Teacher of Music

Package Description

Required for: September 2025

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, permanent, though we will consider candidates who would be available for four days a week. 

Salary: Westminster Under School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are short-listed. 

The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 3rd March 2025. Interviews will take place w/c 10th March 2025.

Job Introduction

We are seeking a candidate of the highest calibre to join adynamic Music Department as a full-time teacher of music. The successful applicant will be a first-rate musician and an engaging and intellectually-curious classroom practitioner with a true passion for music education and an infectious love of the subject. Applications are welcomed from experienced teachers or teachers that are new to the profession. The successful applicant will contribute fully to both the academic and co-curricular sides of the Department’s activities.

The ability to teach Music from a young age to Key Stage 3 is desirable, and the successful candidate will  work closely with the Director, and Assistant Director of Music in further developing engaging curricula across all year groups. The post holder will have a track record of academic musical excellence, and a desire to support our students in fulfilling their musical potential.

The Music Teacher is required to work alongside the Director of Music and departmental team. The department enjoys an excellent reputation for the quality and diversity of music created through its choirs, orchestras, jazz and wind bands, chamber music groups, and musicals.

The responsibilities of the Music Teacher post include certain key tasks, which are outlined below. The balance of responsibilities may alter depending on the strengths and development needs of the successful applicant. In what is a fast-paced environment, we are seeking a team player with the self-belief to work autonomously, who wishes to make a valued contribution to the future development and direction of Music at Westminster Under School.

Main Responsibilities

Detailed responsibilities:

• Contribute to curriculum plans for the teaching of music.
• Attend regular Music Department meetings.
• Teach class music to pupils between the ages of 7 and 13. The Music Teacher will teach as required within the Music Department and undertakes all the duties of a classroom teacher.
• Support the co-curricular ensembles, choirs and musicals as directed by the Director of Music. 
• Assist the Director of Music in the planning and management of concerts and other music events. Assist the Director of Music in promoting and recording Music department events in newsletters, school magazines and on the school’s intranet pages.
• Assist with any additional event in which the Music Department is involved (for example School Musicals).
• Undertake any such other task as the Director of Music or the Master may reasonably require
• Complete effective written reports on each pupil as and when required.
• Represent the Music Department at Parents’ Evenings and other external events, as required.
• Proficient on the piano and preferably one other instrument.
• Follow guidelines, policies and school philosophy as laid out in the Staff Handbook and Music Department Handbook.   
• Support fully the School’s aim to provide a relevant and stimulating syllabus that will engage and motivate pupils

 About the Department

Music has always been a very important part of life at Westminster Under School. Pupils are encouraged to learn and participate as fully as possible in a weekly routine which is full of rehearsals, recitals, and concerts. 

The School is situated close to many of the world’s most exciting music venues on the South Bank and in the West End. Pupils are encouraged to attend concerts and recitals as well as performances of opera, ballet, and musicals in order to expand their musical horizons. 

Up to four Music Scholarships and four music exhibitions are awarded each year, and many WUS pupils perform in ensembles such as the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, the National Children’s Choirs of Great Britain and Junior Departments of the four London Music Colleges (RCM, RAM, Trinity Laban and Guildhall). Academic music standards are extremely high. 

Nearly all pupils at the Under School learn at least one instrument and the school offers Music Scholarships at 11+. An impressive number have taken up music awards at 13+ at Westminster, Eton, Winchester and St Paul’s, amongst others.  

The Senior Choir, leads the singing at the school’s weekly church services in St Stephen’s, Rochester Row, and regularly performs at prestigious London venues, including Smith Square Hall, the Barbican Hall, and Westminster Abbey. They have performed live on BBC Radios 3 and 4, have appeared on BBC, LWT and Channel 4 television, and have recorded theme music for two BBC television series. The choir has also appeared with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Southbank Sinfonia. They have been finalists three times in the National Choir of the Year Competition (formerly the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year). The school’s annual carol service is held at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey and is led by the choir with professional tenors and basses.

