The College has grown significantly in the past seven years, with pupil numbers rising 40% as the result of the opening of our Lower School in 2016, and growth throughout the rest of the College. We admit pupils into Years 7, 9, and 12, and each year around 220 new children join our community, with an average of five pupils applying for every space.
Epsom is a happy school. Almost all our pupils remain with us for their A-levels, and staff retention is equally strong. Around 60% of staff live onsite, which lends the College a real sense of community and togetherness.
From 8am until 6pm, our 72-acre campus is alive with learning; academic lessons also take place on Saturday mornings meaning that pupils have time each day to learn and develop outside the classroom. Our co-curricular programme – which features a vast array of clubs, societies and activities each week – is award-winning (picking up the ‘Best of the Best’ accolade from The Week for six consecutive years); our CCF is one of the largest in the UK; and our Duke of Edinburgh programme currently has over 100 pupils completing their Gold or Silver award.
In addition, our timetable features wellbeing lessons, an award-winning Personal Social Development offering, and an hour each week for volunteering in the community. Last year Epsom pupils gave 9,830 hours of their time to help local charities, schools, and community groups.
When pupils aren’t busy with all of the above, they can relax and catch up with friends in their House. We have 13 single-sex Houses for all our pupils from Year 9 upwards (whether they are day pupils or boarders). This combination of single sex accommodation within a co-ed environment gives us the best of both worlds.
The fact our houses are physical buildings, where pupils can step through the door into a space that’s entirely their own, is key to the success of our pastoral programme. This was part of the reason why Epsom was named Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing (2022-23).
Sport is central to the College. We have been named the top co-ed school for sport in south east England, and compete in county and national finals in all our major sports across all age groups. Over 22 sports are offered to our pupils, and the aim is to encourage participation for all – we regularly field D and E teams, and see an average of 90% of pupils playing competitive fixtures.
Our focus on delivering an all-round education, that develops the whole child, is regularly celebrated. In the past four years, in both the TES and Independent School of the Year Awards, we have been a finalist in the categories of Boarding School of The Year, Co-Ed School of the Year, SLT of the Year, Creativity in Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Community Initiative, and Sporting Achievement. We were voted the overall winner at the Independent School of the Year awards (2022-23), and the Sunday Times’ most improved school in the UK for 2024.
We hope that you are excited by the opportunity to come and join the fantastic teachers and support staff who work here.
The Music Department
Music is central to the all-round ethos of the school and large numbers of pupils are involved in making music on a regular basis each week. Music has purpose-built facilities on the edge of the campus. The department is inclusive and facilitates music making amongst all pupils. A wide-ranging series of concerts occur throughout the academic year.
All pupils have access to a wide range of musical opportunities, through teaching in the classroom, co-curricular activities, trips, concerts and events. Pupils flourish within the department due to the range of opportunities available, the supportive attitude of their peers, and the direction of inspirational staff. Participation in the department’s activities challenges pupils to develop their talents and broaden their interests, to become confident in themselves, and to be tolerant and appreciative of others.
Academic Music is taught from Year 7 to Year 9. A healthy number of pupils continue to GCSE (Edexcel) and A Level (Edexcel). Pupils regularly go on to study music at university and conservatoire level. Many pupils take ABRSM, Trinity, LCM and Rock School examinations, many beyond grade eight to diploma level.
The Music Department will consist of the Director of Music, Assistant Director of Music, Head of Strings, Head of Music Technology, two Teachers of Music (one of whom also fulfils other responsibilities within the College), over 30 Visiting Music Teachers and a Music Administrator.
The department also employs a full time Head of Performance and accompanist to work regularly with our music scholars and most advanced musicians (grade 7+ and above).
Co-Curricular Music
There is a large co-curricular programme on offer at Epsom College which can be viewed here. The ethos of the department is to provide musical enrichment to all pupils but also provide a suitable programme that stretches the most able musicians.
Choral Music
Singing is central to the musical culture of Epsom College, and everyone participates in communal singing throughout the academic year. All pupils joining the Lower School sing in a choir throughout their first year, and the whole of the Senior School participates in the fiercely competitive annual Inter-House Choral Competition.
The two large chapel choirs (Senior and Lower School) are school’s foremost vocal groups, and around 10% of the College sing in one of our chapel choirs. They enjoy opportunities such as tours abroad, recording projects and performances at world renowned venues. Recent highlights include trips to Southwark Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral, a tour to the Vatican, and recording a Christmas album (listen here ).
