Instrumental Music Teacher
Simon Balle All-Through School, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 8AJ47 days remaining to apply
Start date details
ASAP
Closing date
31 December 2025 at 11am
Date listed
14 November 2025
Job details
Job role
- Teacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Subject
- Music
Working pattern
- Part time, full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- Competitive Salary
Additional allowances
Competitive Salary
Instrumental Music Teacher job summary
1 in 3 of our all-through school learns an instrument. 50 students are taking GCSE Music, 13 taking A level music. 60% of our primary phase is learning an instrument.
We have an exciting opportunity for music teachers to join our busy and successful Music Department. Due to expansion across our Trust in music, we are looking for colleagues who are committed music teachers or who want to develop their career in music education. This is a fabulous opportunity to join and be part of an inspirational music community. We are thinking out of the box with recruitment, so have the following possibilities:
Strings, especially helping to develop our secondary experience, orchestra and chamber music.
Woodwind (flute, clarinet and saxophone), especially in our primary phase embedded within our team there developing incredible opportunities, but also in secondary, especially with secondary flute.
Piano, working across our all-through school and Trust
Singing - classical, popular music, jazz, working with our 5 choirs across the school and Trust, supporting our Young Voices project and wider concerts.
Electric and Bass guitar, helping to develop our Popular Music offering, work as part of this team, support Rock School (with 14 bands) and other ensembles, potentially develop double bass.
Drums and percussion, potentially supporting Rock School and / or our flagship Concert Band and Junior Wind Band that have full percussion sections.
Acoustic guitar
For the right candidate, there is the possibility of some curriculum teaching in our middle school phase (Years 4 - 8). Please include interest in this as part of your application.
This might seem a long list - this really is due to expansion of our work now and in years to come. There is so much musical potential at Simon Balle!
Some of this work could be combined for the right candidate - we really are thinking beyond the norm. Here is more about Simon Balle Music:
In our primary phase (‘The Larch’), 60% of our two form entry phase learn an instrument. You could be embedded within The Larch, working with colleagues developing our offering. Teaching is mostly in groups for woodwind, individually for piano, and there is scope for individual teaching as students progress. You might work with some KS3 students, nurturing them in their musicianship, confidence and participation. We have a bespoke teaching programme from Year 3 with woodwind and strings which can be found here: https://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/music/in-the-larch/. You could work with secondary colleagues ensuring that the Larch musicians are thriving and inspired, ready for their secondary journey. Our Larch Wind Band has 45 musicians in, our Larch String Orchestra has 40 and we work on some chamber music as we can when musicians are ready. There is huge potential for growth, as we develop our musical enrichment in the Larch and in a ‘middle school’ phase of our all-through school. There could be an opportunity to also develop work at a partner primary school in Hertford as part of the Trust. These positions are really about inspiring our musicians on their learning journey in music. The scope of the role is limitless with the right enthusiasm! If you can also teach primary brass, this would be another opportunity for us, however woodwind is the priority.
Music at Simon Balle, as part of the Laurel Education Trust, is thriving and is a beacon of musical inclusion and excellence. Our all-through curriculum, from Reception to Year 13 is ‘spiral’ and we are so proud of what our musicians are learning and achieving. We are continually looking to improve our musical experiences and how we inspire our musicians through our teaching. Our GCSE and A level students work with the Eduqas syllabus (our GCSE points score was +1.48 in 2024). We have large classes at GCSE and A level and our school is a destination for some in the 6th form with bespoke pathways. Across our all-through school, music is a very important part of our broad and ambitious curriculum, which is progressive and sequential from Reception - Year 13. We use chromebooks (all students have a chromebook) and chromeboxes for much of our teaching with Soundtrap, Focus on Sound and Noteflight. We are developing a programme for our most advanced musicians, many of whom work towards LCM diplomas. Most years have some of our Year 13 leavers going to music college or a music conservatoire. We have recently worked with the RNCM Popular Music Team. We are developing a partnership with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Students support our ensembles, as well as taking part in our huge Rock School (which has over 12 bands rehearsing each week). Our primary wind band has 50 students taking part each week, as does our primary string orchestra. Our Junior Wind Band has 70. Our Concert Band has 50 musicians! Both Junior Wind and Concert Band have full percussion sections. We have two Big Bands and a saxophone ensemble as well. We have 4 choirs across the all-through school, plus one at our Trust school. Our advanced musicians take part in an annual tour to Ghent - a huge music festival and we are working on a middle school experience. Last year we launched our Simon Balle Concert Orchestra and Chorus performing 4 arrangements from the recent BBC disco prom. We perform each year at Saffron Hall. We are looking to develop a ‘middle school’ experience as well. Our teachers work as a team, so that all musicians receive consistent teaching and experiences.
For more details of our amazing music, where 33% of the school learn an instrument and 25% are in an
ensemble or choir each week, please visit https://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/music/
We will mentor new colleagues, support, have time for team meetings and help develop pedagogy in a way that works for you and us. We use a brilliant program called Involve to schedule lessons, write notes and involve families in learning. When applying, please state what you can offer and how you can contribute to our incredible musical ethos. If you are new to teaching, again say what you can offer and how you would like us to help you develop your career.
Our events are found here: https://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/music/whats-on/
This is an incredible opportunity to be part of an amazing school where we aim to create lifelong musicians and music is so much part of who we are. We are Team Music!
We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the advertisement should we appoint a suitable candidate.
If you have any questions or would like to visit, please email Mark Taylor, Director of Music on music@simonballe.herts.sch.uk.
https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/6ReYBPg1UsL5k
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Simon Balle All-Through School
- School type
- Academy, ages 4 to 18
- Education phase
- Through
- School size
- 1561 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Simon Balle All-Through School website
School location
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