Teacher of Music
West London Free School, London, W6 9LP29 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2026
Closing date
22 February 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
23 January 2026
Job details
Job role
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Subject
- Music
Working pattern
- Full time: Our standard working day is 8.30am to 4.00pm.
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £40,317 to £52,300
Pay scale
- M1 to M6 (inner London)
What skills and experience we're looking for
The WLFS has been a music specialist school since its foundation, and the department is well resourced, with four full-time music teachers, supported by a full-time assistant and twenty visiting teachers. Twelve pupils each year enter the school as music scholars. At Key Stage 3, pupils have two hours a week of classroom music teaching, and develop a thorough theoretical and practical grasp of traditional music notation. Around half participate in either an after-school music ensemble or receive instrumental lessons, with almost 300 individual lessons taking place each week, and a scheme to encourage the study of ‘rare’ orchestral instruments.
Our proportion of pupils taking Music GCSE (OCR) in Years 10 and 11 is among the highest for any secondary school in the country. At A-level we offer both Music (Eduqas) and Music Technology (Edexcel), and former pupils often study at the country’s most prestigious universities, with alumni winning choral scholarships and reading Music, recently at Merton and New Colleges in Oxford. The department runs an orchestra, a string group, a wind band, and a number of choirs, including a staff & parent choral society. There is a busy programme of concerts, competitions, foreign and UK tours, cathedral visits, and an ambitious history of school musicals (with recent examples including The Sound of Music and Les Miserables). The programme for 2026 includes a tour to France, singing across Normandy and in La Madeleine, Paris, a performance of Orff’s Carmina Burana, and a production of Guys and Dolls, as well as concert trips to the Proms and Cadogan Hall. As such, music is central to the life of the school. We believe that music makes our pupils’ lives, and our school community, richer in spirit. In this the department is fully supported by the senior leadership team.
Key characteristics of the role include:
- to impart your passion for Music to the pupils you teach, whilst also ensuring their mastery of the subject.
- to assist the Head of Department in planning and delivering schemes of work for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5, and monitoring their effectiveness.
- to monitor the progress of pupils according to the school assessment policy.
- to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the department by taking part in collaborative planning, sharing resources, mentoring and observing teachers, and participating in continuing professional development.
- to be a form tutor, and work collaboratively with your year group team.
- to contribute to the wider school life, by taking responsibility for one or more instrumental/vocal ensembles, supporting the busy concerts programme, and helping to organise and lead inspiring external trips and tours.
- to play a key role in the submission of performing and composing coursework, recording and accompanying pupils, and running support sessions as appropriate.
The successful candidate will have:
- strong subject knowledge, a passion for Music, and an ability to communicate that passion to pupils;
- an ability to teach Music at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 to all levels, including pupils with SEN;
- a proven track record of excellent Music teaching and, where relevant, outstanding outcomes for pupils at both GCSE and A-level, including in performance and composition;
- an understanding of the ethos of the West London Free School, and a commitment to teaching a knowledge-based curriculum;
- capacity to lead by example as a performer (strong keyboard and/or string playing skills are especially desirable);
- high expectations of pupil conduct and behaviour;
- excellent team working skills and communication skills with both pupils and staff;
- a willingness to contribute extensively to the department’s co-curricular programme.
What the school offers its staff
The West London Free School
The West London Free School is one of the country's pioneering free schools, renowned for academic excellence, high standards of behaviour and a wide choice of co-curricular clubs. Since our foundation in 2011, we have provided all children with a rigorous, knowledge-rich education irrespective of their background. We believe that knowledge is a good in and of itself, empowering pupils to understand and take an interest in the world around them. The education we offer is not just a preparation for work, but a preparation for life. As such, we value the knowledge of our teachers, and the passion for their subject that they bring to the classroom.
We offer a challenging curriculum, with a supportive environment, underpinned by fantastic teachers. Through this combination, pupils at the West London Free School excel. The Sunday Times chose us to be their 'London Comprehensive School of the Year' in 2025, and UK 'Comprehensive School of the Year' in 2026. Our most recent exam results in 2025 were our best yet as a school:
- A-level: 60% of entries were graded A* to A, and 87% were graded A* to B.
- GCSE: 63% of entries were graded 9 to 7, and 93% were graded 9 to 4. Our Attainment 8 was 69.1, making us the fourth best comprehensive school in England for GCSE outcomes.
- WLFS students went on to study at some of the best universities in the UK and abroad, with 13 students accepted to courses at Oxford or Cambridge in 2024.
