Sunderland schools engage with the freelance music tutors or agencies of their choice to deliver the music education that is right for their students. Sunderland Music Hub keeps a list of music tutors to be considered by schools for matching with their pupils. Schools are able to log into a password-protected online portal where, with their consent, tutor details will be listed, and schools can contact tutors directly to enquire whether they are available and interested in supporting their pupils. To be included in the online tutor portal tutors have:

• Given us their consent for us to hold and share their details
• Have an up-to-date DBS check and be included in the DBS Update Service
• Provided information about their skills and experience
• Provided a referee who we have contacted for a reference. Permission has been sought from the referee to share the reference with schools
• Met with a member of the Music Hub team
• Completed safeguarding training provided by either Together for Children or by a third-party provider and be able to evidence this.

Accessing the Online Music Tutor Database

The online tutor portal can be found on the Sunderland Traded Services site here and which every Sunderland school has access to. Music tutors are categorised into instrument family; once you click on an instrument family you will see a list of tutors who are able to provide tuition. If you click on a tutor name you will find their biography, experience, and contact information (which is posted on the right-hand side of the page). A visual guide of this process is available here. You are welcome to contact the tutors directly and we recommend including the following information in your email or phone call: 

• Type of tuition (e.g. Whole Class Ensemble Tuition, one-to-one, large group etc.)
• Year group(s) of students
• Number of students
• Days of the week and time (the more flexible you can be about this the easier it will be to find a tutor who is available to work with you)

Important information for schools commissioning a music tutor

While Sunderland Music Hub does perform some simple checks to help determine whether each tutor meets some essential criteria to be included on the list, it remains the school’s statutory responsibility to complete all relevant checks in full. Schools should ensure they are familiar with the government regulatory guidance, “Keeping Children Safe in Education”. Please note that not all pre-employment checks referenced in “Keeping Children Safe” may apply, since the music tutor will be employed as a freelance contractor as a commissioned service, rather than a direct employee of the school. Here is a checklist schools may wish to use as a guide, while referring to your own school’s individual policies:

• View a copy of the tutor’s enhanced DBS check, including children’s barred list information. Note that when using the DBS Update Service, you still need to obtain the original physical certificate.
• Verify the tutor’s identity to be sure that the person is who they claim to be. A birth certificate is considered best practice for advance identity checks, but photographic ID is recommended when the individual arrives on site. Further identification checking guidelines can be found on the www.gov.uk website.
• Identify whether there are any reasonable adjustments the school will need to take into account for the tutor to be able to have fair access to work.
• If the person has lived or worked outside the UK, make any further checks your school considers appropriate.
• Has the tutor been prohibited from teaching? The school should complete the usual prohibition checks for music tutors and also may need to be aware of the definition of “teaching work” (see The Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012: regulation 3) and whether this applies to the tutor’s role in the school’s specific educational establishment type.
• Ensure the school is satisfied that the tutor has the appropriate skills and experience for the services you expect them to provide. This might be by checking relevant qualifications or by seeking one or more references.
• Record the tutor and their details on the school’s single central record.
• Issue an appropriate contract to the tutor. A suggested template contract is included on the online tutor database.
• Check whether IR35 is relevant – for more information see Check employment status for tax – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Verify that the tutor has received appropriate, recent Safeguarding training.
• Provide an appropriate induction package to the tutor. They will need to see your school’s relevant policies such as the staff code of conduct, equality and diversity policy for working with children, details of the safeguarding lead and procedures, any practical guidance around parking and classroom location, and any other induction they may require.
• Check the tutor is aware of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the importance of protecting personal data.
• Be clear on how your school will quality assure the tutor’s work and ensure the tutor is aware and understand the process – see our Quality Assurance Framework, included on the online tutor database.

We always recommend that a contract be in place between a school and freelance tutor before any work is undertaken. If your school has their own contract, they are welcome to use this. Alternatively, a contract template is available for download on Traded Services, or by contacting the Music Hub.

If you have any questions about the Online Music Tutor Portal, please get in touch with James.Hayes@sunderland.gov.uk.