Post: Director of Music

Reporting to: Headmaster

Prior Park Schools

Prior Park Schools (PPS) is a charitable trust comprising three independent but interdependent day and boarding schools set in the South West of England and Gibraltar: Prior Park College (PPC), the senior school and The Paragon, the junior school, both in Bath, and Prior Park School, a senior school in Gibraltar. Each school provides high achieving, co-educational, Catholic/Christian education. The heart of Prior Park Schools is the encouraging Christian ethos which nurtures over 1,000 pupils aged between 3 and 18 years to become confident, capable, compassionate and independent minded young people.

The Role

The core aim of the role is to demonstrate and uphold the Core Professional Standards for Teachers.(See ‘Core Professional Standards for Teachers’ TDA 2007). The teacher will be responsible for Music Curriculum throughout the School. One of the key aspects of this role is preparation and updating of schemes of work and termly plans for each year group. The post holder will liaise with other schools within the PPS where appropriate.

As part of the role the teacher will provide some individual tuition of singing, organise concerts, internal and external performances, entries to festivals and competitions.He or she will lead the Choirs, Orchestra and other musical groups.

Key Responsibilities:

Knowledge and Understanding

  • Demonstrate a thorough and current knowledge of the National Curriculum, school curriculum, teaching methods, strategies and learning styles
  • Know the school's priorities, aims, targets, policies, codes of practice and relevant action plans
  • Know and understand the characteristics of good teaching and the main strategies for improving and sustaining good standards of learning, teaching and achievement for the pupils in their class and/or sets and/or groups (hereafter referred to as "their pupils"), and in their area of subject leadership
  • Planning and setting expectations
  • Plan and prepare effectively, as part of a year group, to ensure that their pupils are challenged and supported to enable them to realise their potential
  • Work in collaboration with their pupils, parents, senior staff and Headmaster; also any relevant professional agencies to generate, implement, monitor and evaluate IEPs
  • Teach, set and mark work, in line with school policies, for their pupils

Teaching and managing pupil learning

  • Communicate and display clear learning objectives and understand the sequence of learning and teaching
  • Match teaching strategies and methods to the learning styles and needs of their pupils
  • Participate in arrangements for preparing their pupils for exams or tests; recording and reporting the outcomes of such assessments
  • Ensure coverage, continuity and progression within and across curriculum for their pupils and, in their area of subject leadership, for all pupils
  • Secure a good standard of pupil behaviour by demonstrating consistent, effective and appropriate strategies for teaching and classroom management in the context of the school behaviour policy

Monitoring, evaluation and assessment

  • Assess, record and report on the development, attainment and achievement (progress) of their pupils
  • Demonstrate consistent and effective monitoring of progress through marking and record keeping to give constructive feedback to their pupils
  • Implement the school systems for using pupil achievement data from previous classes and schools and ensure that it is being used effectively to secure good progress
  • Follow the Annual Cycle for Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment and the School Improvement Plan; taking responsibility for their curriculum area

Pupil achievement

  • Be accountable for the level of attainment and achievement that their pupils make through external and school-based assessments
  • Guide and support their pupils towards achieving the targets

Other Duties

  • Participate in day supervision duties.
  • Establish and maintain good relations with pupils, parents and the wider community
  • Promote the general progress and well-being of their pupils and build respectful relationships
  • Make records of and reports on the personal and social needs of their pupils
  • Safeguard the health and safety of pupils, with particular reference to child protection
  • Liaise effectively with all stakeholders by providing or contributing to oral and written assessments and reports relating to the attainment and achievement of their pupils; discussing appropriate targets and encouraging them to support their child's or children's learning and/or behaviour and/or progress
  • Participate in and contribute to parent/teacher evenings.
  • Provide guidance and advice to pupils and parents on educational and social matters

Managing own performance development

  • Prioritise and manage their own time effectively, particularly in terms of balancing the demands placed on them by planning, preparation, assessment and subject leadership
  • Reflect on and evaluate their own effectiveness, teaching practices and methods and use the outcomes to identify targets for professional development
  • Take a pro-active responsibility for their professional development and participate in professional development, which aims to meet the needs identified in appraisal objectives, in line with the school’s appraisal policy
  • Lead through example and support and co-ordinate high-quality professional development for their area of subject leadership

Managing resources and administration

  • Responsible for the proper expenditure of departmental allowance.
  • Responsible for the development of musical skills and ability throughout the school.
  • Management of individual musical instrument and voice teaching by team of peripatetics.
  • Organising externalmusic exams.
  • Establish resource needs and advise the Headmaster of priorities for expenditure
  • Allocate resources with maximum efficiency to meet the objectives of the school plan and related action plans and achieve value for money
  • Ensure the effective and efficient management and organisation of learning resources, in their classrooms

The teacher will be expected to contribute to the wider school community and pastoral life of the children. This will include running after-school activities. The teacher will provide musical contribution to school assemblies. The teacher will also be expected to attend all CPD days as scheduled and organised by the school and/or wider PPS.

In addition to tasks listed above other responsibilities reasonably falling within capabilities of the post holder may be required from time to time, depending on the needs of the PPS.

Professional Specification and Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will display the following attributes:

  • Holds QTS or NQT with experience of teaching pupils age 3 to 11
  • Has experience of working in a similar role
  • Has graduate qualification in Music or Music Technology
  • Be passionate about Music and be able to inspire a similar enthusiasm in pupils
  • Communicates a strong vision for a pupil-led learning
  • Demonstrates excellent leadership, organisational, communication and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrates an enthusiastic, dynamic, positive and engaging personality
  • Demonstrates an ability to build good relationships with children, parents, carers and colleagues
  • Is an initiator, with the ability also to work well within a team
  • Demonstrates patience and a sense of humour
  • Is a suitable person to work with children

Child Protection

Prior Park Educational Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Data Protection

In the course of employment at Prior Park Educational Trust, staff may have access to confidential information relating to pupils and their families and are required to exercise due consideration in the way they use such information. Staff should not act in any way which might be prejudicial to the School’s interest. Information which may be included in the category covers both the general business of the school and information regarding specific individuals. A strict code of confidentiality must be adhered to at all times. The School is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and staff must not at any time use the personal data held by the school or disclose such data to a third person.