Job Introduction

Westminster Under School is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Music Gap Year Student to work in the School's busy and thriving music department for one academic year (September 2024 to July 2025).

The Music Gap Student will assist in all areas of the day-to-day running of the Music Department, examples of which are outlined below and are essential in its smooth running. The successful applicant will report principally to the Director of Music and be encouraged to take a full and active role all areas of the department including concerts and rehearsals depending on level of expertise.

Role Responsibility

Typical, non-exhaustive, roles performed in this role are:

• Assist with departmental administration such as cataloguing music, preparing music for rehearsals and assisting the Visiting Music Teachers, photocopying and other support as necessary, such as refreshing display boards and resources for lessons.

• Supervision of pupils practicing during break and lunch times, engaging with them in a mature and positive way.

• Provide support in ensemble and choir rehearsal.

• Assist with concert planning and delivery - helping to collate information for concert programmes and plan rehearsals schedules.

• Provide Front of House support at concerts - greeting audience, helping set up and stage manage, help students prepare for performances.

• General assistance with the day-to-day running of the department - room allocations for VMTs, resolving timetable issues etc.

• Assist with instrument cataloguing and storage of school owned instruments.

• Assist and supervise pupils taking part in school trips as and when they take place, paying particular attention to the behaviour and safety of pupils.

• Any other support reasonably requested by the Director of Music.

This role suits people who are confident, self-directed and who enjoy working with and engaging with younger people - the role may be particularly beneficial for someone who is considering a career in education, though this is not essential.

A strong interest in music and an ability to read music is desirable but not essential 

Competence in the main Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook and similar) is a strong advantage.

Hours of work

Monday to Friday, term-time only (including all INSET training days). The exact daily hours of the role will vary but will be approximately eight hours to be worked between 8 am and 6 pm with a 30-minute lunch break. Any additional agreed time outside of this (e.g. assisting on school trips) will be paid as overtime.

Salary

£19,971.58 (actual) equating to a full-time equivalent of £26,667.93 per annum.

Voluntary additional activities, e.g., taking part in residential school trips, may be paid at a different, pre-agreed rate.

Lunch is provided at no additional cost each day.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the attached person specification below.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: September 2024

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, term-time only. Fixed term contract for one academic year (September 2024 to July 2025).

Salary: £19,971.58 (actual) equating to a full-time equivalent of £26,667.93 per annum.

The closing date for applications is 09:00 on Tuesday 27th August 2024. Interviews will follow shortly after the closing date.

About the School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Westminster Under School is a friendly and welcoming place to work. There is a real sense of community here and staff members quickly become part of the rhythm of life, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending a concert or a sports fixture.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a great environment for happy and purposeful pupils, and for all the staff who support them. Our aim is to produce well-rounded individuals with a love of learning and an enthusiasm for life, and who relish coming into School each day. All members of staff play an important role in ensuring that day-to-day processes at the School run smoothly, and in turn helping each and every pupil to enjoy and benefit from all that the School has to offer.

The Under School is a day school with approximately 292 pupils aged between 7 and 13. The School was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. The 17 boys with whom it began rapidly became 60 in  number and by 1950 there were 80 boys in the Under School. The boys had to compete for space with the senior school pupils who had returned from evacuation at the end of the war, but in 1951 the Under School acquired its own premises in Eccleston Square. Numbers of pupils continued to rise during the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 the School moved once again to its present site overlooking the Westminster playing fields in Vincent Square. A stone’s throw from the same Square is the striking Art Deco Sports Hall, which is used by both Westminster Under and Westminster Great School pupils.

To this day, the Under School enjoys a strong and important bond with Westminster Great School. Both schools foster a deep sense of the importance of independent thought and the ethos of a liberal education, giving them a unique shared identity. It is usual for Under School pupils to be offered a place at the Great School, and the vast majority accept their offers, continuing on until they leave the School in Year 13.

Westminster School