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Head of Music
Sawston Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3BP14 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2025
Closing date
9 March 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
14 February 2025
Job details
Job role
- Teacher
- Head of department or curriculum
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Subject
- Music
Working pattern
- Full time: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 32.5 hours per week, term-time.
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- Classroom Teacher Pay Scale M1 (£31,650) to U3 (£49,084)
Additional allowances
Head of Music Department - TLR 2.2
What skills and experience we're looking for
The Vacancy
We are seeking to appoint a Head of Music, following the news that after many years of service to the College, our current postholder is relocating. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to build upon the current excellent leadership, to sustain the wonderful reputation that Music at Sawston Village College has both locally and across Cambridgeshire and to take the subject to the next level in terms of performance, pupil participation and enjoyment. Music, and the arts more widely, are very much at the heart of all that we do at the College and this appointment is integral to our vision, ethos and ambition as a successful school.
Please read the full job description and person specification.
What the school offers its staff
Employee Benefits
Anglian Learning offers the following benefits to staff.
- Career Average Revalued Earnings Pension Scheme (CARE)
- Free membership to all Anglian Leisure Sports Centres – Bassingbourn, Bottisham, Sawston, Joyce Frankland, Linton and Netherhall
- 20% discount on Adult Education classes run by Anglian Learning schools
- Employee assistance programme via Health Assured
- Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
- Discounted eye care vouchers
- Annual flu jab vouchers
- Perkbox staff discounts
- Investment in personal development
Further details about the role
The Music Department
Music matters at Sawston Village College. Over the past years, the Department has established an enviable reputation for excellence in the County and we enjoy consistent support from our Senior Leadership Team, the Governing Body and our Arts Development Manager as well as from parents. We are pleased that our contribution to the ethos and the reputation of the College is recognised and appreciated. We have 1 full time and 2 part time members of staff in the Department alongside a large team of visiting instrumental teachers.
Accommodation and resources
In September 2004, the Music Department moved into purpose-built accommodation in the Performing Arts centre. There is a large room used for both teaching and rehearsals, a second sizeable teaching room, an instrumental teaching room, 5 practice rooms (all of which are equipped with pianos), a small Music Technology room, 2 storerooms and an office. The drama/dance studio is located within the same building.
Pupils have ready access to a wide range of percussion during lessons and many choose to supplement the choice by using their own instruments where appropriate. The Department has an enthusiasm for a wide variety of musical traditions so, in addition to the usual classroom instruments, there are a good number of djembes, a large set of steel pans, a good-sized Samba kit and an authentic Balinese gong. Although the emphasis is on practical music making throughout the school, many GCSE students make use of music technology to realise and present their composition coursework. The Department is equipped with 14 Apple computers with PC suites and Chromebooks shared across the school.
Curriculum
Music is studied as a discrete subject by all pupils in years 7, 8 and 9. The curriculum is essentially practical, aiming to extend the experience of all pupils in the central activities outlined in the National Curriculum and to help pupils sing and play their way into an understanding of key musical concepts. Pupils are taught in mixed ability groups throughout KS3 with class sizes of between 30 and 32 students. Every pupil receives a one-hour lesson each week.
Music is a popular option at KS4. The broad scope of the OCR syllabus encourages pupils with a wide variety of musical interests and strengths to continue their study of the subject and around 40 pupils are currently working towards this examination. Results have been consistently high in recent years with a high percentage of pupils gaining grades 8 and 9. Each year a pleasing number choose to pursue the subject further when they move on to Sixth Form College or higher education.
In addition to the GCSE qualification, the Department also offers a twilight class that works towards the RSL Level 2 Extended Certificate in the Creative Music Industry.
Instrument lessons
The Department benefits from the services of an excellent team of 14 visiting teachers, some of whom come to us from Cambridgeshire Music. Around 200 pupils are receiving tuition in school this year on a wide range of instruments. Singers and instrumentalists are prepared for AssociatedBoard, Trinity Guildhall and Rock School examinations where appropriate.We typically run two private examinations visits a year for ABRSM exams.
The extended curriculum
Music is highly valued at Sawston, and the Department offers a wide range of regular music making opportunities for enthusiastic players and singers. The current programme includes Junior Choir, Senior Choir (upper voices), Barbershop Choir, Chamber Choir (SATB), Senior Concert Band, Junior Concert Band, Brass Ensemble, Jazz Band, Samba School, String Orchestra, Recorder Group, Folk Group, Guitar and Ukulele Group, Percussion Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, two Steel Pan Bands and Flute Choir. Most of these groups are open to all; membership of others is by audition or invitation. Less formal groupings are encouraged too, and several independent bands and ensembles meet regularly to rehearse. There is also an after-school class leading to qualifications in Music Theory. Trips to concerts, gigs and workshops, both local and further afield, are a regular feature of our provision.
There are many opportunities for public performances during the year. Highlights include the College Carol Service in Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge, the College Concert held each spring at the University Music School on West Road and the Summer Concert presented by musicians from years 7, 8 and 9. We have links with various local arts venues including Saffron Hall, Michaelhouse and Stapleford Granary providing further opportunities for chamber concerts and other projects.
