Head of Music

Mercia School; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading school in Sheffield is seeking a talented music subject specialist to join their exceptional team. This role offers the opportunity to deliver high-quality music education, contribute to a rich curriculum, and positively impact the lives of students in an environment of excellence.

Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional lessons and secure outstanding learning for every pupil.
• Contribute to the development of the music curriculum and engage in all aspects of school life.

Job description

Salary: Teachers’ pay scales + TLR2b

Contract term: Full time, 1.0FTE, permanent

Start date: 1 January 2026

Closing date: Midnight Wednesday 9 July 2025

Mercia Learning Trust

Mercia Learning Trust is a successful partnership offour primaryand 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.

In September 2023, Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form opened. 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 highly skilled and talented music subject specialist. You will join a school with an incredible culture where you can contribute to the development of the music curriculum. You will be committed to continuous improvement, striving to be the best teacher you can be. As such, you will deliver exceptional lessons and secure outstanding learning, progress and attainment for every pupil. Furthermore, all teachers contribute to the pupil elective and enrichment programme and are expected to engage in all aspects of school life.

At Mercia School, lessons are:

• based on a carefully constructed, sequenced and ambitious curriculum
• demanding and carefully planned so that all pupils make strong progress and secure necessary disciplinary knowledge
• taught in a traditional way that gives pupils time to practise and master content
• focused on learning, retention and strong foundations, and preparation and readiness for GCSE and beyond
• always delivered to pupils who have exceptional behaviours and attitudes for learning, and in lessons without distraction

This is also a unique opportunity to join one of the best schools in the country and make a difference to the life chances of its pupils.