Head of Design Technology

Newfield Secondary School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S8 9JP

13 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 January 2027

• Closing date

  4 October 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  21 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Head of department or curriculum
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4
• Subject: Design and technology
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: Teachers' pay scales + TLR2B

Head of Design Technology job summary

Salary Teachers' pay scales + TLR2B

Contract term Full time, 1.0FTE, permanent

Start date January 2027

Closing date Midnight Sunday 4 October

Mercia Learning Trust

Mercia Learning Trust is a successful partnership of four primary and four secondary schools located in Sheffield. Established in 2012, with one secondary school, our trust has grown to serving over 6100 pupils, with over 800 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.

Newfield School

Newfield School is a mainstream secondary school for children aged 11-16. It is situated in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, with approximately 1050 pupils on roll. Drawing from a wide catchment, the school offers a truly comprehensive experience.

Newfield School strives to provide all pupils, no matter their background or starting point, an academic curriculum that allows them to excel and thrive when they leave. We are committed to the most vulnerable pupils, and we are recruiting those who believe that high standards and expectations are necessary to lead pupils towards success. The recent Ofsted report reflects our supportive culture and high standards.

We passionately believe in the need for a warm/strict approach as the bedrock of any success for pupils. Clarity and consistency are paramount for both pupils and staff as we work together to achieve our shared aspirations. Our pedagogical approach is clearly defined, emphasising direct instruction, the use of visualisers and high-level questioning to enhance learning. While we have established a strong level of consistency that supports pupil progress,

we continually strive for excellence. We are seeking dedicated professionals who can help us build on this foundation and drive our ambitions forward.

The role

Newfield School is seeking to appoint a highly skilled and talented head of design technology.

We are a small team of passionate teaching staff working together to ensure the very best outcomes for all pupils. We are ambitious for all, which is reflected in our academically rigorous curriculum. You will be responsible for teaching pupils across key stage 3 and 4. At key stage 4, we offer GCSE Design Technology and Construction Health and Nutrition as part of our option process.

The candidate

The ideal candidate will have a strong academic background in design technology. They will be able to demonstrate a passion for teaching and learning and have a deep understanding of how to engage pupils in design technology. They will also be committed to the personal development of pupils, inspiring and motivating them to achieve highly. They will have a willingness to lead extra-curricular/ after school clubs.

If you are passionate about teaching design technology and committed to helping young people develop their learning and understanding, then we would welcome your application and we look forward to hearing from you.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Newfield Secondary School

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1048 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Newfield Secondary School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/newfield-secondary-school-sheffield

We believe that irrespective of starting point or family background, each and every child that walks through our school doors deserves a quality first education. 

We have high aspirations for our pupils, including a more academic curriculum that supports pupils to be successful. 

Adopting principles of warm/strict and a strong pedagogical approach in lessons, we are implementing the approaches used in high performing schools, to ensure pupils make exceptional progress and have high expectations of us and themselves.


• We have clearly defined pedagogical approaches and a bookletised curriculum.


• We are developing our warm/strict approach to behaviour- relationships are strong between teachers and pupils.


• We have a clear vision for what we want to achieve, and we are seeking likeminded teachers who believe in our approach.


• We have strong support from Mercia Learning Trust.


• We are in a period of rapid change and improvement- we need people who share the vision and want to make a difference at this pivotal stage.


This is an exciting time for us as we become a truly exceptional school. Our reputation is growing, and our challenge now is to deliver effective and exciting learning at the highest level and champion those pupils who need us most. 

We have high achieving partnership schools, and we can learn from these to truly move the school forward to higher levels of performance. 

We are well positioned to move the school into a new academic phase, and we are seeking those who share our aims and expectations of how schools should run.


We support applications from candidates who understand and support our approach to teaching and learning, behaviour and high standards. We also admire those who are passionate about pupil life chances and are seeking to truly make a difference to our community.

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