Deputy Headteacher

Salary: L17-L21 £73,819 - £81,441

Contract term: Full time, 1.0FTE, permanent

Start date: September 2025

Closing date: Midnight Tuesday 22 April 2025

Mercia Learning Trust

Mercia Learning Trust is a successful partnership of four primary and three secondary schools located in the south-west of Sheffield. Established in 2012, with one secondary school, our trust has grown to serving over 5000 pupils, with 650 staff.

Why do we exist?

• To empower everyone in our communities, especially the most disadvantaged, to succeed.

How do we behave?

• We are kind - showing care and supporting each other.
• We have integrity - doing the right thing and always putting children first.
• We work with diligence - overcoming obstacles and having no excuses.

What do we do?

• We run schools that focus on academic excellence, cultural capital and the development of character.

How will we succeed?

• A culture of excellence – high standards shaped by clarity, not control.
• Academic focus – empowering all children through an exceptional curriculum.
• Purposeful collaboration – relationships built on trust, reducing sub-optimisation and driving collective success.

Our staff are a crucial part of our trust, just like our pupils. We are devoted to recruiting, training, retaining and taking good care of our highly skilled and dedicated team.

Mercia School

Mercia School (11-18) opened in 2018 in a brand-new building. Leaders and governors have an ambitious vision for the school and are determined that all pupils, irrespective of background will thrive and achieve well. The school has secured a strong reputation for educational excellence and during the last three years, has been the most over-subscribed school in the city.

Mercia School has a strong commitment to reduce workload for teachers. Within the longer day and ten training days, staff have dedicated time to complete all essential tasks and professional development. Everything is designed to ensure teachers have the time and energy to teach, and leave school at the end of the day without further work to undertake.

In February 2023, Ofsted inspected the school and graded all aspects of provision, and its overall effectiveness, to be ‘Outstanding’. Mercia School published exceptional GCSE results in the summer of 2023, achieving the highest Progress 8 score for disadvantaged pupils, this high-level of performance was repeated in 2024.

Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form opened in September 2023. As the school continues to grow, it is crucial that we sustain our culture and effectiveness, and this role is central to our continued success.

The role

We are seeking a Deputy Headteacher who can contribute to the continued success of Mercia School. The successful candidate will be an exceptional leader. They will have high energy and a passion for teaching. This is a critical appointment. The successful candidate will fulfil a key role in leading the pastoral side of the school, alongside the Headteacher and Head of Inclusion. This is an exceptional opportunity for someone who wants to join one of England's highest performing schools and is passionate about the life chances of the young people in our community. We are a school that is genuinely inclusive. The successful candidate will place all their efforts in to ensuring pupils are attending school, in their classes and supported effectively.

We are a committed senior team, working together to ensure the very best outcomes for all pupils. We are ambitious for all pupils, with all key groups performing at an extremely high level. Mercia School is keen to build a robust senior team that prioritises inclusion and academic excellence in equal measure. Our warm and strict approach has worked effectively since we opened in 2018 and we are looking for a candidate who can complement our approach.

We are seeking a highly skilled and talented senior leader. You will join a school with an incredible culture where you can contribute to the next stage of development. It is essential that the individual can help us maintain our extremely high levels of performance. You will be committed to continuous improvement, striving to be the best leader you can be. As such, you will deliver exceptional lessons and secure outstanding learning, progress and attainment for every pupil. Evidencing exceptional results in the classroom is essential with experience in excellent schools highly desirable.

The candidate

The successful applicant will lead by example, driving excellent standards of behaviour and strong academic outcomes. They will be a strong presence with pupils, parents/carers and staff. They will be required to work diligently with a passionate and professional approach that sets the standards for the school. A candidate with strong pastoral and safeguarding experience would be welcomed.

You must be an exceptional teacher in your curriculum area, and a passionate leader who is well respected. An ability to teach French or science would be advantageous. You must love teaching. The senior team, including the Headteacher, all teach critical groups - you must welcome these opportunities as a Mercia School senior leader.

Ultimately, you will work alongside the Headteacher and the wider staff team, supporting Mercia School in its delivery of excellence to our community.