Teacher of Music (KS3-KS4, with option to teach KS5)

Start date: September 2026

Salary: MPS/UPS

Closing date: Monday 23 March 2026

Interview date: Week commencing 23 March 2026

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a vibrant, thriving and leading school in the local area (1150 on roll in Main School (Y7-11), with a Sixth Form of 188), and our long history and excellent community links provide our students with exceptional opportunities. 

As a school, we are immensely proud of our September 2021 Ofsted report which describes our school as ‘Good’ with many ‘Outstanding’ features. Inspectors said that “Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a learning community where pupils have great respect for each other. Teachers support pupils to become highly articulate young people who can express their views well on a wide range of issues.” They also commented that “Pupils benefit from studying a wide range of subjects. Leaders have put in place an ambitious curriculum. Leaders and teachers have high expectations of all pupils.”

 We wish to appoint a Teacher of Music and are seeking a hard-working and committed person with drive, enthusiasm and inspiration who will make a valuable contribution to the school and its achievements. The governors are seeking to appoint a dynamic and passionate teacher to work within an outstanding, dedicated and supportive department.

It is a forward-thinking department that works closely alongside the Drama department, delivering curriculum music from Year 7 to Year 13 as well as contributing to a busy programme of concerts, shows, Masses, trips and performance events throughout the year. A vibrant extra-curricular programme is also offered, including a variety of student bands, a school choir and a production, providing regular performance opportunities for students.

The department benefits from excellent resources, including a wide range of instruments and music technology which are embedded across all key stages to support teaching and learning. Technology plays a central role in lessons, enabling students to compose, perform, record and develop their musical ideas in a creative and engaging environment. The department is also supported by a dedicated Performing Arts Technician and a full team of peripatetic instrumental teachers.

The successful candidate must be fully qualified to teach within a secondary environment and have a music specialism. The role will consist of teaching Music at KS3 and KS4, with the possibility of teaching KS5 in our vibrant Sixth Form where we currently have strong numbers studying Music. At KS4 we deliver the BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Music Practice, and at KS5 students study the RSL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma for Music Practitioners, choosing either a Performance or Music Technology pathway.

The successful candidate will:

• Be a well-qualified music teacher with a record of delivering good and outstanding lessons
• Able to teach music to KS4/KS5 and have excellent curriculum knowledge
• Have a solid understanding of current educational research
• Have the ability to lead and motivate pupils
• Have a resilient character and a strong personal drive
• An enthusiastic and passionate individual who can provide first class teaching
• A confident musician with the ability to model musical skills in the classroom and promote high standards of musicianship.
• Ability and willingness to lead a variety of extra-curricula clubs, bands, choirs, trips and performances.

We offer you:

• A vibrant school with outstanding facilities.
• The opportunity to join a large, well-resourced and thriving music department.
• Opportunities to support the delivery of a variety of music-based qualifications including:
• BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Music Practice
• RSL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma for Music Practitioners
• A rich calendar of performance opportunities including, Concerts, Masses, Battle of the Bands, Shows and school events.
• A welcoming staff culture, where we focus on supporting each other to grow and develop as teachers and aspiring leaders, with regular opportunities for staff to collaborate and share best practice.
• An environment where pupils have an excellent attitude to learning, where they can grow academically and personally. Pupils’ behaviour and safety was judged by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’.
• Pupils who, through the wide and diverse academic and extracurricular opportunities they are offered, grow as individuals and happily contribute to the school community.
• Opportunities to regularly develop your own professional practice through in-house CPD.

How to apply:

This role is full time and permanent.  If this advert incorporates your strengths and interests, and you wish to be part of our extremely successful and constantly evolving team, then please see the job description, person specification, application form, child protection policy, code of conduct – Safer working practice guidance, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 form, consent to obtain reference form and model reasonable adjustments statement below.

Email application forms and covering letters to Lynn Lewington (l.lewington@cardinal-heenan.org.uk) by midday, Monday 23rd March 2026, with interviews to take place later in that week.

Applicants who have lived or worked overseas should obtain an overseas criminal check before applying for a visit as the post is in the education sector.

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment to keeping children safe. Any offer of employment will be subject to statutory pre-employment checks, including satisfactory references and Enhanced DBS and Barred-List checks. This post is exempt from the provision of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (as amended in 2013 & 2020) and shortlisted candidates will be required to disclose any relevant criminal history prior to interview.

The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (amended 2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.  The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-filtering-guidance