Head Of Performing Arts

Due to the current postholder’s move to concentrate on other professional representation and work opportunities away from education, we are now looking for an outstanding practitioner who can inspire children in both music and drama and continue to build on our incredibly high achievements to date. Whilst you will predominantly teach at Key Stage 2, you will oversee specialist teaching in EYFS and Key Stage 1 and manage the school’s team of peripatetic music and drama staff, a Performing Arts Gap student and additional music admin support too. You will need to be a superb musician and passionate about providing a wide range of superb musical opportunities for children of all abilities, as well as being able to lead drama productions of the highest quality for Years 3-6, with support from colleagues, teaching assistants, site, ICT and technical teams. You will either be a Primary or Secondary qualified music teacher, or an individual who excels in music and drama, and can demonstrate a rapport with children and an understanding of how to nurture and engage children for them to flourish in these areas.

You will inspire our children through your teaching, your leadership, your passion for the subjects, the opportunities you create, the presence you have around the school and the high standards you achieve, whilst embracing inclusion.

You will love running, or ensuring availability of, a wealth of musical ensembles at lunchtimes, including choirs. You will want to develop the orchestra further along with instrumental lessons and musical performances, and you will really relish providing musical theatre / drama opportunities after school. You will support EYFS and Key Stage 1 concerts and nativities in liaison with their specialist teacher. In short, you will want to make sure that children are given every opportunity to thrive in Performing Arts. You will also be confident to liaise with parents about external and further opportunities for more able children and will be able to quickly learn to advise on music and drama scholarship applications for senior schools and help prepare children as required.

You will have an expansive and dedicated Performing Arts ‘corridor’ with purpose-built classrooms, as well as a vast Sports Hall available for rehearsals and performances and a beautiful lawn for summer concerts and Speech Day. You will be part of a school of happy children who want to learn and for whom drama or music is an area they are passionate about, and a collaborative staff team. You will join a school where Arts are valued, opportunities for children are encouraged, and initiative and creativity are celebrated; a school with teaching budgets that allow high quality resources and development of departments; and a school where children’s passions and interests are nurtured because who they are really matters.

Recent initiatives and successes for Performing Arts have been:

• National winners: ISA Music Composition
• National winners: ISA Musical Theatre
• National winners: ISA Dance
• Annual professional-scale auditioned production for Years 4-6
• Nominated for a National School Theatre Aware, for Best Production (Prep/Primary) for 2024

JOB DESCRIPTION INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:

• To lead Performing Arts across the school in an enthusiastic and inclusive manner whilst delivering excellence;
• To inspire children’s learning through their curriculum and other opportunities that encourages a range and breadth of ideas beyond that expected for their age range;
• To use every opportunity to showcase music and drama across the school;
• Organise regular concerts and other performances by children including drama / musical productions, tea-time concerts, end of term concerts, Speech Day musical programme.
• Accompany children for performances, or arrange suitable accompanist for these occasions;
• To celebrate diversity of cultures through the subject curriculum;
• To actively seek out opportunities for more able children in your area;
• To run, or arrange, a full programme of musical ensembles at lunchtimes including choirs; to run a school orchestra and at least one after school theatre club.
• Prepare children for any music or drama scholarships as required and to write references when needed;
• Attend parents’ evenings; liaise with parents about secondary school music or drama scholarships and attend the annual ‘Future Schools’ meeting for parents;
• To liaise with Deputy Heads, Office, other Heads of Department and the Head and to communicate the department’s scheduling and details to school staff in a proactive and timely manner;
• Write one set of annual reports for children;
• To work closely with colleagues and link for appropriate cross-curricular and topic planning to benefit the children and in order to take every opportunity to develop their learning;
• Organise trips for children to enhance their curriculum;
• Maintain control of the department budgets and submit annual budgetary requests;
• Be part of the staff team for INSET days and in attendance at whole school events such as Fireworks Night, Carol Service, Fayres etc;
• Be a proactive member of the school community every day and a wonderful role model for children;
• Exude a generosity of spirit towards the demands of a vibrant, energised and ambitious school setting;
• Adhere to school policies at all times and treat the safeguarding of children as the most important aspect of the role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• QTS, or a musician with drama skills who has experience of, and flair for, working with children and who has the ability to deliver the role’s requirements;
• Piano accompaniment skills and sight-reading skills to a good level in order to fulfil the role;
• Good singing voice and understanding of vocal technique to lead choirs and performances;
• Experience, or the clear ability to lead a busy and vibrant department at the heart of the school;
• Ability to engage with large casts of children for productions to schedule and teach them chorus numbers, actions, choreography etc;
• Knowledge and understanding of musical and dramatical expectations for children of this age and the ability to go far beyond in lessons and in performances;
• Ability to manage a staff, peripatetic and external support team of adults for productions;
• Understanding that the Teachers’ Standards are always the minimum requirement and that an independent school of our calibre requires above and beyond;
• Collaborative and hard-working;
• Passionate about the subject and able to pass on your enthusiasm to children and the community;
• Energetic and driven;
• Highly organised with timely communications for the smooth running of the department and with regards to Performing Arts within a highly regarded school.
• Passionate about inclusion, opportunities and high standards;
• Willing to ‘go the extra mile’;
• Able to take on learning opportunities and advice in order to grow and develop;
• Creative, innovative and forward-thinking;
• Ability to use ICT for day to day work, communications and tracking;
• High levels of communication, both written and spoken;
• Enthusiasm and ideas for using ICT in children’s music and drama learning where appropriate;
• Commitment to the busy life of a flourishing and highly regarded independent school.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are on the school’s application form, which can be found on the school’s website: https://littlegarth.org/vacancies

Any questions on the role should, in the first instance, be directed to recruitment@littlegarth.org; we regret that we are unable to offer tours of the school in advance of the interview dates; a tour is included on the interview day for short-listed applicants.

Closing date for applications: 9 May 2024, midday

Interviews: week commencing 13 May 2024

Littlegarth School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with current and past employers, online searches, and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).