Required for: September 2026 or January 2027

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, permanent

Salary: Westminster Under School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are shortlisted. 

For this role, there is no fixed closing date. Applications will be considered on receipt, and interviews may occur at any stage.

Music has always been an important part of life at Westminster Under School. Pupils are encouraged to learn and participate as fully as possible in a weekly routine which is full of rehearsals, recitals, and concerts.

Nearly all pupils learn at least one instrument. Most WUS pupils play to a high standard, with many performing in ensembles such as the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, the National Children’s Choirs of Great Britain and Junior Departments of the four London Music Colleges.

Our location, close to the South Bank and West End, encourages our pupils to attend concerts and recitals in order to expand their musical horizons.

We seek an Assistant Director of Music to support and inspire this curiosity in our pupils. They should be a passionate and enthusiastic musician, and an engaging classroom practitioner.

 They will have experience teaching music to prep school-aged children, and possess an infectious love of the subject. Applications are welcomed from experienced teachers or those new to the profession. The successful applicant will contribute fully to both the academic and the many co-curricular sides of the Department’s activities.

The Assistant Director of Music will work alongside the Director of Music and wider departmental team, including a Music Administrator and Visiting Music Teachers. The department enjoys an excellent reputation for the quality and diversity of music created through its choirs, orchestras, jazz and wind bands, chamber music groups, and occasional stage musicals.

The responsibilities of the Assistant Director of Music post include certain key tasks, which are outlined below. The balance of responsibilities may alter depending on the strengths and development needs of the successful applicant.

• Assist in maintaining and developing the current curriculum plans for the teaching of music from Reception to Year 8.
• Attend regular Music Department meetings.
• Teach class music and Music Technology to pupils between the ages of 4 and 13. The Assistant Director of Music will teach as required within the Music Department and will undertake all the duties of a classroom teacher.
• Lead various co-curricular ensembles, choirs and musicals as directed by the Director of Music. They assist the Director of Music in the planning and management of concerts and other music events. They also assist the Director of Music in promoting and recording Music department events in newsletters, school magazines and on the School’s intranet pages.
• Assist with any additional event in which the Music Department is involved (for example School Musicals).
• Write effective written reports on each pupil as and when required.
• Represent the Music Department at Parents’ Evenings and other external events, as required.
• Competent on the piano and preferably one other instrument.
• Follow guidelines, policies and school philosophy as laid out in the Staff Handbook and Music Department Handbook.
• Fully support the School’s aim to provide a relevant and stimulating syllabus that will engage and motivate pupils

Pastoral care and pupil management

• Put pupils at the centre of everything you do, taking a pastoral interest in pupils around the school environs, so that they feel valued and cared for. 
• Monitor the work of class pupils, providing guidance, advice and support, fostering self-esteem, independence and resilience. 
• Motivate pupils through praise, while being firm but fair, and in line with the School’s policies.
• Actively maintain the high standards of behaviour and uniform of pupils in the classroom and in all school locations and activities.
• Write and maintain relevant records for individual pupil files and writing reports.
• Communicate, respond to and consult professionally with parents on a regular basis, maintaining records, as appropriate.
• Communicate and consult with other departments or members of staff to implement recommendations, policies or guidance. 

All teachers and other staff are expected to:

• Promote and support the School’s Aims and Vision and School Development Plan.
• Adhere to and support the School’s policies and procedures. 
• Accept responsibility for the welfare and care of all pupils, at all times.
• Undertake break and supervisory duties, as designated by the Senior Management Team.
• Cover classes for absent colleagues, as directed by Senior Management Team. 
• Attend staff meetings, parents’ evenings and other meetings and school events, such as the Carol Service and open days, outside normal hours. 
• Attend relevant school trips, normally including one residential visit per year.
• Undertake any other duties or tasks as the Master, the Deputy Master or the Governing Body may reasonably require.
• Engage positively in and contribute to INSET activities offered by the School.
• Be involved in new initiatives within the School as part of ongoing professional development.
• Take an active interest in maintaining subject knowledge, learning networks and current educational research.