At the West London Free School, we aim to build a culture of sustainable success. We have a stable body of staff who feel supported and fulfilled.
- Senior leaders are highly visible and approachable.
- The pastoral team take responsibility for ensuring all teachers can teach without disruption. School rules are non-negotiable, and poor behaviour is met by escalating sanctions.
- Our staff surveys have regularly shown staff morale and other indicators of professional satisfaction at the WLFS to be significantly higher than national benchmarks.
As well as a knowledge rich education, the WLFS runs an extensive co-curricular programme that encourages children to develop outside the classroom. The school specialises in music and offers a range of sporting opportunities as well as general interest clubs. All staff are encouraged to share their co-curricular enthusiasm by committing one hour a week to running a school club.
Rewards & Benefits
People are at the heart of our success. We look for talented and ambitious individuals who share our vision for creating an exceptional school, and are committed to ensuring that every child has access to the best possible education. Pursuing a career at the WLFS also gives you the chance to work alongside a highly capable and committed Senior Leadership team. Senior Leaders at WLFS all teach, pay due attention to workload pressures and are highly visible ‘in the corridors’.
We have developed a positive and supportive staff culture at the WLFS, and we invest in our staff with support, coaching and mentoring as well as external training programmes. To that end, we offer:
- Teachers’ Pension Scheme for teaching staff
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Complimentary drinks
- Employee counselling
- Recommend a teacher bonus scheme
- Staff children have priority admission into the school (after 2 years’ service)
- Season ticket travel loan
Closing date and interviews
The School reserves the right to commence or complete the interview process at any time prior to the start date.
Please apply either via the jobs portal through which you found this advert, or by completing the application form on the WLFS website and returning it to the Joint Headteachers Ben McLaughlin and Rob Peal via r.peal@wlfs.org.
Informal enquiries to the Director of Music (g.devoil@wlfs.org) are welcomed.
Equal Opportunities
The Knowledge Schools Trust is an equal opportunities employer. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions in order to assess their suitability to work with children.
The West London Free School and the Knowledge Schools Trust is fully committed to the principles of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We want to attract and retain the very best staff in all areas of the Trust, ensuring our staff body reflects the diversity of our students and local community.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
The Knowledge Schools Trust is an equal opportunities employer. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.
Applying for the job
Please complete the online application.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Apply for this jobUpload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About West London Free School
- School type
- Free School, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 921 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- West London Free School website
- Email address
- r.peal@wlfs.org
The West London Free School is one of the country's pioneering free schools, renowned for academic excellence, high standards of behaviour and a wide choice of co-curricular clubs. Since our foundation in 2011, we have provided all children with a rigorous, knowledge-rich education irrespective of their background. We believe that knowledge is a good in and of itself, empowering pupils to understand and take an interest in the world around them. The education we offer is not just a preparation for work, but a preparation for life. As such, we value the knowledge of our teachers, and the passion for their subject that they bring to the classroom.
We offer a challenging curriculum, with a supportive environment, underpinned by fantastic teachers. Through this combination, pupils at the West London Free School excel. The Sunday Times chose us to be their 'London Comprehensive School of the Year' in 2025, and UK 'Comprehensive School of the Year' in 2026. Our most recent exam results in 2025 were our best yet as a school:
• A-level: 60% of entries were graded A* to A, and 87% were graded A* to B.
• GCSE: 63% of entries were graded 9 to 7, and 93% were graded 9 to 4. Our Attainment 8 was 69.1, making us the fourth best comprehensive school in England for GCSE outcomes.
• WLFS students went on to study at some of the best universities in the UK and abroad, with 13 students accepted to courses at Oxford or Cambridge in 2024.
At the West London Free School, we aim to build a culture of sustainable success. We have a stable body of staff who feel supported and fulfilled.
• Senior leaders are highly visible and approachable.
• The pastoral team take responsibility for ensuring all teachers can teach without disruption. School rules are non-negotiable, and poor behaviour is met by escalating sanctions.
• Our staff surveys have regularly shown staff morale and other indicators of professional satisfaction at the WLFS to be significantly higher than national benchmarks.
As well as a knowledge rich education, the WLFS runs an extensive co-curricular programme that encourages children to develop outside the classroom. The school specialises in music and offers a range of sporting opportunities as well as general interest clubs. All staff are encouraged to share their co-curricular enthusiasm by committing one hour a week to running a school club.
Arranging a visit to West London Free School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email r.peal@wlfs.org.
School location
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