Head of Faculty - Art, Design Technology and Vocational

Lift Firth Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 0SD

14 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP

• Closing date

  1 October 2026 at 12:05pm

• Date listed

  17 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Head of department or curriculum
• Visa sponsorship: Skilled Worker visas can be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £34069 - £52835 per annum

Head of Faculty - Art, Design Technology and Vocational job summary

Do you believe that every child deserves an excellent education, in every classroom, every day? Lift Firth Park is looking for an ambitious and skilled Head of Faculty for Art, Design Technology, and Vocational to drive our strategic vision and inspire our next generation of learners. In this key role, you will guide and line-manage Heads of Department, cultivating a culture of high expectations, modern pedagogy, and practical excellence. This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-thinking leader ready to champion innovative vocational pathways and transform student achievement.

This is a chance to bring your creativity and vision to a team that values collaboration and continuous improvement.

This position is Main Pay Range - Upper Pay Range with TLR 2C £8913

We're a trust where diversity of thought and background strengthens our work. Our culture is built on our Project H mindsets; sharing ideas openly, embracing constructive challenge, valuing contributions over ego, staying curious, and focusing on facts and reason. Is this you? If so, we would love to hear from you.

Key responsibilities

The Head of Faculty provides inspirational strategic leadership to line manage subject leads, drive high-quality teaching, and deliver on key institutional priorities like closing the achievement gap. In this pivotal role, you will oversee curriculum design, rigorous assessment, and data analysis to ensure an ambitious, knowledge-rich education across all faculty departments. Alongside departmental management, you will teach engaging lessons, maintain high standards of behavior, and build strong relationships with parents and staff to foster an inclusive learning environment.

• Strategic Leadership & Staff Management: Line manage and develop subject leads and teachers through appraisals, training, and clear performance standards, holding staff accountable to school policies.
• Curriculum Design & Alignment: Ensure departments deliver an ambitious, broad, and carefully sequenced curriculum that aligns with the National Curriculum, exam specifications, and Trust priorities.
• Data-Driven Assessment & Interventions: Analyse student progress metrics, assessment results, and exam predictions to identify learning gaps and execute targeted faculty-wide interventions.
• Advancing Core School Priorities: Lead initiative efforts to close the achievement gap for disadvantaged students and increase the proportion of secure readers across the school.
• Classroom Teaching & Feedback: Plan and deliver high-challenge lessons, utilizing effective questioning, regular verbal and written feedback, and responsive re-teaching to drive conceptual mastery.
• Behavior & Learning Culture: Establish consistent classroom routines, maintain high standards for behavior and respect, and build a safe, inclusive learning environment for all students.
• SEND & Stakeholder Support: Collaborate with the SENDCo, support staff, and parents to implement targeted guidance and keep families informed of student achievement and well-being.
• Operations & Resource Management: Manage faculty spending and resource allocation effectively while ensuring staff maintain accurate records of attendance, homework, and attainment in the MIS.

We are looking for someone who

You'll have Qualified Teacher Status and a strong track record as an exceptional teacher with experience in leadership, ideally as a Head of Department. You'll have deep knowledge of your subject area and understand how to help students of all backgrounds and abilities achieve impressive results. Can you inspire a team while staying focused on the details that make great teaching happen? You'll bring excellent communication skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to plan and prioritise in a busy school environment. What kind of leader do you want to be - one who listens, reflects, and grows alongside your team?

• Qualifications: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a degree (or vocational equivalent) in a relevant subject area.
• Leadership Experience: Proven track record as a successful Head of Department, effectively leading staff to achieve outstanding student outcomes.
• Curriculum Design: Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating rigorous, high-impact schemes of work.
• Data & Interventions: Expertise in evaluating student performance data to plan and execute targeted, faculty-wide interventions.
• Assessment Mastery: Thorough understanding of using formative and summative assessment to inform planning, alongside a strong grasp of statutory assessment requirements.
• Recent Experience: UK school teaching and leadership experience within the last 2 years.
• Application Quality: A well-written, tailored application that clearly demonstrates your motivation, capacity for self-reflection, and deep understanding of the role's strategic responsibilities.

About the school:

Lift Firth Park is a vibrant, mixed secondary school for students aged 11-16. Located in Shiregreen, Sheffield, we serve around 1,200 pupils and reflect a richly diverse community, with more than a third of students speaking English as an additional language. Our school is currently undergoing an exciting period of transformational change, and we are already seeing its positive impact-in the classroom, across the curriculum and throughout our culture. This is an excellent time to join our team. We are looking for individuals who share our dedication to inclusive, aspirational education and who are excited to contribute to our renewed vision and ambitious future.

Who is Lift Schools?

Lift Schools is made up of 62 primary, secondary and special schools, educating more than 35,000 pupils across the country. We believe education can transform lives - and we want every child in our schools to achieve their full potential.

How we support you

We want you to feel supported, valued and able to grow throughout your career with Lift Schools. From high-quality professional development and career progression to wellbeing support and opportunities to connect and collaborate across our network, we invest in you so you can do your best work.

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.

Skilled Worker visas can 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

Lift Schools are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our people and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

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 Lift Firth Park

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1115 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Lift Firth Park website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/firth-park-academy

Lift Firth Park is a school with a strong team spirit, high expectations and driving ambition which have led to notable improvements. We are a fully inclusive school with a distinctively inclusive ethos and have the highest aspirations for and expectations of our students.

We continue to work tirelessly to ensure our examination results continue to improve, that students continue to feel happy, safe and cared for, one of our key aims is that everybody deserves the chance to fly; and that the students are challenged and developed academically by the stimulating and rewarding education they receive.

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