Overview
Job Ref No. ECC8825401-426S Position Type: Head of Department/Faculty Pay Range: MPS/UPS + TLR 2C
Position Start Date: 01/09/2026 Contract Type: Full-time Contract Term: Permanent
Application Close: 02/04/2026 Midnight Date of Interviews: TBC
This position involves the leadership and teaching of Music. The person appointed will be responsible for the Music Department. She/he will work with the Senior Team to promote the strategic direction for the Department within the context of a Selective School. The School has a demanding curriculum in which reading and the pursuit of scholarship are seen as of the first importance. The successful candidate will have a strong academic and musical background.
The Music Department at Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) has been a high performing Department for many years. We have consistently achieved outstanding results in Public Examinations. The Department has grown considerably over recent years. There are presently four classes taking GCSE Music in Year 10 and Year 11 and, while Sixth Form numbers fluctuate, it is not uncommon for class-sizes to be in the double figures.
Music is central to the life of the School: hymns are sung twice a week, usually accompanied by organ scholars, and each Wednesday there is a musical performance in assembly. There is a busy annual calendar of concerts performed to an exceptionally high standard, including three Chamber Recitals, three orchestral concerts, two Big Band concerts, and regular services. Ensembles and choirs meet each week to rehearse, including the Westcliff Sinfonia (orchestra), Big Band, Jazz Band, Choir, Treble Choir, String Ensemble and Brass Ensemble. There is also a musical production in collaboration with the drama department each year. At least one trip runs every term to see a concert or opera in London. Instrumental and singing lessons are popular, and the department is home to twelve members of peripatetic staff who are line-managed by the Director of Music.
Responsibilities
* The Director of Music shall provide strategic leadership of the Music Department, including the application of the School's policies and development priorities to secure high level outcomes for all students studying and participating in Music.
* S/he shall lead, monitor and evaluate the Music provision, and work with senior colleagues to ensure that Music students are well motivated to achieve demanding personal goals.
* S/he shall ensure that the Music Department aims for the highest possible standards of educational provision through the setting of rigorous targets which support the Department's and School's development priorities.
* S/he will provide a comprehensive extra-curricular programme of music and be fully involved in all aspects of music provision, including Assemblies, Special Events and Services.
Information about the School
Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is an Outstanding Grammar School. We continue to hold dear our values and traditions whilst fostering academic excellence and a dynamism which allow us to provide a twenty-first century world class education.
Our record of success is reflected in our outstanding A Level and GCSE results and we are committed to providing the highest standards in all aspects of our provision for pupils.
All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances.
Documents
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Mrs C Warren
Westcliff High School for Boys
Kenilworth Gardens, Westcliff-on-Sea
Essex, SS0 0BP
Telephone: 01702 475443
Email: vacancies@whsb.essex.sch.uk
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