Nottingham High School is welcoming applications for a Head of Infant and Junior School Music. This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and inspiring music educator to join a supportive and professional environment, leading and developing music from Nursery to Year 6. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering a rich and engaging music curriculum, nurturing pupils’ confidence, creativity and enjoyment of music, while helping to create a vibrant and inclusive musical culture throughout the school. We are looking for someone who has a passion for teaching music, a desire to inspire our pupils to love music and provide a wide variety of opportunities for them to perform.

Leadership and Management:

• To promote Music internally and externally, and ensure the highest standards are set for the pupils and shared by the music staff.

• To coordinate all musical events at the IJS ensuring an excellence experience for both pupils and audience alike.

• Effectively communicate with all stakeholders to ensure that musical activities, rehearsals and performances run smoothly throughout the year.

• To oversee the work of Visiting Music Teachers in the Infant and Junior School both in individual lessons and leading ensembles.

• To manage the music budget in accordance with the School’s financial policies.

• Promote IJS music as a strength of the school to prospective parents and the wider community.

• Carry out Quality Assurance activities to ensure that we are maximising pupil outcomes.

• Write an annual report which includes a development plan which addresses for areas for improvement highlighted by self-evaluation activities and those direct by the Deputy Head (Ac).

Teaching:

• To be responsible for the musical education of the pupils in the Infant and Junior School.

• To teach fun and exciting lessons which inspire our pupils to learn.

• To provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum according to the school guidelines, recognising the various needs, interests and abilities of the pupils.

• To identify clear teaching objectives and learning outcomes, with appropriate challenge and high expectations.

• To promote and foster a happy classroom and create a stimulating learning environment.

• To maximize the learning of all pupils by ensuring effectual differentiation of learning activities and effective use of support staff.

Assessing and Reporting:

• To use our internal pupil tracking processes to keep careful and accurate records of pupil progress (both formative and summative assessments).

• To ensure effective feedback is given to all pupils to maximize pupil outcomes.

• To build a strong home school partnership and be available for consultation and liaison with parents at all reasonable times.

• To give effective feedback and guidance for support to parents by means of interim grades and yearly written reports.

Pastoral:

• Ensure that the safeguarding of our pupils is at the forefront of everything we do.

• To share with colleagues the responsibility for the supervision and welfare of all the children in the Infant and Junior School.

• To promote high expectations of behaviour and implement the Infant and Junior School behaviour policy.

• To take an active part in our assemblies programme. To take an active part in our extensive trips and visits programme.

• To provide stimulating and exciting co-curricular music-based activities that engage pupils of all abilities e.g. Choirs for different age groups, music theory club.

• Work within the school’s health and safety policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff, students and visitors.

Professional Responsibilities:

• Work towards and support the school vision and the current school objectives outlined in the School Development Plan.

• To participate in staff meetings and to help to plan, to contribute to and take part in in-service training.

• To participate in the Nottingham High Infant and Junior School Personal Professional Development Programme - taking part in coaching sessions and becoming a reflective practitioner.

• Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with students, parents and colleagues.

• Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time.

• To be an active member of the teaching team – supportive of colleagues and stepping in to help where and when needed.