Isaac Newton Academy, Redbridge
Interim Principal: Jo Spencer
Teacher of Music
Start Date: September 2019
Location: Ilford, Redbridge
Deadline: 22nd April 2019
Salary: Ark MPS (£28,286-£39,937)
Unique Opportunity: INA is an OFSTED outstanding, music specialist, all-through comprehensive school dedicating 2 hours a week to music at KS3 and providing every student with their own instrument and small-group tuition free of charge. We currently have over 100 music GCSE students.
In September 2012 Isaac Newton Academy opened with its inaugural cohort of 180 year 7 students. The school will grow, year on year, to become an 11-18 academy of 1250 students with specialist status in mathematics and music. In 2014 the primary phase of the academy opened to 90 reception-aged children. This too will grow each year, until full in September 2020.
Job Description: Teacher of Music
Reporting to: Head of Department/Second in Department
Disclosure level: Enhanced
The Role
To deliver outstanding and inspirational teaching, to ensure effective student learning in the subject and to achieve excellent results for the students
To be a role-model and impact positively on the academy more widely
Key responsibilities
· To plan, resource and deliver imaginative, interactive and inspiring lessons that ensure effective learning takes place and students make excellent progress
· To inspire a generation of young musicians through engaging, authentic and practical music making
· To be committed to whole class instrumental/vocal performance as a backbone to every scheme of learning
· To prepare and lead an engaging range of practical, musical, extra-curricular opportunities for students and potentially for members of the wider school community
· To provide a nurturing and stimulating classroom and academy environment that helps students to develop as learners
· To maintain/establish positive behaviour for learning across the whole academy
· To contribute to the effective working of the academy
· To support students in the acquisition and development of learning dispositions and positive character traits
· To provide stimulating and enriching extra-curricular opportunities for students and potentially for members of the wider school community
· To be accountable for student progress and attainment levels in their own classes.
Outcomes and activities
Teaching and Learning
· With direction from the Head of Department, to plan and prepare effective teaching modules and lessons
· To teach engaging and effective lessons that motivate, inspire and involve students and improve student attainment
· To use regular assessments to monitor progress and set targets
· To respond accordingly to the results of such monitoring to differentiate intervention
· To utilise a full range of AfL strategies
· To maintain regular and productive communication with parents, to report on progress, sanctions and achievements
· To promote reading and teach literacy skills.
Academy Culture
· To help create a strong academy community, characterised by consistent, orderly behaviour and caring, respectful relationships by maintaining a presence around the Academy
· To help develop an Academy culture and ethos that is utterly committed to achievement
· To demonstrate a commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of the Academy’s community
· To actively promote the Academy at all times
· To contribute to discussions at meetings
· To contribute to the writing and implementation of the Academy Improvement Plan
· To be active in issues of student welfare and support.
Other
· To be a form tutor and deliver tutorial, BRIDGES and PSHE sessions to the form group
· To undertake other various responsibilities as directed by the Head of Department or Principal
· To undertake the main professional duties of a teacher as set out in the ARK Schools pay and conditions of service document
· To meet the expectations of all INA staff as laid out in the Staff Expectations Policy
· To uphold all Academy polices with consistency and diligence.
Person Specification: Teacher of Music
Qualification Criteria
· Qualified to degree level and above
· Qualified to teach (and work) in the UK
Knowledge & Skills
· Up to date knowledge in the curriculum area
· Understanding of the strategies needed to establish consistently high aspirations and standards of results and behaviour
· Expert instrumental and vocal skills and a willingness to model these in support of class performances
· Due to our unique and exciting Big Band project, a fairly high level of competence on one or more of the Big Band instruments (trumpet, trombone, saxophone, guitar, bass, piano, drums, dhol) would be highly desirable.
Experience
· Experience of raising attainment in a challenging classroom environment
· Experience of leading instrumental and vocal ensembles
· Experience of small group instrumental teaching would be highly desirable (in order to support the Big Band Project)
· Evidence of continually improving the teaching and learning of their subject through schemes of work and extra-curricular activities.
