Head of Music

Interview date: TBC

We are looking for a Head of Music Department for Twyford Church of England High School, which is part of the Twyford CofE Academies Trust. The Twyford Trust is made up of 4 exceptionally high achieving schools in Ealing which have the benefit of beingvery close geographically and being able to benefit from shared curriculum support. There is a Trust music service which co-ordinates teams of peripatetic teachers and central support for concerts and performances.

The unusually high profile of music in all four schools is the outcome of this commitment.

Twyford became a Specialist Music College in 2005 and, since then, has established a local and national reputation for high-quality music . Twyford is the beacon school for the Trust. As a music specialism, the school offers A-levels in both Music and Music Technology and offers two KS4 pathways (Music GCSE - following the AQA specification) and Edexcel BTEC Music in Practice (Music Technology).

10% of students at the school are awarded places based on musical aptitude. The school also attracts students to its 6 th Form from a wide area based on the post-16 offer, and from 2024 onwards we have made a minimum of 10 conditional offers to prospective students who sit a Music Pre-Admissions Test for the 6 th Form.

Class sizes are very healthy and significantly exceed the national averages (currently 20 studying A-Level Music, 36 studying A-Level Music Technology, 51 studying GCSE Music, and 54 studying BTEC). The extracurricular offer at the school is correspondingly ambitious and impressive, with a fully inclusive programme providing a pathway of progression for musicians from beginners to advanced. For orchestral instruments, we offer a Junior Orchestra (G1-5), Concert Band (G3+), String Orchestra (G3+), with Twyford Philharmonia as the flagship orchestra of around 70 players (grades 6-8+).

The Twyford Big Band is an invite only ensemble for more experienced musicians, and a 6 th form ‘jazz collective’ provides improvisation challenges for the most advanced jazz musicians.

The school also runs an ambitious, inclusive and high-quality choral programme of six choirs, with 15% of the student body currently choosing to sing in at least one choir: KS3 Junior Choir, Senior Choir (Y9-13, non-auditioned), Chamber Choir (invite only), 6 th Form Vocal Ensemble (acapella group), Junior Gospel Choir & Sacred (our Senior Gospel Choir) led by Karen Gibson from The Kingdom Choir.

There is also a thriving programme of chamber music offered, led by our peripatetic team. This includes flute choir, clarinet choir, double reed ensemble, saxophone ensemble, saxophone quintet, string quartets (for KS3, KS4 and KS5), and guitar ensemble. Additionally, a programme of band mentoring provides opportunities for students in KS3 who want play in a band to be supported by 6 th Form students to develop their skills.

Being part of a Trust offers us fantastic opportunities to challenge and inspire our student: musicians from across the Trust have performed with the Gabrieli Consort at Westminster Cathedral, performed at a local theatre with Ealing Music Service, and a Trust Choir went on tour to Belgium. Most recently Twyford Trust musicians have performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Ealing Music Service, with Twyford Sacred choir performing at Westminster Abbey and the Barbican with the Kingdom Choir.

In the last year our students have been given the opportunity to take part in ‘side by side’ workshops and concerts with the Nonsuch Orchestra, Central Band of the RAF, the jazz department at Trinity Laban College of Music, the woodwind department at the Royal College of Music and Ealing Symphony Orchestra.

The department team has 6 teaching staff, as well…