King's Ely - Director of Music

Summary

We are seeking an outstanding, ambitious and inspirational Director of Music to lead the musical life of the Senior School.

Detail

An introduction to King’s Ely

Purpose, Ethos and Values

King’s Ely exists to make the most and best of childhood, and in particular to give the very best education, opportunities and pastoral care to as diverse a community of children as we can. In doing so we aim to prepare each one to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them. We achieve this through the operation of a family of schools centred around a 2-19 co-educational day and boarding school in Ely, aiming to draw fully on our exceptional environment, history, physical, cultural, spiritual and human resources in doing so.

History

King’s Ely can trace its origins from at least 970AD, making it one of the oldest schools in Europe. The School was first established to educate the choristers of the worshipping community of Ely and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery has been dissolved in 1539 and the School received its Royal Charter, later becoming known as “The King’s School”.

King’s Ely Today

In recent years King’s has expanded rapidly, becoming co-educational in 1970, and today educating around 1100 children aged 2-18 at Ely, including 185 boarders.

The school is divided into three sections: King’s Ely Senior (age 13-18) and King’s Ely Prep (age 7-13), which occupy adjacent campuses and benefit from shared facilities, and King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery (ages 2-6) which have their own self-contained campus about 400m from the main site. Additionally, Fairstead House School in Newmarket (for pupils aged 1-11) joined the King’s Ely family of schools in 2022.

The main campus extends to around 75 acres and contains buildings spanning the thirteenth to twenty-first centuries, including many of the historic monastic buildings adjacent to Ely Cathedral as well as more recent, purpose-built facilities and almost 40 acres of playing fields.

King’s Ely plays a key role in the local community. We are one of Ely’s largest employers and contribute greatly to the local economy, and we also continue to educate the choristers of Ely Cathedral. King’s Ely also offers a number of bursaries to enable pupils from all walks of life to benefit from the education it offers.

In its recent ISI Inspection (March 2025), King’s Ely was found to meet or to exceed all regulatory standards. In addition, the Inspectors judged the School to have a significant strength in the way in which its high quality pastoral care is interwoven with a dynamic enrichment programme. This enables “pupils of all ages to develop their independence, intellectual curiosity, creativity and socialization particularly well”.

The School is rightfully proud of the Inspection. It is testament to the community spirit of King’s Ely and the commitment and respect shown each day by pupils, staff and their families.

King’s Ely is affiliated with the HMC, Society of Heads, IAPS, the Boarding Schools’ Association and the Choir Schools’ Association.

Music at King’s Ely

Music is a vital part of School life and is central to our history, identity and culture. Our unique partnership with Ely Cathedral, exceptional musical traditions, broad co-curricular programme and commitment to musical excellence across a wide range of styles, traditions and disciplines provide a remarkable environment in which young musicians can thrive.

The Senior School music programme serves pupils aged 13–18 and includes academic Music to GCSE and A-level, instrumental and vocal tuition, orchestral and ensemble performance, contemporary music, music technology, concerts, services, productions, tours and other performance opportunities. The School seeks to nurture musical participation at every level, from pupils beginning or developing their musical journey to highly advanced performers preparing for scholarships, examinations, auditions, university pathways and conservatoire opportunities.

Current Senior School ensembles include a Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz Band, Chamber groups, several choirs including Chapel Choir, Schola Cantorum, King’s Barbers and various contemporary and rock groups.

We are seeking an outstanding, ambitious and inspirational Director of Music to lead the musical life of the Senior School. They will combine excellent musicianship with strategic leadership, educational vision and a desire and gift to develop young people of all abilities through music, supporting participation, championing excellence and fostering a culture in which music is acceessible, ambitious and deeply enriching. The role requires strategic vision, practical musical leadership, excellent organisation and the ability to work collaboratively with established specialists across the whole School and wider community. The Director of Music will develop orchestral, instrumental, ensemble, contemporary and technology-led music-making, while also supporting singing as an inclusive whole-School activity in partnership with the Head of Vocal Studies.

The Director of Music will teach some Music across the school. The precise teaching commitment and subject areas will be determined according to the successful candidate’s strengths, experience and the needs of the Department.

The post also carries an important ambassadorial and strategic recruitment function. The Director of Music will play a key role in recruiting potential Music Scholars, retaining talented King’s Ely Prep School pupils, including former Ely Cathedral choristers, into the Senior School, strengthening relationships with feeder schools locally, nationally and internationally.

Full details can be found in the Information pack attached.

Key Dates:

• Closing Date: Monday 30th November 2026 at 12:00 pm (noon)
• Longlist Interviews: Tuesday 8th – Thursday 10th December 2026 (via Microsoft Teams)
• Shortlisting: Friday 11th December 2026
• School Visits: Monday 14th – Wednesday 16th December 2026 (Shortlisted candidates are welcome to arrange an individual visit during these dates, if desired)
• Shortlist Interviews: Friday 8th January 2027

Terms and Conditions

• The School operates a defined contribution scheme for teaching staff. This scheme is the Aviva Pension Trust for Independent Schools (APTIS) scheme. Further details about the defined contribution scheme are available from the School's Chief Financial Officer.
• Members of staff may educate their own children in any of the three parts of the school or at Fairstead House, subject to availability of places and successful admissions procedures. Staff currently enjoy a discretionary discount on fees for children in Reception year onwards, details of which will be provided upon request.
• The School offers a private healthcare insurance scheme, which staff may opt to join shortly after the start of each academic year (the policy starts on 1st November each year). The scheme can only be joined at the start of the policy year, not part-way through the year.
  
• School lunch provided when at work over lunch time and tea and coffee throughout the day.
• Limited use of school gym facilities (during specific times) and use of the school swimming pool at specific times (during summer school holidays – small fee applies)
• Limited free on-site parking.
• Employees and their dependants have access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to Salary Sacrifice Schemes such as: Cycle2Work, Home and Tech Scheme and Local Gym Membership.
• Eyecare Vouchers
• Members of staff are entitled to 10% discount on all King’s Ely school uniform ordered for their own children from Schoolblazer.
• Discounts at local businesses including Poet's House, A Little Something Ely, The Almonry Kitchen & Tearoom, Ely Grazing Company, Sushi and Salad, Griddle Bar and Meathouse, and The Pantry (Newmarket).

• King’s Ely is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.

• If you are selected for interview, you will need to provide and bring with you photographic proof of identity (eg passport or photo driving license), birth certificate, documentation confirming your National Insurance Number or your right to work in the United Kingdom, proof of address (eg recent bank statement/HMRC correspondence/utility bill) and certification of declared qualifications

We appreciate your effort in completing this application and for your interest in working for King’s Ely.

Documents

• Info pack - Director of Music (2) PDF Document