Additionally, all colleagues are expected to be involved in the wider school including but not limited to:

• Being a Form Tutor
• Supervise during break and lunch times
• Involvement with Games
• Attend Parents’ Evenings
• Accompany school residential trips

Whilst every effort has been taken to provide a comprehensive list of responsibilities, the post holder may be asked to complete other duties which could be considered relevant to the role, as directed by the Master or the Assistant Master, Teaching and Learning or other senior staff.

Music at Westminster Under School

Up to four Music Scholarships and four music exhibitions are awarded each year, and many WUS pupils perform in ensembles such as the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, the National Children’s Choirs of Great Britain and Junior Departments of the four London Music Colleges (RCM, RAM, Trinity Laban and Guildhall). Academic music standards are extremely high. 

The School offers Music Scholarships at 11+. An impressive number have taken up music awards at 13+ at Westminster, Eton, Winchester and St Paul’s, amongst others.  

The Senior Choir, leads the singing at the school’s weekly church services in St Stephen’s, Rochester Row, and regularly performs at prestigious London venues, including Smith Square Hall, the Barbican Hall, and Westminster Abbey. They have performed live on BBC Radios 3 and 4, have appeared on BBC and Channel 4 television, and have recorded theme music for two BBC television series. The choir has also appeared with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Southbank Sinfonia. They have been finalists three times in the National Choir of the Year Competition (formerly the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year). The school’s annual carol service is held at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey and is led by the choir with professional tenors and basses.

Biennial tours have taken the choir throughout Europe and to the U.S.A., Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China and South Africa, and their varied repertoire includes many works that have been composed especially for them by various composers such as Giles Swayne, John Woolrich, John Gardner, Edmund Jolliffe and Chris Hazell.

Facilities 

We are an all-Steinway school and occupy a brand new, purpose-built space in Chapter House next to London’s largest private Square, Vincent Square which is our playground and sports pitches, In our main building there are five individual teaching/practice studios, and a large music classroom, including a Music Technology room and a music office. There are upright pianos in the practice studios and a Steinway model O grand piano in the music classroom. The theatre has a Steinway model B grand and a Viscount 3 manual digital organ. We also have a single-manual harpsichord made in the Italian style by Colin Booth, which is available for students’ use.  The School’s Theatre is used for the majority of concerts and events  and we also make use of many excellent London venues for our large scale concerts including Smith Square Hall and The Royal Festival Hall.

Staff

In addition to the full-time Director and Assistant Director of Music, there is a full-time Music Administrator and a number of visiting music teachers (VMTs) who visit the School each week. The School is an exceptionally supportive one - we have a warm and friendly Common Room and beautiful facilities, including the largest Square in central London which pupils use every day. From September 2026, the School will expand to open a Reception class and will go co-educational in Reception, Year 3 and Year 7. The School will be co-educational in most year groups by September 2027.

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 around 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 happy, ambitious, nurturing and inspiring world-class preparatory education for seven to 13 year olds. Pupils who love to learn are offered a supportive, dynamic and inspirational environment to fuel their curiosity. 

Located in the heart of London, the School overlooks the beautiful school playing fields in Vincent Square and is just a few moments’ walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It is closely connected to Westminster School; in 1943, Westminster expanded its educational scope by forming the Under School, and the two schools share the same Governing Body and the same ethos of a liberal education. 

Westminster Under School's curriculum is broad and diverse, aiming to foster a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness in children and encourage independent thought. The teaching programme goes above and beyond the National Curriculum and teachers are not tightly bound by syllabus. Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects by expert teachers who embrace opportunities for growth and promote diverse thinking, and who encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. 

While the School's standard of our education is of the highest quality, the School’s focus is not only on academic achievement. Westminster pupils receive a full and rounded education that includes sport, the arts and many opportunities to engage in community outreach; pupils frequently take part in concerts, plays and in both internal and external competitions, and the School hosts festivals and events throughout the year. Like its older counterpart, Westminster Under School is fully committed to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, with the introduction of girls into Year 9 at Westminster School in 2028, all year groups across the two schools, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence. 

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