The Venezuelan El Sistema - of immersive musical education as a means of helping some of its most deprived and vulnerable children - has made international stars of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, as well as helping an estimated 330,000 children across the country who are now members of orchestras.

In Harmony, a pilot project inspired by the Sistema which has been running in Liverpool, is now being extended and will be joined by two further areas in the north benefitting from grants of £500,000 each from the Arts Council of England and the Department of Education. Over the next three years, Opera North will be working with Windmill primary school in south Leeds while the Sage in Gateshead and the Northern Sinfonia will be working with children from Hawthorn primary school and Ashfield nursery in Newcastle.

Results from the pilot scheme in Liverpool, where the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic worked with West Everton's Faith primary school, were fairly spectacular – in a normal year, 20% of the pupils exceed their teachers' expectations in academic achievement, in 2009-10, after the children started working on the Sistema, 78% of them exceeded expectations. The head teacher, Sister Moira Meeghan, was delighted, saying:

In Harmony is transforming the school and has brought a new energy to our community.

The children in West Everton were all given access to a musical instrument, and seven hours a week of music. As well as taking part in a number of orchestras and other ensembles, many of them also attended master classes with Tamsin Little, with the Simon Bolivar Quartet from Venezuela and with musicians from the Liverpool Philharmonic.

In Harmony, which was founded by the cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber, aims to improve children's wellbeing, self-confidence and social skills, and improved attainment in literacy and numeracy as well as developing musical skills.

In Leeds, In Harmony will focus on the children and wider school community of Windmill primary, aiming to transform aspirations and learning outcomes for children through a programme of high quality music tuition and regular performance opportunities. The school, where 92% of children come from families classified as 'hard-pressed' and 60% are eligible for free school meals, was selected through extensive consultation with the Local Education Authority, based on the potential to create the greatest impact for children and their families.

All 300 children in Windmill primary school will take part in transformational music activities, both within curriculum time and as free extra-curricular activities. From the outset, all Year 1-6 pupils will have the opportunity to play in an orchestra and receive their own instrument. For younger children, the focus will initially be on daily singing activities, which will develop musicianship skills.

Rebecca Walsh, Director of Education at Opera North, commented:

Opera North is thrilled to have been awarded a grant to take In Harmony to Belle Isle in South Leeds. The project will place music at the heart of school life, creating new opportunities which have the potential to transform and inspire the lives of the children and community of Windmill Primary School. Opera North has a strong track record of delivering immersive and long-term education programmes in communities, and the In Harmony grant enables us to develop and extend this work on an unprecedented scale for the Company.

Nick Forbes, who is both Leader of Newcastle city council and a member of the Northern Sinfonia's Chorus, is also enthusiastic, saying:

As a passionate supporter of classical music in education, I am really excited to see the In Harmony project being launched in the west end of Newcastle. The project will give young people the chance to immerse themselves in the world of classical music, learn a new instrument, and make music together which is both challenging and rewarding. The whole school community will be getting in on the act, so parents can support their children as they learn, and I'm confident this experience will help inspire the children to future success in their lives.

As well as Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle, other In Harmony projects are underway or will start soon in London, Nottingham and Telford.