We provide pathways for elite singers to progress on a national level. We have 8 singers representing the College in the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and have extensive experience preparing pupils for Oxbridge choral scholarship auditions. Our Head of Performance, Gill Ford, was a repetiteur with English National Opera, and supports pupils with one-to-one performance sessions in preparation for competitions such as the Rotary Young Musician competition and the Sutton Music Festival.
There are also several opportunities for singers interested in more modern styles of music. The Barbershop and Acapella groups are high-quality but inclusive environments for boys and girls respectively to sing in close harmony groups. We have termly Extravaganza concerts which make use of our lights, staging, and smoke machines to transform Big School into our very own pop concert venue, and we put on a large-scale school musical every year – recent musicals include Shrek, The Addams Family, and Les Misérables. Our brand-new Music Studio is another outlet for pop singers – select elite musicians get an opportunity to record album-style projects with our Head of Music Technology, who has worked at top London studios.
Instrumental Music
There is a strong culture of high-quality music-making at Epsom College across all age groups, and pupils can flourish across a wide variety of disciplines.
Instrumentalists interested in large ensembles are thoroughly supported at Epsom, with a weekly Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Big Band, and Funk Band for our older musicians, while the Lower School Orchestra and Junior Blues help prepare our younger musicians to develop their skills. In addition, our most committed instrumentalists have the chance to play alongside professional musicians as part of the orchestra for the yearly Choral Society concert and the School Musical, which this year is Les Misérables. Many of our musicians are members of youth orchestras or RCM programmes.
For solo musicians, our expert Visiting Music Teachers help prepare our pupils for instrumental exams and our weekly recital series in Chapel. There are further solo opportunities in our evening year-group concerts, with individual support from our Head of Performance and Staff Accompanists, and our top soloists are regular features in competitions such as the Sutton Music Festival and the Rotary Young Musician Competition.
Chamber music is experiencing a surge of growth at Epsom in recent years, with a fully bespoke programme created each year to suit our most talented and dedicated musicians. As well as internal performances in our recital series and the yearly Chamber Concert, these groups compete in the national Pro Corda chamber music competition. In 2024, Epsom College had four groups reach the semi-finals, and one group reached the national finals.
Departmental Principles and Aims
· To enrich the lives of pupils through an array of musical experiences which foster a lifelong interest and appreciation of music.
· To create opportunities that stretch the most advanced musicians and inspire pupils to make music of the highest quality.
Distinctive Characteristics of the Department
· An inclusive approach to music both in terms of musical experience of the pupils and breadth of style.
· There is a particularly strong culture of singing at Epsom College. This ranges from chapel choirs (which 10% of the school sing in) and close harmony groups to communal singing and entire year group choirs.
The Role of Assistant Director of Music
The successful candidate will build on the outstanding reputation of the department in supporting a wide range of opportunities for all pupils to be involved in the musical life of the school. They will play an integral part of the co-curricular music provision, leading and directing many of the co-curricular groups, and will assist the Director of Music in the planning and delivery of the co-curricular music programme. They will play an important role for nurturing the talents of the College’s Scholars and top musicians in preparing public performances of the highest quality.
In addition, there may be the option to take on responsibility for academic music for the right candidate.
Key responsibilities of the post-holder will include:
· Assist the Director of Music in the planning and delivery of a rich co-curricular music programme.
· Nurture the talents of all pupils through inspirational coaching and teaching;
· Direct many of the College ensembles in-line with candidate’s areas of expertise;
· Assist the Director of Music in the delivery of the scholarship programme which will include mentoring scholars and checking on progress;
· Teach a reduced timetable of academic Music;
· Regularly report to the Director of Music on the progress of pupils, and recommend opportunities to develop pupils’ musicianship.
This job description is indicative of the expected duties and responsibilities of a teacher and Assistant Director of Music at Epsom College. Given the dynamic and evolving nature of the role this job description is fluid and would expect to alter as the College’s teaching and co curricular strategy and academic developments evolve.
