Working at MSJ
From September 2025, Malvern St James will become co-educational. We are a 3-18 boarding and day school with an imaginative vision of education taught within a positive, purposeful atmosphere.
MSJ fosters creativity and bold thinking; challenging and encouraging every student to extend their personal horizons and realise their full potential.
Two hours from London and one hour from Birmingham, we are in the heart of Malvern in Worcestershire, with excellent transport links. Great Malvern train station is situated opposite the school. Our school Minibus service covers five counties to pick up and return students each day.
The School is home to a warm and welcoming community, all enjoying the friendly and buoyant atmosphere of shared celebration, extolling personal success in every field of endeavour. MSJ offers a range of boarding options (ages 7 upwards), to fit in with the demands of modern family life and students can choose from full, weekly or flexi-boarding.
In March 2021, our School was awarded the Carnegie Mental Health Gold Award for its outstanding pastoral care and support for pupil and staff mental wellbeing.
All staff are expected to:
1. Work towards and support the school vision and the current school objectives outlined in the School Development Plan;
2. Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with pupils, parents and colleagues;
3. Contribute to the school’s programme of extra-curricular activities;
4. Support and contribute to the School’s responsibility for safeguarding pupils;
5. Regularly review own practice, set personal development targets and take responsibility for own continuous professional development;
6. Work within the school’s Health and Safety Policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff, pupils and visitors;
7. Work within the Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion Policy to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils and staff, both current and prospective;
8. Engage actively in the performance review process;
9. Adhere to policies as set out in the Staff Handbook/Teacher Standards and Regulations;
10. Adhere to School Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies;
11. Uphold and model the School’s values;
12. Contribute to the marketing of the School by attending key marketing events and promoting the school within the wider community;
13. Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time.
Teacher of Music-
* Full Time, Permanent, Required from 1 September 2025
* Reports to the Director of Music
The Music Department at Malvern St James
Music lies at the heart of the School and we require an outstanding Teacher of Music who can inspire and engage. We are looking for a genuinely passionate, enthusiastic and well qualified teacher to work with our Director of Music in the running of this highly successful department and to contribute fully to our busy Expressive Arts programme.
The successful candidate will inspire an appreciation of music across the School, both within the curriculum and across a broad extra-curricular setting. They will be required to deliver curricular Music to A Level and demonstrate a strong commitment to leading exciting extra-curricular activities.
The Department has strong academic standards with pupils regularly achieving outstanding results at GCSE and A Level (Eduqas) as well as through examination boards such as ABRSM, taking pupils to Diploma and Conservatoire Level. The Department has a part-time Music Administrator and a team of Visiting Music Teachers to deliver individual music lessons, who all support music making across the school. Many of the rehearsals and much of the extra-curricular work of the Department happens post 16:00.
Musical groups across the School include a senior, chamber and junior choirs, orchestra, Chamber Ensemble and a successful Guitar ensemble. We encourage pupils to develop their own musical ensembles such as The Ukeladies. The Music Department staff work closely as a team and aim to balance their reputation for high quality classical and instrumental music- making with achieving engagement of the wider school community. The Director of Music is ambitious for music to be accessible to all, of the highest possible standard, and for the Department to support academic musicians, scholars, musical theatre enthusiasts and pupils who just enjoy making music. The School wants all our pupils to acquire a love of music, irrespective of their practical ability.
The Music Department offers opportunities for our pupils to work with professional musicians, both during school hours and in the wider community. Our vocalists have worked with a range of singers including opera and musical theatre specialists. We are keen for our pupils to experience high level performances and perform at Malvern Priory Lunchbox Concerts and support community events when the invitation or opportunity arises. They have visited the CBSO in Birmingham termly and older pupils enjoy a visit to see a West End or Touring production when possible to enhance their GCSE and A level curriculum understanding, as well as a symphony concert each year at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. We are always looking to broaden this range and extend our musicians.
Accountability
The Teacher of Music is accountable to the Head via the Deputy Head Academic and the Director of Music on matters related to curriculum, teaching and learning, and the Senior Deputy Head on matters related to pupil wellbeing and pastoral care.
Purpose of the Job
The Teacher of Music has responsibility for the effective and successful delivery of the subject throughout the school, in fostering a love of the subject at every level and promoting it within the School. They will ensure high standards of teaching, learning and achievement, in and out of the classroom, in collaboration with the Director of Music and other colleagues in the department.
Responsibilities
1. Uphold the National Teachers’ Standards within their classroom practice
2. Deliver engaging, challenging, and effective lessons to their classes using centrally recorded data
3. Set and mark homework; set, mark and moderate internal examinations and NEAS as necessary
4. Prepare reports for all students taught
5. Contribute to the work of the department including Schemes of Work, Subject Development Plan, Subject Self-Evaluation, promoting the Department at Open events and Options evenings etc
6. Set high standards and expectations to maintain a positive and purposeful atmosphere among the students and safeguard their health and safety when they are under the care of the department
7. Undertake duties as a Form Tutor
8. Attend major School events, Parents' Consultations for the year groups they teach and required INSET
9. Work with the Director of Music in the planning and execution of key events in the School Calendar such as the Carol Service, Commemoration and Prizegiving;
10. Contribute to the broader life of the School by supporting and leading extra curricular music groups, accompanying educational visits and overseas tours;
11. Support Music within the School’s Prep Department and the transition to the Senior School;
12. Work collaboratively within the Expressive Arts team to support ArtsMark activities.
13. Ability and willingness to support the school production and provide musical assistance for plays