Primary Music Practitioner

Reports to: Network Primary Music Specialist

Location: White City, London

Contract: FTC 1 year

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm) Equivalent of four days will be based in schools across our Network, one day with our team in the White City office

Closing date: Monday 24^th April 2023 at 10am

First Round Interviews: w/c Monday 1^st May 2023

Salary: £29,000 to £32,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

With direction from the Network Primary Music Specialist, the Primary Music Practitioner will support our teachers in developing the tools needed to access the Ark Music Curriculum for Primary schools to ensure that teaching and learning in music is of the highest quality, and that pupil attainment is outstanding.

The Primary Music Practitioner will help teachers to inspire their pupils to participate in, excel at and enjoy a range of music-making activities within the classroom and beyond. Through the delivery of model teaching, team teaching and coaching, the Primary Music Practitioner will support our teachers in developing the tools needed to teach great music lessons and in so doing, ensure that music is a core part of the fiber of our schools. Part of this role will also encompass supporting the Network Primary Specialist with curriculum development as well as Primary Music Network Events and Enrichment.

We are looking for a Primary Music Practitioner who will have:

• Be an outstanding teacher and a reflective classroom practitioner
• Have a proven track record of developing thriving musical communities with a range of schools
• Have experience of designing inclusive curriculum pathways reflective of a broad range of pedagogies
• Be well placed to ensure our pupils are connected to relevant musical opportunities within their area
• Have a genuine passion for and belief in the potential of every young person

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver Ark Music’s programme of professional development to classroom teachers, ensuring that teaching and learning in music are of the highest standard (coaching, mentoring, model and team teaching)
• Work alongside the Network Primary Music Specialist to develop and review our network primary music curriculum, ensuring that it continues to be relevant and meets the needs of our teachers and their pupils
• Support the Network Primary Music Specialist in shaping events to support both enrichment and classroom music learning of our pupils
• Work to raise the profile of music-making in school and across the Ark Network
• Support broader music programme training, rehearsals and network events

Key Requirements:

• Outstanding teacher a reflective classroom practitioner
• Evidence of raising attainment and participation of all pupils within a range of schools
• Experience of observing and feeding back to others at different stages in pursuit of increased student achievement in music
• Highly collaborative and open to feedback
• Enjoy working flexibly and in response to emergent needs
• Ability to work methodically/multi-task
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills and ability to motivate others
• An approach to behaviour management which seeks to understand the needs driving the behaviour of individual children

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 28,500 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service and full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Hybrid working, with currently two days a week in our state-of-the-art office in West London working alongside colleagues
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.  

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment – this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link