On Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March, the NSSP held its fourth national conference at Hinsley Hall in Leeds. In attendance were nearly 70 Choral Directors and schools singing programme managers from Catholic dioceses and Anglican cathedrals across the UK, who benefitted from sessions focused on professional development alongside opportunities to share good practice and build relationships with colleagues.

A highlight of 2025’s conference were two sessions with Anita Morrison, a professional soprano, singing teacher and vocal consultant. Her focus was on improving vocal technique when working with children, which she demonstrated in a workshop with Year 5 singers at nearby Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.

Attendees also attended a guided observation of a whole-class singing session led by Lizzie Leather, a Choral Director in the Diocese of Leeds. Megan Nichol, head teacher at Sacred Heart, spoke about how singing programmes provide outstanding opportunities for children that they would not otherwise be able to access, including recording a Radio 4 programme for broadcast on Pentecost at Leeds Cathedral next week.

Delegates also heard from:

• Paula Brookes, Head of Service at ArtForms (a consortium member of West Yorkshire Music Hub), who spoke about how singing in schools forms a core part of the National Plan for Music Education and encouraged delegates building partnerships with their local music hubs.

• Dr Robert Gardiner, Music Education Programme Lead at the Royal Northern College of Music, who introduced a new PGCert qualification offer being launched in September 2025 in partnership with the NSSP.

• Susie York Skinner, CEO of Gabrieli, who spoke about developments in the Gabrieli Roar programme and the opportunities for children singing in after-school choirs provided by NSSP organisations to participate.

On Tuesday evening, delegates were invited to observe the music provision at Leeds Cathedral, observing rehearsals of the Cathedral Children’s Choir, led by Joseph Tilling and Michael Burt, the Cathedral Senior Girls Choir, led by Thomas Leech, and the Cathedral Choral Scholars, led by Lizzie Leather. Delegates joined the Choral Scholars to sing Mass, which included music by William Byrd and a motet composed and conducted by Cathedral Choral Scholar and budding young composer Oliver Heath.

Wednesday focussed on using the musicianship resources included in the NSSP Curriculum, led by Lucinda Geoghegan, the author of the resources and Creative Learning Director at the National Youth Choir of Scotland.