Director of Performing Arts

King's College School Chengdu, in South West China, is seeking to appoint an inspirational, accomplished and talented individual to take overall responsibility for the curricular and co-curricular performing arts programmes at a new school that aspires to become one of the leading schools in Asia. 

Reporting directly to the Executive Principal and working in close collaboration with our music and drama specialists, the post-holder will promote excellence in teaching, learning and achievement, and will develop and grow a deep-rooted culture of enjoyment of the performing arts at all levels.

About the School

King’s College School Chengdu has been formed through partnership between the prestigious King’s College School, Wimbledon, one of the most academically successful schools in the world, and the highly successful Chinese education group, Dipont Education. Opening in September 2021, the school will serve over 2,100 students from ages 3-18 at capacity.

King's College School Chengdu will follow the successful development of Nanwai King’s College School and RDFZ King’s College School in Wuxi and Hangzhou respectively.

Representing a new standard of bilingual education in China, our network of schools provide for both local and international pupils via an innovative model that combines Chinese and western approaches to learning and academic excellence, in the context of first-rate pastoral support and opportunities to excel outside the classroom. Our goal is to produce confident, articulate young people with a broad set of life skills who will go on to attend universities across the world.

Our students will progress through three phases of the school: early years, primary/middle and senior school. The Chinese curriculum will be delivered in both Chinese and English (utilising international pedagogy) throughout the compulsory curriculum phases between Grade 1 and Grade 9. IGCSE and A Level will be delivered in the Senior School, with the IBDP implemented in the future.

As has been the case with our schools in Wuxi and Hangzhou (now in their third years), we expect our students to very quickly embrace the holistic style of education and inquiry-based pedagogy employed.

The performing arts facilities at King’s will be outstanding and include a 600-seat theatre, 130-seat black box theatre, specialist classrooms, practice rooms and a dance studio.  First-class laboratories, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, a 400m running track, an Olympic 50m indoor pool, and a fitness and weight training suite, will also feature on our iconic new campus, which will be located to the north east of the city centre, with beautiful hills and open green spaces surrounding it. The district is being developed for high-end residential projects and as an area for leisure and tourism. 

About Chengdu

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, in South West China, and is famous for its rich history, fascinating culture, spicy cuisine and relaxed lifestyle. It has been named as one of the happiest cities in China on 12 consecutive occasions by Oriental Outlook magazine and is also home to the Giant Panda research and breeding centre, a wonderful facility that welcomes millions of visitors each year. With an urban population of over 10 million, Chengdu’s economy has grown substantially in the last decade and its international airport has direct flights to a wide range of domestic and international destinations.

About the Role

The Director of Performing Arts will be directly responsible to the Executive Principal. In overseeing the performing arts, the successful candidate will liaise closely with music and drama specialists and retain responsibility for the planning and teaching of their subject within the department. The post-holder will also be expected to work closely with the Director of Teaching and Learning on establishing a compelling co-curricular programme for the performing arts.

The appointee will be an inspiring educator, technically knowledgeable, with a sound understanding of best practice and a passion for promoting and delivering the school-wide participation in the performing arts that is a hallmark of leading independent schools.

In this crucial role, the Director of Performing Arts will demonstrate strong but consultative leadership, offering all members of the department the opportunity to contribute to planning and policy-making, share ideas and resources. An essential aspect of the role is to promote active involvement from the school’s classroom teaching staff in supporting performing arts activities and events. Strong communication skills will be essential as the post-holder seeks to develop the interest and involvement of pupils, parents and colleagues in the ever-evolving performing arts culture of this new school.

In short, this exciting post will offer the successful candidate a unique opportunity to set an innovative course for the performing arts that will reap the benefit of best-in-class facilities and the collective ambition of the school to aspire to world-class standards. The Director of Performing Arts will need to be receptive to new ideas and challenges, culturally aware and willing to contribute fully to all areas of what will be a premium independent school.

The post will be suitable for candidates with:

• Outstanding teaching and performing arts credentials (in music or drama)
• The drive to promote excellence in teaching, learning and achievement
• Experience in successfully directing musical performances, musicals and/or plays
• A willingness to work across the varying age groups and demonstrate a flexibility of approach
• A high level of organisation and the ability to demonstrate initiative
• A Trinity, Guildhall or ABRSM diploma, or equivalent, would be advantageous to applicants.

This exciting and challenging role commands a very attractive salary and benefits package and will commence in August 2021, allowing the successful candidate to participate in pre-opening induction ahead of the school launch in September 2021.

In addition to a highly competitive salary, benefits will include high quality housing, bonus scheme, annual return airfare and medical insurance for the employee plus dependents. Full tuition support will be provided for a successful applicant with school age children. The position will be offered on an initial three-year contract term with the opportunity to renew thereafter.

Application Process

Early application preferred. To submit an application, please visit:

https://diponteducation.recruitee.com/o/director-of-performing-arts

For further information or informal discussion (prior to application), please email oliver.knapman@dipont.com with a copy of your CV.