As a teacher
· Contribute to the successful teaching of the subject in years 7 to 13, adapting and reassessing lesson plans to meet specific student needs, liaising with the Academic Support Department as necessary;
· Be responsible for the processes of assessment, recording and reporting for the pupils in their charge;
· Assess pupils’ work frequently in line with Departmental and school policy and use the results to inform future planning, teaching and curricular development;
· Be familiar with school assessment and reporting procedures and prepare and present informative, helpful and accurate reports to parents both in writing and at parent consultation evenings;
· Enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the Department and wider College through sharing resources and good practice, lesson observation, collaborative teaching, mentoring and active participation in continuing professional development;
· Consolidate and extend learning, encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their own learning;
· Set high expectations for all pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding and to maximise their achievement;
· Use positive management of behaviour in an environment of mutual respect that allows pupils to feel safe and secure and promotes their self-esteem;
· Play an active role in the co-curricular life of the Department, including contributing to support sessions, extension programmes, competitions, trips, open days, prep school events, and so on;
· Contribute to the school wide co-curricular programme as requested by the Assistant Head: Total Curriculum.
· Work as a tutor in a day or boarding house as requested by the Second Master;
· Adhere to, and promote, all College policies and procedures;
· Undertake any other reasonable task as directed by the Headmaster, Deputy Head Academic or Head of Department.
The College reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the College’s business.
Epsom College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.
Criteria for the Appointment
· A proven track record as an accomplished musician;
· Show evidence of a recognised ability to motivate and encourage participation in Music;
· Experience of planning repertoire for and directing ensembles and/or choirs;
· Demonstrate functional keyboard skills;
· Show evidence of an ability to nurture individual talent;
· Demonstrate outstanding classroom practice capable of inspiring pupils with a love of the subject, with an innovative, imaginative approach to teaching and learning;
· Display evidence of an inclusive approach to music education and an interest and competency in a wide range of styles of music;
· Demonstrate a clear and comprehensive understanding of the contribution of Music to a school’s wider development and improvement;
· Provide evidence of an ability to command the respect of pupils, staff and parents, and to establish clear expectations and constructive working relationships with staff, parents and pupils;
· Display excellent interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills to engage with pupils and the wider College community;
· Display an ability to work effectively as part of a team and to be able to work independently;
· Demonstrate strong organisation and administrative skills;
· Provide evidence of confidence, tenacity, flexibility and adaptability with passion, energy and commitment to learning outside the classroom;
· Demonstrate high level emotional intelligence with a sense of humour and an enabling attitude;
· Display a drive and determination for delivering success;
· Provide evidence of a proven ability to understand the need, challenges and opportunities in an independent school boarding community:
· Display strong IT skills and a proven ability to embrace new technology.
· PGCE and QTS
· Experience as a choral musician and directing choirs;
· Excellent keyboard skills able to accompany pupils in lower graded examinations and concerts
· Demonstrate an ability to arrange music for vocal groups which caters for experience and ability of the singers;
· Experience of organising and conducting larger-scale projects, ensembles and events;
In order to arrive at a decision, the selection panel may enhance any or all the desirable criteria and we reserve the right to appoint at any time during the recruitment process.
Remuneration
The College has its own competitive salary scale, offers a generous flexible pension scheme along with private health care plan, fee remission for the sons and daughters of staff and accommodation may be available.
The offer of the role would be made subject to receipt of references, proof of relevant qualifications, Teaching Regulation Agency and other relevant checks for teaching positions in the UK, obtaining a letter of professional standing from the professional regulating authority for teachers who have worked outside the UK where appropriate, a check of online search engines and websites of publicly available information that does not identify the candidate as potentially unsuitable to work within a school setting, sighting of birth certificate, Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check, an overseas check, if appropriate, and pre-placement medical assessment that are all satisfactory to Epsom College. Proof of entitlement to work within the United Kingdom will be required. Prior to interview, an online search of internet search engines, websites and other publicly available and publicly accessible platforms to ascertain applicant’s suitability to work within a school environment will be undertaken on applicants that have been shortlisted.
All employees are required to ensure that all duties and responsibilities are discharged in accordance with the College’s Health and Safety Policy. They should take reasonable care for their own Health and Safety and that of others who may be affected by what they do or do not do. Staff should correctly use work items provided by the College, including personal protective equipment in accordance with training and instruction.
Anyone wishing to discuss these details further may contact Mrs Rebecca Brown, Deputy Head Academic rebecca.brown@epsomcollege.org.uk or Paul Johnson-Hyde, Director of Music, paul.johnson-hyde@epsomcollege.org.uk
Candidates are asked to complete Application Form available from our website www.epsomcollege.org.uk or TES along with a letter of application and submit these as soon as possible. Applications will be assessed in order of receipt and interviews and subsequent offer may occur at any stage after applications are received. We therefore invite interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Please contact Vikki Stroud, Recruitment and HR Manager, with any queries regarding the application process Vikki.Stroud@epsomcollege.org.uk
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