Director of Performing Arts

Starting date 13th August 2026

Director of Performing Arts

This is a unique opportunity to lead a highly successful and well-established Performing Arts department across the whole school. In recent years, the department has grown significantly in both size and ambition and is now a recognised strength of our school and wider community.

The Director of Performing Arts provides strategic leadership for Performing Arts, Music and Drama from Primary through to Secondary and the IB Diploma Programme. The successful candidate will bring a genuine passion for the arts and a commitment to celebrating students’ creativity across drama, rock bands, ensembles, and orchestras. They will lead a wide range of performance opportunities, including informal community performances, whole-school concerts across the year, and a major school musical staged in an off-site professional venue, with large-scale performances regularly involving over 150 students on stage. This is a role for an individual with energy, dedication, strong people skills and a strong sense of purpose.

We are seeking an inspiring teacher of music with a proven track record of teaching students to achieve highly at IGCSE and IB level. The Director will also oversee the department’s contribution to the co-curricular programme, including ensembles, productions, and a thriving peripatetic music provision.

This role carries responsibility for curriculum leadership and line management across both the Primary and Secondary phases, ensuring coherence, high standards, and a nurturing environment in which all students are encouraged to excel.

Task required to be successful in the role:

• Create enthusiasm, excitement and engagement with performing arts;
• Be passionate about international education;
• Have experience of teaching to IGCSE and IB
• Gain and maintain the trust and confidence of students, colleagues and parents;
• Be accountable for all aspects of standards in the performing arts curriculum;
• Be responsible for making best use of our collaboration with The Julliard School to create an exceptional arts infused curriculum and co-curricular experience for students;
• Ensure regular and frequent performances;
• Ensure continuity across Primary and Secondary and contribute to the development of curriculum, pedagogy and teaching across the school;
• Motivate students and staff to aspire to excellence in all that they do;
• Build a strong, high-performing team of performing arts teachers and manage the peripatetic instrumental teachers;
• Create the conditions for staff to continue to learn;
• Take responsibility for safeguarding students;
• Deploy resources with due diligence, with efficiency and effectiveness;
• Plan strategically for the continual development of performing arts as the school grows;
• Promote the school mission and values and those of the NAE family of schools.

Qualifications/Trainings

• Qualified to bachelor degree level or above.
• Qualified Teacher Status.
• High level of training and qualifications in music or theatre. 
  
  

Experience

• Proven track record with at least five years’ teaching experience.
• Demonstrable evidence of innovating and adapting curriculum to engage children and enable them to perform highly.
• Working in partnership with parents. 

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication in English.
• Ability to engage children and enable them to perform highly.
• Strong organisational skills and use of ICT.