Biennial tours have taken the choir throughout Europe and to the U.S.A., Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China and South Africa, and their varied repertoire includes many works that have been composed especially for them by various composers such as Giles Swayne, John Woolrich, John Gardner, Edmund Jolliffe and Chris Hazell.

Facilities 

The Music Department occupies the lower ground floor level of Adrian House – the main school building, opened in 1981. There are six individual teaching/practice studios, a music classroom, an ensemble/percussion room, a music technology room, a music office and two music storerooms. There are upright pianos in the practice studios and a Steinway model O grand piano in the music classroom. The theatre has a Steinway model B grand and a Viscount Prestige 3-manual digital organ. These instruments can be moved through to the Green Room for teaching. We also have a single-manual harpsichord made in the Italian style by Colin Booth, which is available for students’ use. The music technology room is equipped with midi keyboards linked to networked Apple Mac computers running Sibelius, Logic, and Garage Band music software. The ensemble/percussion room houses another Viscount digital organ with 2 manuals and pedal board, a professional quality drum kit and an extensive range of orchestral and Latin American percussion. Stored by the Assistant Director’s office is a diverse collection of World Music instruments, including African and Brazilian Samba drums. The school also owns a digital chamber organ by Copeman Hart and has use of St Stephen’s Church, Rochester Row, where morning services are held on Thursdays. The school theatre is used for the majority of concerts and events and we have two excellent Steinways for pupils to perform on. 

Staff

In addition to the full-time Director and Assistant Director of Music, there is a part-time Music Teacher, Administrator and a number of visiting music teachers.

This is a full-time, permanent role, however we will consider candidates who would be available for four days a week. 

Additionally, all colleagues are expected to be involved in the wider school including being a Form Tutor, supervision during break and lunch times, getting involved with Games, attending Parents’ Evenings, accompanying school residential trips, and so on. Whilst every effort has been taken to provide a comprehensive list of responsibilities, the post holder may be asked to complete other duties which could be considered relevant to the role, as directed by the Master or the Assistant Master, Teaching and Learning or other senior staff.

The School is an exceptionally supportive one, aiming to give all colleagues a positive work-life balance. We have a warm and friendly Common Room and beautiful facilities, including the largest Square in central London which pupils use every day. Additionally, the School will be moving to a completely new building in the Autumn of 2025, offering a huge amount of space, natural light and modern facilities. From September 2026, the School will expand to open a Reception class and will go co-educational in Reception, Year 3 and Year 7. The School will be completely co-educational in all year groups by 2028.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School 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.

About The School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Our teaching staff are friendly and welcoming and all new teachers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours.

It also does not matter where you come to us from. Some teachers come to us straight from university or having just taken a PGCE. Some have taught in independent schools before while others come from the state sector, or another industry altogether. The common ground is that all our teachers have a great knowledge and love for their subject and are willing to be fully involved in the life of the School and the lives of the children who come here.

At Westminster Under School we will always select the best candidate for every position. However, we know we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here. Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a happy, ambitious, nurturing and inspiring world-class preparatory education for seven to 13 year olds. Pupils who love to learn are offered a supportive, dynamic and inspirational environment to fuel their curiosity. 

Located in the heart of London, the School overlooks the beautiful school playing fields in Vincent Square and is just a few moments’ walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It is closely connected to Westminster School; in 1943, Westminster expanded its educational scope by forming the Under School, and the two schools share the same Governing Body and the same ethos of a liberal education. 

Westminster Under School's curriculum is broad and diverse, aiming to foster a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness in children and encourage independent thought. The teaching programme goes above and beyond the National Curriculum and teachers are not tightly bound by syllabus. Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects by expert teachers who embrace opportunities for growth and promote diverse thinking, and who encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. 

While the School's standard of our education is of the highest quality, the School’s focus is not only on academic achievement. Westminster pupils receive a full and rounded education that includes sport, the arts and many opportunities to engage in community outreach; pupils frequently take part in concerts, plays and in both internal and external competitions, and the School hosts festivals and events throughout the year. Like its older counterpart, Westminster Under School is fully committed to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, with the introduction of girls into Year 9 at Westminster School in 2028, all year groups across the two schools, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.