Curriculum Lead for Music

River Academy is seeking a Curriculum Lead for Music to provide strong subject leadership and secure high standards of teaching, learning, assessment and student outcomes.

River Academy opened in September 2024 with 180 students and seven students in its resource base. From September 2026, student numbers will increase again as the school welcomes its next cohort of Year 7 students. The school is currently oversubscribed, with waiting lists in all year groups, and expects continued high demand for September 2026.

You will join a strong and committed school team, contributing to the delivery of clear routines and the setting of expectations in line with the River Way.

River Academy has a strong focus on calm, purposeful learning environments. Classrooms are quiet, corridors are calm. Students are expected to demonstrate good manners, strong oracy skills, and high standards of personal and academic presentation. Reflecting this focus on consistency and high expectations, River Academy is ranked in the highest decile across all DfE attendance measures, and Sparx homework completion rates consistently exceed 98%.

The role combines excellent classroom practice with responsibility for developing and implementing the Music curriculum, leading the subject team and ensuring that students across each key stage are supported and challenged to make strong progress. The successful candidate will contribute to whole-school curriculum development and work collaboratively with school and Trust leaders.

As a Disability Confident employer, we want to ensure everyone can perform at their best when applying to work with us. If you need any support with your application or adjustments during the selection process, please contact our People Team by emailing [email removed] or calling [phone removed].

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the curriculum intent for Music alongside relevant school and Trust leaders and lead its effective implementation.
• Lead curriculum planning, assessment, intervention and support to ensure that all students can access the curriculum and make progress.
• Maintain high standards of teaching, learning and assessment across the department.
• Monitor student performance, identify differences in outcomes and implement timely strategies to improve progress.
• Lead, line manage, coach and support colleagues within the subject team, ensuring effective performance management and professional development.
• Develop a positive and aspirational department that contributes to the culture and ethos of River Academy and Maiden Erlegh Trust.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and student outcomes, identifying effective practice and addressing areas requiring improvement.
• Ensure assessment is accurate and appropriately standardised and that students receive effective feedback to support improvement.
• Lead the development of schemes of work and respond effectively to curriculum or specification changes.
• Promote high standards of behaviour, attendance, punctuality and engagement within the department.
• Provide enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities that encourage students to engage positively with Music.
• Manage departmental resources effectively and monitor the departmental budget.
• Ensure school and Trust policies, including safeguarding, equality and Health and Safety requirements, are implemented consistently within the subject area.

The Ideal Candidate

You will have:

• A good quality honours degree.
• PGCE, or equivalent, in secondary education.
• Qualified Teacher Status.
• Strong subject knowledge.
• A strong understanding of effective teaching and learning and the ability to put this into practice.
• The ability to use data to monitor student progress and inform curriculum planning.
• An understanding of effective departmental quality assurance, curriculum planning and assessment.
• The ability to implement effective intervention for students who are underachieving.
• The ability to coach and mentor other teachers.
• Strong organisational and behaviour management skills.
• The ability to establish effective professional relationships with colleagues and students.
• Knowledge and understanding of current developments in subject teaching and wider educational issues.
• The ability to prioritise effectively and meet deadlines.
• A commitment to continued professional development and to contributing to the wider life of the school.

The role is graded MPR/UPR plus TLR2b and reports to the Deputy Headteacher

About Maiden Erlegh Trust

Maiden Erlegh Trust is a growing community of schools across Berkshire and Oxfordshire, working together to deliver the best possible education for every child and young person. With around 800 staff and 5,000 students across nine schools, including primary, secondary, special, and alternative provision, we are proud of the diversity that shapes our expertise.

We Aim High, Be Inclusive, and Work Together. These values drive our focus on high-quality education for all, through collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Through the Maiden Erlegh Institute, colleagues access high-quality professional learning at every stage of their career, supported by mentoring, leadership opportunities, and our annual MET Staff Conference—a day that unites our whole team in sharing best practice and learning.

Joining our Trust means being part of a community that invests in people and values expertise; it is about playing a direct role in shaping the lives and outcomes of young people.

You can learn more about working with us and hear from colleagues across our Trust by clicking here to visit our website.

About the School

River Academy is a purpose-built secondary school serving the growing need for school places in the Reading area. Located on Richfield Avenue, the site includes specialist teaching facilities across the curriculum, including a hall, activity studio, learning resource centre, drama studio and sports studio. Classrooms are fully equipped with interactive screens and visualisers.

The school has high expectations for all students, with a clear focus on academic excellence and participation. When fully open, River Academy will serve students of all abilities and backgrounds, alongside an additional resource base for students with moderate learning difficulties.

The school also offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities through its after-school Electives programme, available to all students.

To learn more about River Academy, please visit the school website: www.river-academy.co.uk

Benefits

Further information about working at Maiden Erlegh Trust can be found on our website here. Staff wellbeing and professional development are central to how we work, and colleagues across our Trust benefit from a range of opportunities and schemes designed to recognise their contribution and support their growth.

Pension Scheme: Generous employer contributions, with auto-enrolment into either the Teachers Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme, both Career Average Earning Schemes.

Annual Leave: We offer a generous holiday entitlement, which increases with length of service.

ME Day: Colleagues may request one additional day’s leave each year to attend a special personal event, such as a child’s sports day or graduation, or a family celebration.

Professional Development: We offer a comprehensive programme of professional learning through the Maiden Erlegh Institute, including opportunities to both attend and deliver CPD. C