Part Time Teacher of Music

Birkenhead School, founded in 1860, is an HMC independent day school providing education for boys and girls drawn from the whole of the Wirral and as far afield as Chester and North Wales. There are currently some 105 children in Early Years (61 in Nursery aged under 3 years old, 44 in our “Pre-Prep” aged 3 to 5 years old), 325 pupils in the School’s Prep (ages 5-11) and 460 students in Years 7 to Upper Sixth Form. Birkenhead School has been fully co-educational since September 2008, offering the choice of an independent education to all local children. Across the School approximately 40% of students are girls. 

Situated in the leafy suburb of Oxton, the School enjoys excellent facilities. The main campus has a ‘village green’ atmosphere, with classrooms and laboratories looking out over the cricket square. Recent capital developments have included a new landscaped playground area and an outdoor classroom. In addition to the main campus, the School owns 17 acres of playing fields on two sites nearby – the primary one being McAllester Field on Bidston Road. The School comprises Nursery and Pre-Prep (Early Years), Prep and Seniors and integrates their objectives and activities within a whole school concept. 

Birkenhead School prides itself on being a family school and this has been greatly strengthened by the opening of the Nursery in 2006. It is very attractive to parents to have all their children in one school and it is a great advantage for the school to be able to establish strong, long-lasting relationships with families. 

Music at Birkenhead School is lively, varied and, most importantly, fun. There is an ever-growing range of choirs, bands, orchestras and other ensembles to cater for all tastes and abilities.  

The department, led by the Director of Music Mr Philip Robinson, consists of three Music Teachers, alongside a full staff of tutors who give individual tuition in a wide variety of instruments. 

From the early stages of school life, Music plays an important part, with infants taking part in weekly Music lessons, and Junior children learning to play the recorder and other instruments.  As they progress into Years 5 and 6, pupils use keyboards as well as their own instruments and voices for class compositions and performances. Music in Years 7 and 8 develops students’ ability to understand styles of music through a range of topics, from learning to improvise and appreciate music from different parts of the world, to understanding how music and pictures have worked together through the centuries. Students then have the option to take Music at both GCSE and A Level.

The Co-curricular activities at Birkenhead School are broken into two main areas, Choral Music including Chapel Choir, Prep Choir and Choral Society, and Instrumental Music including bands, orchestras and other smaller ensemble groups. Students joining the School are given the opportunity to begin learning or to continue studying an instrument, and are encouraged to join these groups.

During the year, there are many performances in front of friends, family and wider audiences, from whole school concerts, Prep and Senior School productions, and a highlight of the School calendar, the Festival of Music that takes place each Michaelmas Term.

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and dynamic teacher with relevant experience to teach and tutor students across the full ability range, in order to ensure the highest possible standards of achievement, personal development and well-being. While the core role will be the teaching of Academic Music, especially to KS3, a willingness and ability to contribute to the wider co-curricular contributions of the department is essential, including for example musical accompaniment at assemblies, Chapel services, School bands and productions.

Teaching is a very privileged profession, and such is the emotional energy invested by the best teachers into both the development of their subject and students, one that comes with its considerable highs and lows. Supportive colleagues, who are positive and see the good in people and situations, are key to creating an enjoyable working environment, and these are the teaching staff we seek. Birkenhead School is a dynamic environment where teamwork is crucial and staff are encouraged to ‘roll up their sleeves, help one another and be pro-active in looking for new initiatives to create a truly inspiring learning environment for its students’. If this is you, we look forward to receiving your application.

Applications from both NQTs and teachers that are more experienced are welcome.