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Head of Music

Head of Music

Holmewood House School

Kent

  • Quick apply
  • Expired
Salary:
Term time working, generous employer contributory pension, free parking and free lunch/refreshments
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Start date:
September 2023
Apply by:
20 February 2023

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop the music department.

About Holmewood House School

Holmewood House is a prestigious independent Prep School of 440+ pupils aged 3-13 years just outside Tunbridge Wells. The School is a happy and supportive working environment, where we pride ourselves on the exceptional provision for our pupils and staff in all areas.

The school wholeheartedly believes that emotional and social well-being, self-esteem, happiness and confidence are of prime importance and are in themselves inextricably linked to academic progress. Staff are excited by the curiosity and thirst for learning that each child, regardless of their ability, naturally displays. They work hard to allow each child to ask why, to query and to have the time to develop their thoughts into fresh discoveries and innovations and, in doing so, overcome the challenges faced. The end result is the celebration of learning – a reward in its own right!

The relationship between home and school is of fundamental importance in ensuring every child is surrounded by the love, care and guidance which they require as they make their way through their educational journey. In short, the partnership allows the children to enjoy the most important journey of all: childhood.

Commitment to safeguarding

Holmewood House is committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and all staff, volunteers and other third parties are expected to share this commitment. The school adopts a rigorous safer recruitment process which is adhered to in the appointment of all new members of staff. As part of the safer recruitment process, all applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including, but not limited to, checks with past employers and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

For further information about Holmewood House please visit our website www.holmewoodhouse.co.uk

The Music Department

Our pupils achieve notable success every year with Scholarships to Senior Schools - some are now professional soloists having trained at UK’s leading Conservatoires. Pupils regularly play with The National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain, County Youth Orchestras and have been members of London Junior Conservatoires. The standard is high, and we believe that all children – regardless of experience or ability - or should have a full and exciting musical education at our school from Nursery to Year 8.

We are looking for someone who is ambitious and enthusiastic, with a strong sense of imagination, to create and lead a stimulating Music programme which is fun and stretches and challenges our pupils. 

We need a strong performer who can inspire the pupils to become performers themselves and to gain great pleasure out of being surrounded by Music.

An inspirational and dynamic teacher, you will need to coordinate and lead the planning and teaching of Music throughout the school, as well as liaising with other Heads of Department on creative collaborations. As with all teachers, you will be a form tutor looking after pupil wellbeing both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Essential skills - you will need the ability to:

  • Direct, conduct and develop choirs/ bands accompanying from the piano/keyboard (the ability to play strings would be an advantage).
  • Accompany concerts/services/drama productions
  • Accompany ABRSM exams
  • Identify able musicians and prepare them for scholarships
  • Assist pupils with Aural and ABRSM Theory examination preparation
  • Excellent communication and relationship building skills
  • Make music inclusive and inspirational for all abilities 

Key responsibilities

  • Raise the profile of Music in school and beyond; to really promote Music as an integral part of our school.
  • Lead on all aspects of teaching and learning in Music within the curriculum and beyond, including public examinations and scholarships. To oversee the writing, delivery and review of the schemes of work and ensure the Music department is at the forefront of the latest methods of teaching.
  • To set ambitious targets for the department and to work with SLT to deliver them.
  • To plan an exciting and diverse programme of concerts and music events both informal and formal throughout the year to challenge and showcase the work of different choirs, orchestra, bands, ensembles and individual musicians, whatever their level.
  • To organise and lead a range of events such as visiting speakers, trips, workshops and masterclasses.
  • To build and nurture relationships with senior schools and to work on collaborations with local schools. 
  • Inspire and lead VMT’s to grow the numbers of pupils taking instrumental lessons and to showcase their achievements in assemblies.
  • To collaborate with the Drama Department and other departments as appropriate.
  • To promote a diverse range of musical styles and genres reflecting world music.
  • Monitor the quality of teaching in the department.
  • Lead regular departmental meetings to oversee all aspects of the departments organisation and management and to ensure the schools policies and practices are being delivered.
  • Evaluate pupils progress and attainment and ensure the very best quality of musical education.
  • Manage the department's budget and resourcing.
  • Run departmental clubs and extra-curricular activities.
  • Work with the Assistant Head Learning and Teaching on departmental reviews and target setting.
  • Ensure professional development within the department and oversee the induction of new staff to the department.
  • Present on occasion to the SLT and governors on exciting aspects of music.
  • Attend all whole school staff meetings, professional development and promotional events.
  • Tutor a group of pupils to ensure they are well cared for both academically and pastorally.
  • Write detailed, good quality reports for music and as a tutor.
  • Contribute to wider school life, which may include boarding duties.

