Director of Dance
Full time, permanent
Starting September 2026
Headington Rye Oxford is a vibrant and welcoming school set in 23 acres of playing fields and grounds. In an environment where individuals come first, Headington Rye Oxford is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, pastoral support and an impressive range of extra-curricular opportunities.
Executive Summary
We are seeking a highly capable and dedicated Director of Dance to lead an exceptional programme. Dance is a key facet of our outstanding Performing Arts provision and is universally accessible. Our top performers also achieve exceptional standards. The Director of Dance will be expected to lead the delivery of Dance at GCSE and A Level and to teach Curriculum Dance across the School.
The post holder should be a specialist in Contemporary Dance, but will require a range of experience and an ability to teach and run co-curricular clubs in a variety of dance styles. They will be expected to play a full and enthusiastic role, including on some evenings and weekends, in supporting school productions.
Dance at Headington Rye Oxford
Dance forms a significant element of the pupil experience at Headington Rye Oxford. We offer a dynamic and inclusive environment designed to inspire every pupil, from those taking their first steps to advanced dancers aiming for professional pathways. Our mission is to foster a passion for movement while maintaining the highest standards of technical excellence.
We provide a diverse range of styles inside and outside the curriculum, including Contemporary, Ballet and Street Dance. All Lower School pupils take Dance as one of their regular, timetabled lessons. The department offers GCSE Dance and A Level Dance and, in recent years, has helped multiple students progress to some of the most prestigious dance courses in the country. The professional-standard Dance studio provides an outstanding home to the department, befitting the quality of the instruction.
Alongside a plethora of clubs at lunchtimes and after school, a key element of the co-curricular offering is the Dance Academy on Saturdays, which is run by a highly experienced practitioner. The Department also runs a range of shows and performances, with the highlight being the annual ‘Mind, Body & Soul’ production.
Role Description
This is a full-time, permanent role starting in September 2026.
Key Responsibilities
- inspiring and motivating staff to work towards a vision and ethos for Dance at Headington Rye Oxford
- planning a diverse programme of dance performances and events
- overseeing the range and quality of dance groups and ensembles, ensuring rehearsals, staffing and performance opportunities
- collaborating with colleagues in Performing Arts to work on school productions
- ensuring a diverse range and style of Dance is promoted within the department and that pupils have the opportunity to explore a variety of dance styles
- organising and overseeing an enrichment programme within the department, including masterclasses and educational visits
- fulfilling all of the responsibilities associated with leading an academic department, such as:
- monitoring and developing teaching and learning
- generating and adapting schemes of work
- coordinating internal and external examinations
- leading the Dance Scholars’ programme, including the organisation and implementation of the process for selecting scholars
- liaising with teachers in the Prep School to develop dance opportunities and schemes of work
- being responsible for the registration, scheduling and billing of peripatetic dance lessons and the payment of visiting peripatetic dance teachers
Academic responsibilities
In line with the Teachers’ Standards, all our teachers must plan and teach well-structured lessons of a consistently high standard which inspire, motivate and challenge our pupils. They must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of how to adapt their teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils. Teachers must monitor the progress of their pupils, set appropriate targets and give regular feedback, encouraging their pupils to reflect on this feedback. Teachers must communicate effectively with parents by producing relevant reports and attending parents’ evenings as directed. Our teachers are expected to make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the School, developing effective professional relationships with colleagues to support the specific targets of the School, faculty and departmental development plans. They have a responsibility to work collaboratively with others in their department, contributing to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area.
Co-curricular responsibilities
Teachers are expected to make a regular contribution to the co-curricular life of the School, through involvement in extra-curricular clubs, societies and activities and through attendance on academic, pastoral and co-curricular school trips. All staff attend competitive house meetings and assist with the running of internal house events and many staff choose to make a wider contribution to the School’s varied partnership and outreach programme.
Pastoral Responsibilities
All members of staff are tutors. Full-time members of staff are lead tutors, while part-time staff have a supporting role. Duties include registering the tutor group each morning, monitoring their attendance and initial stages of pastoral and academic welfare, teaching PSHE, attending year group meetings as required, attending assemblies with your tutor group and organising tutor group assemblies in conjunction with the School Chaplain.
Professional Development
All teachers are expected to show evidence of a continuing interest in professional and personal development and to consider the needs of the School and its development plans when planning Continuing Professional Development.
Headington Rye Oxford supports staff with a wide range of internal and external inset opportunities, including regular internally-delivered teaching and learning sessions, Initial Teacher Training sessions for those in the early stages of their career and regular whole-school inset designed to ensure teachers are up-to-date with statutory training in a variety of areas.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- a good honours degree relevant to the teaching aspects of the role
- QTS (or equivalent experience of teaching in a senior school environment)
- experience of choreographing and leading dance shows and performances
Desirable
- experience of teaching multiple styles of dance
Personal Attributes and Skills
- visionary and self-starting, with the ability to lead, motivate and inspire pupils and staff
- passionate about Dance and its role in developing young people
- strategic thinker who can balance the big picture with practical delivery
- energetic, approachable, and resilient, with excellent communication skills
- strong understanding of safety and risk management
- highly organised
- commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
- sympathy with the values and ethos of the School
Terms of Appointment
Type of Contract
Term time, permanent, starting September 2026
Benefits
Fee remission
In accordance with the School’s policy, which may be subject to change from time to time, up to 50 per cent fee remission for pupils attending Headington Rye Oxford and up to 20 per cent fee remission for students attending Magdalen College School (under a reciprocal agreement) and subject to the terms of their policy. Fee remission is calculated on the number of weeks and hours worked and is pro rata for part-time staff who work at least 50 per cent of a normal working week.
The remuneration package
Headington Rye Oxford offers an enhanced teaching scale with points that equate to teaching experience and a leadership scale for responsibility. The salary offered will reflect the experience of the successful candidate and be commensurate with the post.
Pension
The School will comply with its legal obligations in relation to the provision of access to a pension scheme.
Additional Benefits
All staff have access to a broad programme of wellbeing activities. The programme currently includes access to the School’s gym and swimming pool, weekly Step and Tone, Spinning and Zumba classes and regular staff social activities such as Book Club and Staff Choir. Staff also benefit from free access to the Employee Assistance Programme, a free, confidential helpline that offers advice on a range of issues. Free restricted parking is available for all staff on site.
Appointment Process and How To Apply
Applicants should submit an application form and a covering letter detailing their skills and experience to recruitment@headingtonschool.com
- Applications will only be accepted from candidates completing the application form in full. CVs will not be accepted in substitution for completed application forms. However, they may be sent in addition to the application form.
- We will seek references on shortlisted candidates and will approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications, before the interview. References will ask about your suitability to work with children.
- If you are invited to interview you will receive notification outlining the interview process and guidance regarding the documentation you are required to provide.
Application deadline: 12.00 pm Thursday 19th March 2026
Interviews: week commencing Monday 23rd March 2026
Applications are reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to interview, appoint and close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy, you will be unable to submit your application form.
All appointments are subject to satisfactory completion of all employment checks, ie references, Disclosure and Barring Service, medical questionnaire, Right to Work in the UK.
Headington Rye Oxford is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and DBS and barred lists checks. The School expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
