tap your picture in the bar and choose Profile. There you can change your password, change your photo and choose how your Launchpad looks. Your school chooses the rules, so you might not be able to change everything.

• Pick a password you can remember but nobody can guess. Three random words work well.
• Never tell anyone your password, even a friend.
• If you forget it, ask your teacher.

The bell

The bell in the bar shows notices from Realsmart about new things to try. A dot means there’s something you haven’t read yet.

Want to know more?

Read Make the Launchpad your own for more ways to arrange your apps, or ask your teacher.

Need a hand? Email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post What’s in your Launchpad appeared first on realsmart.

One Launchpad, everywhere you sign in

The Launchpad now looks and behaves the same wherever you meet it: on the Launchpad page itself, and in the My apps menu in the bar on your school website. Your pinned apps sit in the bar, so the apps you use most are always one click away. Change something in one place and it is changed everywhere.

Arrange your apps

Choose Edit my apps to move apps around. Drag them, or use the arrow buttons if dragging is fiddly. Tap the star to pin an app so it sits at the front and in the bar on your school website. Tap Done when you have finished; there is nothing else to save.

Staff can also hide apps they never use, and bring them back at any time from Hidden apps. Pupils can unpin and reorder, but they cannot hide the apps their school has chosen for them, unless the school allows it. Nobody can ever see an app the school has not made available to them.

Add your own links

Everyone can add up to 30 links of their own, such as a club page, a planning document or a favourite revision site. Give the link a name, paste in the web address, and pick a picture and a colour for its tile, or use the website’s own icon. Your links appear under My links, and only you can see them.

Choose a background

The top of the Launchpad, and of the My apps menu, can now have a background: sunny hills, under the sea, starry space, soft gradients or a plain colour. Choose Change background and pick one. Every background comes from the Realsmart picture library, chosen with schools in mind, so pupils can make the Launchpad feel like theirs without anyone uploading pictures. We will keep adding to the library.

Light, dark, colour and size

In Change the look you can pick light, dark or match your device, one of five colour themes, and small, medium or big tiles. You can also turn app names off if you prefer just the pictures. Pupils in primary schools start with big tiles, which are easier to spot and to tap, and anyone can change their own size.

For school admins

In ADAdmin, go to Apps and open the new Personal layouts tab. There you can choose whether people can arrange and pin their apps, whether they can add their own links, and whether learners can hide school apps. You can also switch the new Launchpad off for your school if you need more time. Changes reach everyone within a minute.

If someone gets in a muddle, open their account under Users and go to the Launchpad tab. You can see exactly how their Launchpad is arranged, and Reset their layout puts it back to your school’s order. Their own links are kept.

Coming soon: the Launchpad on your school website

Lots of schools build a pupil or staff dashboard page on their website. Soon you will be able to drop the Launchpad straight onto any page with a new Realsmart Launchpad block. Whoever is signed in sees their own apps, in their own order, and visitors who are not signed in see a button to sign in.

Tell us what you think

There is a new help guide, Let people arrange their own Launchpad, in the Help section of ADAdmin. If you have ideas for new backgrounds, or something does not work the way you expect, ask us through Beacon. As ever, most of what is here came from schools asking for it.

The post Make the Launchpad your own: arrange apps, add links and choose a background appeared first on realsmart.

What happened

The PHP project released fixes for two related flaws (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, sometimes called “php2shell”). In some circumstances they could let an attacker run their own code on a web server without logging in. They affected almost every organisation that runs PHP, not Realsmart in particular.

What we did

• Prepared before the fix arrived. We identified every system we run that uses PHP, so we were ready the moment the fix was released.
• Added protection within the hour. We switched off the part of PHP one of the flaws could be reached through, on every system.
• Installed the fix the same day. Every Realsmart-hosted website and system was running the fixed version by 7pm, and we checked each one.
• Removed what wasn’t needed. We took PHP off systems that didn’t use it, and every new server we start now begins with the fixed version.

Websites stayed available throughout.

What we found

We reviewed every server we run for schools, back to the day news of the flaws first appeared. We saw the routine automated scanning every website on the internet receives, and all of it was rejected. We found no evidence that the flaws were used against us, and no sign that any school’s website or personal data was affected.

What you need to do

Nothing. Your website, logins and content are unchanged. If your website runs on Smartpress, staff who sign in will also see a short notice about this on their dashboard until 4 November.

For your data protection officer

We’ve written a short statement for data protection officers, with a timeline of what we did, how we checked, and what it means under UK GDPR. You’re welcome to keep it with your records.

If you have any questions, email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post A critical PHP security flaw: what we did on 21 October appeared first on realsmart.

Everything here is already on your website. Some features are off until you switch them on, so we have said how for each one. They are all free, as every update is with Realsmart.

