Lunchtime Play Lead
Salary FTE: Grade 3 £24,790 to £25,183 FTE
Actual salary: £4,211 - £4,278 (with under five years' service)
Contract term: 7.5 hours per week, 38 weeks per year, permanent
Start date: June 2025
Closing date: Midnight Tuesday 13 May 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.
Totley Primary School
Totley Primary School is a happy, thriving school providing high quality education both in the classroom and throughout a wide range of extra-curricular activities. We are very proud of our children and believe they should perform well academically and develop as people.
Our outstanding school covers the ages 4-11 and is two-form entry, accommodating approximately 425 children. The school is in the suburb of Totley in South Sheffield, on the edge of the Peak District.
The role
Totley Primary School has an exciting opportunity for a caring, enthusiastic and proactive individual to join our team as a Lunchtime Play Lead. This is a permanent, part-time role of 7.5 hours per week, working Monday to Friday from 11:45am to 1:15pm.
The successful candidate will help ensure the wellbeing, safety and engagement of pupils during lunchtime. This includes supervising play, supporting positive behaviour, and creating inclusive and stimulating play opportunities for all children. You’ll manage resources, work alongside staff and pupils and play a key role in building a positive and welcoming playground environment.
You may also support children with specific social, emotional or behavioural needs through play-based approaches that encourage connection and development.
If you are passionate about working with children, enjoy creative play, and want to make a meaningful impact in a supportive school community, we would love to hear from you.
The candidate
The right candidate will:
- demonstrate a genuine passion for supporting children’s wellbeing and development
- promote safe, inclusive, and engaging play opportunities for all pupils
- have an ability to work using their own initiative
- have an alignment to a can-do culture
- have a high level of communication skills and the ability to develop positive relationships with children and adults
- display the talent to adapt to changing situations and learn new skills
- own a keen eye for ensuring the safety of our pupils
- hold strong principles that are aligned with our school and trust
Totley Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We particularly welcome applications from under represented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
