Head of Music
About This Role
This position offers an exceptional chance to lead the Music department within a high-achieving and esteemed setting, reporting to the Director of Creative and Performing Arts. The Music program at the Archer Academy is highly valued, facilitating remarkable opportunities and outcomes for our students.
Central to our school's mission is fostering creativity and inspiring our students to express their artistic talents. As the Head of Music, your primary responsibility will be to establish an exemplary music curriculum supported by an extensive array of extracurricular activities that allow students to thrive and explore their abilities.
The Music curriculum aims to provide a challenging and ambitious program that engages all students. The ideal candidate will be an accomplished performer, whether in the classroom or through other platforms, possessing the theoretical expertise to enhance student learning. Leading by example is a fundamental principle of our ethos, and the chosen candidate will serve as a role model for both the department and the students.
Our curriculum is designed to emphasize and safeguard the arts from Year 7, with enriched offerings in Year 9 and during the GCSE selection process. Our GCSE results are consistently exceptional, with recent data showing that 46% of students achieved grades of 7 or higher, while 100% secured grades of 5 or above. In a school that ranks among the top 7% nationally, Music was one of the top three subjects meeting targets last academic year. We currently utilize the OCR GCSE Exam Board.
In addition to the curriculum, a vibrant selection of extracurricular activities further aids our students in realizing their full potential. These opportunities include Choirs, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and enrichment activities such as MAC Composition and Theory Clubs. Our students frequently engage in numerous performance events, such as the East Finchley Festival, the Whole School Musical (involving over 100 pupils each year), St Jude's Proms, Archella (our very own summer festival), and various other regular school performances.
The school is equipped with five practice rooms and two specialized classrooms, one featuring electric keyboards and the other housing 16 MAC computers, along with a new performing arts studio set to open this autumn.
This role presents a distinctive opportunity to significantly contribute to the advancement of our curriculum and extracurricular Music offerings in an outstanding educational environment.