Behaviours
· Passion for the subject
· A firm and constant belief in the unlimited musical potential of every student and a commitment to inclusive educational provision
· High expectations for accountability and consistency
· A commitment to equality of opportunity for all students in all musical pursuits
· Vision aligned with ARK’s high aspirations, high expectations of self and others
· Motivation to continually improve standards and achieve excellence
· Commitment to the safeguarding and welfare of all students and providing equality of opportunity
· The ability to enthuse and inspire others
· The ability to consistently deliver outstanding lessons
· Effective and systematic behaviour management, with clear boundaries, sanctions, praise and recognition
· Excellent communication, planning and organisational skills
· Demonstrates resilience, motivation and commitment to driving up standards of achievement
· Acts as a role model to staff and students
· Commitment to regular and on-going professional development and training to establish outstanding classroom practice
· The skills needed to develop positive relations with students and adults
· The skills needed to work effectively alone and as a part of a team
· Excellent listening skills
· Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and ICT skills
· Strong organisational and time management skills
· The ability to take personal responsibility, a readiness to reflect and self-evaluate, and the ability to change, develop and improve
· Confidence and self-motivation
· The skills to work well under pressure
· High levels of honesty and integrity
· A sense of humour and desire to have fun.
Other
· This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check
· The post holder must be committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and to providing equality of opportunity.
We reserve the right to close this job vacancy prior to the advertised closing date should we feel we have found a suitable candidate
Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our academies. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. This process is outlined here, but can be provided in more detail if requested. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Isaac Newton Academy – A Music Specialist School
At Isaac Newton Academy every student is a musician. At Key Stage 3 students receive two hours of music teaching per week, one hour of core music and one hour of group instrumental tuition. They are taught in form groups and are not grouped according to current attainment.
During core music lessons we workshop a variety of styles of music from all over the world. We perform and compose as a whole class through singing, drumming and using a range of other instruments as authentically as possible. At KS3, classes become a beat-boxing troop, a choir, music technicians, African drummers, dhol groups, film composers, protest song-writers, Romantic Orchestras, band members and much more. The aim of this department is for every student to develop a love of different types of music and to become confident, creative and skilled musicians. This curriculum is also geared towards developing students’ musical identity in one or more areas along well planned for and well-trodden roots of progression from absolute beginner to expert A level proficiency without the requirement for additional peripatetic support.
Our instrumental project is a unique and exciting component of the music curriculum at Isaac Newton Academy. Every student is given an instrument to keep for the whole of KS3. Through this project every form group is transformed into a big band with 9 saxophonists, 4-5 trumpeters, 4-5 trombonists, 3 keyboard players, 3 guitarists, 2 drummers and 2 bassists. We all believe passionately that every student deserves to have this opportunity and we hope that this skill, in addition to supporting their school progress, will stay with the students of Isaac Newton Academy for the rest of their lives. So far it has been a huge success. The aim of this instrumental project is not to identify an elite ‘talented’ few and prepare them for a life as professional musicians. This project was designed to allow any student, regardless of prior experience, to access the highest points of KS4 music.
At KS4 we have a phenomenally high uptake for GCSE Music of roughly 30% - round about 7 times the national average. In September we will have over 100 GCSE music students, an incredibly number for a school with a cohort like ours, and we are always aiming to attract more. Our results are some of the best in the school with 98% of students passing over the last two years and half of students achieving grades 7-9.
We offer a varied and ever-growing enrichment programme for music with multiple choirs, a dhol group, soul bands, hip-hop brass bands, music production groups and more. These, combined with our curriculum lessons, contribute to performances around London (our students have performed four times at the Barbican) and to our end of term concerts, which are always huge events in the Academy’s calendar. The last concert had an audience of 500 and contained over 300 performers and was a great success!
Isaac Newton Academy is an all through school and increasingly member of the music team also teach in the primary phase. In additional to fantastic core music lessons that start in reception we also offer an instrumental project, starting in Y4, that allows students to learn trumpet, trombone or dhol in groups of 10 each week.