Salary

A competitive salary will be offered depending on the skills and experience of the successful candidate.

Pension & School Benefits

The successful candidate will be offered a range of benefits including a generous employer contributory pension, free parking, term-time working and free lunch/ refreshments.

Hours of work

Full Time, Monday – Friday whilst the school is in session plus any additional Inset and staff training days.

Start date

September 2023

Offer

The successful applicant will be offered the role subject to the satisfactory completion of a number of background checks including but not limited to; an enhanced DBS check, the taking up and verification of references, the verification of career history and fitness to undertake the role.

Application

If you wish to be considered for this role, please complete an application form, which can be found on our website at: https://holmewoodhouse.co.uk/staff-vacancies/

The closing date for applications is Monday 20th February.

Attached documents

About Holmewood House School

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+44 1892 860000

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Visit employer website

Holmewood House is a vibrant and thriving Preparatory school located on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. Holmewood House is a non-selective school where, according to our ISI report, “The quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements; and the quality of pupils’ personal development” were both deemed ‘excellent’. We are a busy, welcoming and dynamic school community; our school values of self-belief, aspiration and kindness inform everything we do.

Our beautiful school is set within 30 acres of stunning grounds, equipped with state of the art classroom facilities, a 6 lane, 25m indoor swimming pool and 500 seat theatre, as well as our Learning Hub and Learning Strategies area which are both centrally located within the school to support and enhance our teaching and learning provision for every child.

Our teachers all share a love of the children in their care and all our teachers are Form Teachers or Assistant Form Teachers too, as we believe the pastoral and academic areas of school life as intrinsically linked. We celebrate teachers’ further learning and have supported three different colleagues through two Masters in Education and one MBA respectively in the last two academic years. We welcome colleagues who explicitly connect research with practice and want to bring ideas to the table. Our teachers from all areas of the school can join our Teacher Learner Community, which collaborates to share teaching and learning innovation, research and ideas to support continual development. All teachers have access to in-house drop-in counselling support and in-house coaching, should they wish to work on specific areas of their wellbeing or professional practice. We also have a peer mentoring system in place for both teachers and pupils who are keen for further support and guidance. Many of our teachers volunteer to support pupils and teachers in both these mentoring programs.

We regard these vital preparatory school years as forming the very foundation on which our pupils build their lifelong learning and indeed their lives. We are mindful of the fact that our pupils’ experience of school and of life at this early age will significantly shape the adults that they will become. To this end, we place a strong emphasis on outstanding pastoral care; we nurture the wellbeing of every child to enable them to thrive within an ever changing and fast paced world. We believe ensuring positive mental health in our community is the very foundation of the learning that follows. To this end, our teachers foster the Holmewood House learning behaviours in their lessons and beyond (featured below) so as to develop our pupils’ self-belief, aspiration and kindness, both towards themselves and others. We offer a rich, broad and balanced curriculum and full array of extracurricular sports and activities, to support every pupil in finding their niche and to grow everyone‘s love of learning.

Please note that you are wholly responsible for fact checking in respect of the information provided by schools. Please also check for the latest visa and work permit requirements that may apply. Tes is not responsible for the content of advertisements or the policies adopted by advertising schools. Tes asks that all schools follow Tes' Fair Recruitment Policy.

Applications closed