A new menu for phones, on every school website

Most parents visit on a phone, and every one of them uses the menu. We have redesigned it for all of our schools. Search now comes first, the rows are bigger and easier to tap, submenus open in place, and the page you are on is clearly marked. The close button is always in reach. It takes its colours from your own website, so it looks like yours from day one. There is nothing to switch on.

Calendars you can page through

Smart WP Calendar can now show your events as a calendar, not just a list. Visitors can move through it by week, month or year, and the year view can start in September so it follows the school year. Use the Copy calendar view shortcode button in Calendar Options and paste it onto any page. Existing calendar pages stay exactly as they are.

FAQs you can edit, and a chat that answers from them

Smart FAQ now has one home under Smart Plugins → Smart FAQ, with tabs for your settings, your questions and their categories. When a visitor asks the FAQ chat something you have already answered, it gives them your written answer, word for word, before it searches the rest of your website.

Policies, laid out your way

Smart Policy Manager can now import the PDFs from an existing policies page in one go, so moving to it takes minutes rather than an afternoon. Each group of policies can be shown as a list, a grid, a table, simple links, an accordion, or a magazine-style flipbook, with your own colours.

Posts that take themselves down

Turn on Smart Post Expiry in Smart Plugins and every post gets a date and time to unpublish it. That is useful for a trip reminder, a one-off closure notice or a job advert. When the time comes the post goes back to draft. Nothing is deleted, and you can publish it again whenever you like.

Know when a post is waiting for review

If staff write posts that a senior leader approves, turn on Smart Approvals. Reviewers get an email when a post is submitted, and the author hears back when it is published.

A plain-English reading age

Parents read your website at every level, and many read it in a second language. Beside the editor you will now see a reading age in UK years for the page you are writing. It updates as you type, so you can see straight away when a sentence has got too long. Your Compliance screen shows the reading age of your pages and documents too.

Smaller things you might notice

• The Realsmart bar in your dashboard. If you sign in through Realsmart, the bar you know from your website now sits at the top of the dashboard as well, so you can move between your apps without leaving it.
• One look for our settings screens. Every Realsmart settings screen now has the same tidy layout, so they are easier to find your way around.
• Smart Lock. Lock your homepage so it cannot be changed by accident. Realsmart support can still open it when you ask us to help.

We have also written separate posts on three bigger changes: your vacancies on Google Jobs, bigger uploads and iPhone photos and a cookie banner that really asks. Beyond your website, there is news on safer sign-in, with 2FA for every admin and what is new in Realsmart Sync and ADAdmin. And if you want to know what is coming, read what we are working on next.

Want any of this switched on?

You can turn most features on yourself under Smart Plugins in your dashboard. If you would rather we did it, or you would like a hand setting something up, email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post What’s new on your Realsmart website: October 2026 appeared first on realsmart.

Trust Hub: one place to run a trust’s websites

Trust leaders have told us the same thing again and again. They are responsible for a dozen school websites, and checking them means opening a dozen tabs.

Trust Hub is a new area on a trust’s own website, for the people who look after the whole trust. It is already running with our first pilot trust, where it lists every school in the trust with its website compliance score, so leaders can see at a glance which schools need attention.

Over the coming months we are adding:

• A trust overview that brings together compliance, recent activity and anything that needs a decision.
• A board-ready report you can take to trustees.
• A weekly summary email on Monday morning.
• Publishing to every school from one place: news, policies and announcements written once by the trust and shared to its schools, with each school able to approve them first.

Ofsted alerts for the trust, not just the school

Our website compliance check can already tell a school when a visit to its website looks like an Ofsted review. Soon the trust can be told too. In Trust Hub, trust leaders will choose who should receive these alerts, so the central team hears at the same time as the school.

Smart Writer: an AI writing assistant built for schools

Smart Writer sits in the page and post editors and helps staff write. It can draft a post from a few notes, rewrite something for parents, shorten a long letter, or suggest alt text for an image. It was built around a few rules that matter in schools:

• It writes in British English: mum, colour, organise.
• It never makes up facts. When it needs a date, a time or a name it does not have, it leaves a clear marker for you to fill in.
• It follows your school’s style: the words you use, the words you avoid, and how you sign off letters.
• You stay in charge. Nothing is published until you choose to publish it.

Smart Writer will be off unless a school chooses to switch it on. We will share more, including how to try it, very soon.

The biggest Smart Parents update yet

The next update to the Smart Parents app brings school news in each parent’s own language, School Story with photo consent built in, and conversations on notices. Read what is coming to Smart Parents.

Tell us what you need

Much of what is on this list came from conversations with schools and trusts. If there is something your website should do and does not, we would love to hear it. Email support@realsmart.co.uk, or ask at your next check-in.

The post What we’re working on next: autumn 2026 appeared first on realsmart.