The strong reputation established by the Music Department has resulted in a number of invitations to take part in events further afield. The past few years have seen musicians from the College performing in venues such as Selwyn College Chapel, Saffron Hall, Trinity College Chapel, Corpus Christi College Chapeland Ely Cathedral. We have provided the Children’s Choir for the Cambridge University Choral Society on several occasions and have performed with the choir of King’s College, providing the Ripieno Choir for Bach’s St Matthew Passion and the Gallery Choir for Britten’s St Nicolas. We were delighted subsequently to be invited to take part in the King’s recording of this work. We have performed the Knabenchor part in Mahler’s 8th Symphony and formed the children’s choir in a new work, ‘The Pelicantata’, narrated by Tony Robinson. In summer 2023 and 2024 we took a group of singers to participate in the Gabrieli Choir Roar project. This involved a week-long residential course before a performance of the Dream of Gerontius (2023) and Verdi’s Requiem (2024) at Ely Cathedral. This Spring we will be performing at Saffron Hall as part of Jonathan Dove’s new opera ‘Uprising!’ alongside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Musical theatre is not overlooked; under the umbrella of Sawston Youth Drama, part of the College’s youth provision, mount musical productions each year. Recent shows have included Fame, Les Misérables, Singin’ in the Rain, Oklahoma!, Joseph, Bugsy Malone and Guys and Dolls. We enjoy a close relationship with the Drama Department and run an Arts Week with Year 8 during which we compose and perform music for a Shakespeare production. Several of our pupils are also involved with county and national ensembles such as the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.
Commitment to safeguarding
Anglian Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff to share this commitment and those in regulated activity will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Check and online checks. Certificate of Good Conduct and other applicable checks may be requested.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Our policies for Ex-Offenders, GDPR, Safeguarding and Recruitment can be found on our website: www.anglianlearning.org.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs are not accepted.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Sawston Village College
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1162 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Sawston Village College website (opens in new tab)
- Email address
- recruitment@sawstonvc.org
- Phone number
- 01223 712814
Sawston Village College is an inclusive, comprehensive 11-16 academy, set on a picturesque open campus, a few miles south of the culturally iconic and aspirational city of Cambridge. It was the first purpose-built Village College in England and we are proud of the fact that it is still heralded as a model for community education and remains true to Henry Morris’ founding principles. Many members of the local community visit each week to participate in learning, sporting or leisure activities. We are also proud to be a founding member of the Anglian Learning Trust, a family of like-minded schools serving over 5500 pupils from ages 3-19 in this region. The Trust affords us opportunities to learn from each other, prosper from outstanding leadership development and build strong professional networks to achieve ambitious objectives.
Sawston Village College
Thank you very much for your interest in a position at Sawston Village College. We sincerely hope that the information below and enclosed within this pack will encourage you to apply to our friendly and vibrant school.
We are a very welcoming and highly successful school, one in which all staff are valued, and all contribute to our strong caring ethos. The College is named the State 11-16 Secondary School of the Year in The Sunday Times Parent Power list (The Sunday Times, 8 December 2024). Pupils are at the centre of all that we do but we can only succeed when all professionals work together, collaboratively and supportively, to ensure a positive, safe and calm learning environment in which all pupils can thrive. We ensure our staff have the resources, development and opportunities to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Staff wellbeing is vital to our success, and we consider workload and the working environment very carefully.
We want staff to feel happy, secure and enjoy their work.
Sawston Village College is an inclusive, comprehensive 11-16 academy, set on a picturesque open campus, a few miles south of the culturally iconic and aspirational city of Cambridge. It was the first purpose-built Village College in England, and we are proud of the fact that it is still heralded as a model for community education and remains true to Henry Morris’ founding principles. Many members of the local community visit each week to participate in learning, sporting or leisure activities. We are proud to be a member of Anglian Learning, a family of like-minded schools serving over 8000 pupils from ages 3-19 in this region.
Our focus is the achievement and wellbeing of our 1180 pupils within a school culture based on community, ambition, respect and endeavour. In 2024, the College achieved above national averages at all levels including 73% gaining grade 5+ in English and Maths, 47% at grade 7 or above across all subjects and a very positive P8 score. Pupils secure their preferred post-16 pathway having achieved grades significantly well above average. Academic success, of course, is only one measure and, as an Artsmark Platinum accredited school, we are equally proud of our extensive extra-curricular offer as well as our aim to help all pupils leave with confidence, enriched experiences and hope for the future. Our code of conduct demands that our pupils also understand and appreciate the need for kindness, humility, politeness and good grace.
This success is based upon the following key principles. Firstly, a firm commitment to the belief that all pupils, regardless of ability or background, are able to achieve their potential and have the best opportunities to succeed in education, employment and life. Secondly, a determination to recruit, develop and retain the very best staff, by providing varied and exciting personalised opportunities for professional development, and a caring, supportive environment with an emphasis on teamwork, collaboration and staff well-being. Thirdly, a firm conviction that teaching and learning can only flourish where pupils are well behaved and respectful. Therefore, we have very high expectations and set exacting standards enabling staff and pupils to feel safe and happy. We provide outstanding pastoral care of our young people. Each pupil is a member of a vertical tutor group and a House. Non-teaching pastoral leads work very closely with our inclusion team, safeguarding team and SLT, to ensure that all pupils are known, valued, cared for and encouraged to do and be the best they can. We pride ourselves on the professionalism of our staff and our commitment to ethical leadership; as role models for the young, how we behave as leaders is as important as what we do.
Sawston Village College, as noted by our recent Ofsted report in May 2023, is a highly professional and exceptionally friendly, caring and enjoyable place in which to work and teach. Our staff surveys are highly positive and reflect the care and attention we pay to looking after staff and making the College the success it is for staff and pupils alike. During these turbulent times, we are keen to recruit people with resilience, adaptability and optimism for a better future. Above all, we are looking for staff who take pride in their work, enjoy the company of children and can harness the power of education to transform lives and inspire our future generation.
Thank you, in anticipation, for the time you will give to your application.
Mr J Russell
Principal
Arranging a visit to Sawston Village College
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@sawstonvc.org.
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