Musician in Residence from September 2025

Welcome to OSH

Old Swinford Hospital is one of the country’s leading state boarding schools. A large number of the School’s students are boarders who come from a wide range of backgrounds in the UK and also from the EU and overseas. A third of our pupils are day pupils, who usually go home after lessons, unless they are involved in sport or music, CCF or DofE. The School is now on an exciting journey to become fully co-educational by 2025. Girls joined us in September 2021 in Year 7, whilst the Sixth Form has been mixed since 2004.

OSH is calm place to work. It is inclusive, tolerant and welcoming. The atmosphere is supportive and orderly, and it is also very relaxed because for many of our pupils their school is also their home. Parents, pupils and staff are all on the same side and our pupils want to learn before going out into the wider world and making their own contribution to it. 

We have recently had two very favourable Ofsted visits, one for boarding and one for curriculum. You can see these via our website www.oshsch.com  We enjoy a very good academic reputation and regularly feature in the lists of the most academically successful maintained schools. We’re not about league tables, however. We pride ourselves on developing in our pupils a balance of academic achievement, character and resilience and we’ve been doing this now for nearly 360 years.

Our extensive extra-curricular programme contributes to our pupils becoming happy, healthy and interested young people, for whom sport, music, art, drama, outdoor pursuits feature in their everyday lives. 

A major building programme has recently been completed which includes a large extension to an already impressive sports centre, an all-weather floodlit sports pitch, a new teaching block with a specialist arts room, a performing arts centre and a new senior boarding house.

Music at OSH

The Music Department at Old Swinford is a large and thriving one. It is housed in an independent Music School, Hanbury House, which has a well-equipped ICT suite, recital room and practice rooms. 

The music curriculum involves every lower school pupil in practical musical activities, with many opportunities to use ICT. There are strong numbers of pupils both in GCSE and A level option groups, and academic standards are very high, with about 1/2 of all Music students moving on to degree level courses at Universities, Conservatoires and Colleges of Music each year. The department also has an active programme of liaison work with local primary and secondary schools.

The Director of Music oversees the work of the school visiting instrumental and vocal teachers, and some 30% of the students in the school have a lesson each week. There is a wide range of extracurricular groups, including Concert Band, Big Band, Choir, Chamber Choir and a number of smaller chamber ensembles. There is a full annual programme of concerts both in the school and the local community. 

Person Specification

The post is particularly suited to someone who is an enthusiastic musician and a graduate seeking to gain valuable school based experience in a supportive department.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• Excellent interpersonal skills to help deliver high quality music or activities;
• An ability to work with a range of age groups;
• Ability to support students in their learning;
• Good planning and organisational skills;
• Conscientious, reliable and enthusiastic;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Experience of coaching music/activities to children;
• Flexible attitude to work, willingness to work unsociable hours including evenings and weekend work.
• An ability to think on their feet and organise and lead a range of suitable activities;
• Displays commitment to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people.

Job Specification

The Musician in Residence will assist the Director of Music in the smooth running of the Music Department. Also, the Musician in Residence shall assist the Housemaster of your appointed house with boarding duties and responsibilities.

The job description is to be flexible in order to make best use of the skills and talent of applicants. There are both opportunities to contribute to the existing good work of the department, or to explore new directions in consultation with the Director of Music. The Musician in Residence will be expected to:

• contribute to the development of music within the school using their own particular talents e.g. as an instrumentalist, singer, composer, arranger;
• demonstrate a genuine interest in Music Education at all levels;
• supervise and encourage practice and other work in the Music School in the evenings, and ensure security of the building at the end of the evening (3 evenings per week);
• to act as classroom instructor as and when required by the Director of Music, or a member of the SLT;
• to act as classroom assistant in Key Stage 3 and 4 lessons as instructed by the Director of Music, or member of the SLT;
• assist with teaching in classes at the direction of the Director of Music;
• help to run the extracurricular programme of musical activities, e.g. by organising music, or contributing to rehearsals as a performer or conductor;
• help with the administration and planning for concerts and exams;
• take part in concerts and liaison activities with other schools;
• help with general administrative tasks within the music department as instructed by the Director of Music and/or the Music Administrator;
• offer help, support and encouragement to students considering higher education courses and careers in music;
• be flexible and willing to contribute to musical activities both in the evening and at weekends;
• provide supervision as a Residential Boarding Tutor;
• any other tasks that may from time-to-time be reasonably required.

In addition, the Musician in Residence is responsible to the Housemaster of the appointed house and is expected to provide supervision as a Residential Boarding Tutor.  As a Musician in Residence you are expected to live in your accommodation when the school is in session.  Any individual nights when the Musician in Residence needs to be away from the accommodation must be agreed in advance with the Deputy Head. The accommodation could be single or shared and no partners will be allowed to live or stay in the accommodation.

The Residential Boarding Tutor shall assist the designated Housemaster in the routine operation of the boarding house and be responsible for the good order and discipline of the house at all times when on duty. S/he shall take an interest in the welfare and progress of all the students in the house and support the house as appropriate in-house activities, house competitions and the like. S/he shall take responsibility as a pastoral tutor for students in the house. The Residential Boarding Tutor shall undertake all duties in accordance with the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools.

Main Boarding Duties will include:

• Attend House Assemblies;
• Undertake weekday House duties at least one day per week as part of a weekly rota. This shall include but not be limited to:
• Taking House registration in the morning and afternoon as required by the Housemaster;
• Being on duty in the house in time for the formal start of Prep until the end of duty at 11.00 pm unless otherwise agreed with the relevant Housemaster;
• Supervising Breakfast and Supper in the Dining Hall on the House Duty Week as part of the Duty Rota.
• Undertake weekend house duties on at least as part of a termly rota. This shall include but not be limited to:
  • Being on duty in the house during the allocated sessions as agreed with the Housemaster;
  • The Sunday duties being occasionally double shifted (8.30am to 6.30pm)
  • Help cover Outweekend Duties when the House is on Duty;
  • The supervision of the dining hall for meal times is the responsibility of the Duty House Housemaster and his tutor team during the weekend with the support of the Senior Duty Team.
• To contribute to the House Audit Plan;
• Take an interest in the welfare and progress of all the students in the house and support the house as appropriate in supporting house activities and house competitions;
• Provide duty cover in the house when requested in the absence of the Housemaster and/or Matron;
• To assist with the weekend activity programme when required;
• To assist with Matron duties when requested;
• To assist with Boarding House Open Evenings or other similar events;
• Lead or supervise at least one extra-curricular activity under the direction of the SLT;

Remuneration & Hours 

The position is fixed term, full time contract from 1st September 2025 and lasting no longer than to 10th July 2026.

The salary for a full academic year is £13,325 paid in eleven monthly equal instalments. Accommodation is provided free of rent and all charges. Your accommodation will be either a single or shared flat in a boarding house, you are expected to live in during term time and no partners are allowed to stay. The Musician in Residence will be entitled to eat all meals in the School Dining Room during term time. 

In line with current regulation, you will, if you are eligible, be offered a workplace pension through NEST.

Equal Opportunities

Old Swinford Services Limited welcomes applications for employment from all sectors of the community.

Suitability to Work with Children

Old Swinford Services Limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The School reserves the right to close the job advert early where sufficient applications have been received and so we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for the post.