School news in each parent’s language

For many families, English is not the language they read most easily at home. The app will now show school content in the language a parent’s phone is set to, with the original English always alongside. That includes notice titles and messages, events, calendar entries, behaviour and achievement, and timetable subjects. Notices are translated when a parent opens them, and staff write exactly as they do today.

School Story: a window into the school day

School Story is a feed of photos and moments from school life, posted by staff from the app and shared with the school’s families.

Photo consent is built in from the start:

• Every photo is tagged with the pupils in it, or marked as showing nobody who could be recognised.
• Consent starts at no. Schools record it from their paper forms, one pupil or a whole class at a time, and parents can answer for their own child in the app.
• Any no wins. A photo is only shown when every pupil in it has consent.
• Parents see this school year’s posts. Older posts are archived, and staff can still see them.

Conversations on notices

When staff send a notice, they can choose to allow comments. A parent can ask “what time does it start?”, and a teacher’s answer is seen by everyone the notice reached, which saves a dozen emails asking the same thing. Comments are off unless the sender ticks Allow comments, and staff can hide any comment. Parents can report a comment or hide comments from another parent, and we are told about every report.

Your school’s colours

Schools can choose the app’s accent colour in ADAdmin, so the app feels like yours. We check every colour so text stays easy to read.

For staff

• A new notice composer in ADAdmin, with a cover picture, up to five attachments, a preview of how it will look on a phone, and a live count of how many parents it will reach.
• Teacher mode across a trust. Trust staff can send notices to any of their schools from the app.
• Safer parent sign-in. Parents who forget their password get a six-digit code by email, rather than a link.

And something for the children

Kids mode gives each child a monster of their own to look after. They earn coins from the praise their teachers give in school, then spend them in the monster shop and on mini games.

When

We will let schools know as soon as the update is in the App Store and Google Play. If your school would like Smart Parents, or you want to know whether any of this is switched on for you, email support@realsmart.co.uk.

The post Coming soon to Smart Parents: your language, School Story and conversations appeared first on realsmart.

Admins always use two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) means signing in takes your password and something only you have, such as a code from an app on your phone. It stops almost every attack that relies on a stolen or guessed password.

From now on, every admin and owner account at every school uses 2FA, whatever the school’s other 2FA settings say. Realsmart’s own support accounts do too.

• You have 14 days. Each admin has 14 days from their next sign-in to set it up. Until then, sign-in works as usual, and the launchpad shows the date with a Set it up now button.
• After that date, admins are taken to set up 2FA before they can carry on. It takes about two minutes.
• No exemptions for admins. Admin accounts cannot be exempted from 2FA, and your school’s trusted IP addresses no longer let an admin skip it.
• See who still needs to do it. In ADAdmin, a list shows the admins at your school who are not using 2FA yet.

Your school’s own settings for staff and students work as before. If you have Enable 2FA for all staff or Enable 2FA for all students turned on, it now takes effect at each person’s very next sign-in, including people your MIS sync added minutes ago. You can also give people a few days to set it up, under School settings → Password.

Passkeys: 2FA without typing a code

A passkey lets your phone, laptop or security key confirm it is you, with your fingerprint, face or device PIN. There is no code to type, and nothing an attacker can trick you into handing over. You can now use a passkey as your second step, alongside or instead of an authenticator app. If you already use an app, the launchpad will offer to add a passkey too.

Choose how long sign-ins last

By default, people stay signed in on a device until they sign out. That is convenient, but not ideal on a shared classroom computer or a laptop left in the staffroom. Schools can now set limits under School settings → Password → Sign-in sessions:

• Staff are signed out after a session length you choose (12 hours unless you change it) or after a spell with nothing done (60 minutes unless you change it).
• Students are signed out at the end of the school day (6pm unless you change it), so the next pupil on a shared device starts fresh. Students who sign in later in the evening for homework stay signed in until the end of that day.

This is off until you turn it on.

An acceptable use policy at sign-in

Schools can now ask staff, students or both to accept their acceptable use policy when they sign in. You write the policy (or link to it) under School settings → Acceptable use policy. You can also ask people to accept it again each academic year, and see who has and has not accepted. This is off until you switch it on.

A warning before leaving for another website

If you want an extra safeguard against phishing links, you can turn on a short page that appears after sign-in when a link leads somewhere outside Realsmart and your school. It names the website before opening it. Turn it on under School settings → Password → Other websites.

What you need to do

1. Admins: set up 2FA the next time the launchpad asks. You will need your phone.
2. Check the list of admins not yet using 2FA, and give anyone who is stuck a nudge.
3. Think about session limits, especially if pupils share devices.

If anyone is locked out or unsure what to do, email support@realsmart.co.uk and we will help them get set up.

The post Safer sign-in for every school: 2FA for admins, passkeys and session limits appeared first on realsmart.