Merchant Taylors’ School,

Liverpool

Appointment of

Teacher of Classics – Maternity Cover, Full-Time,
from January 2026

Candidate Brief and

Information for Applicants

Merchant Taylors’ School

Liverpool Road

Crosby

Liverpool

L23 0QP

Tel: 0151 928 3308

www.merchanttaylors.com

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About Merchant Taylors’ School

Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby, Liverpool, is one of the North West’s most respected
independent schools, educating girls and boys aged 4 to 18. With over 400 years of history and a
reputation for excellence, we are proud to be a school that honours tradition while embracing
innovation.

As of September 2025, we are a fully co-educational school across all age groups, creating a
unified and inclusive learning community. Our closely connected sites include:

Stanfield Preparatory School – Coeducational, Reception to Year 6

•
•  Merchant Taylors’ Senior School – Coeducational, Years 7 to 13, based at the Harrison

Site

This strategic transformation marks a new chapter in our history, one that is defined by
ambition, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. We are investing significantly in our
estate, curriculum, and staff development to ensure that every pupil receives an education that
prepares them not just for exams, but for life.

At Merchant Taylors’, we believe that outstanding schools are built by outstanding people. Our
staff, both teaching and professional services, are central to our success. We value creativity,
initiative, and a shared commitment to nurturing young minds. We offer:

•  A forward-thinking and supportive working environment
•  Opportunities for professional growth and leadership
•  A culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
•  A strong sense of community, underpinned by Christian values of compassion, respect,

and integrity

Our Strategic Direction 2025–2030 sets out a bold vision: to be the leading independent school
in Merseyside. We are committed to outreach, inclusion, and educational excellence, and we
seek colleagues who share our passion for shaping the future of education.

If you are motivated by purpose, inspired by challenge, and committed to making a difference,
we invite you to join us.

The Vacancy

Merchant Taylors’, Liverpool has a long and distinguished history as a leading school in
the region. Based on over four hundred years of tradition, we aspire to be a forward-
thinking and progressive centre of learning.

We are seeking to recruit a permanent, full time inspirational and enthusiastic Teacher of
Classics to start employment in September 2023 teaching boys and girls across our senior
schools. The role involves teaching Latin and Classical Civilisation up to A Level; the ability
to teach Greek (to GCSE or A Level) would also be an advantage.

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We want you to be excellent at what you do because we will expect superb teaching at all
levels of the school; we therefore want to help you to develop to become an outstanding
practitioner both in and outside the classroom. We aspire to identify and encourage the
strengths of each and every student we teach, and for this reason we expect staff to be
able to develop both an academic and pastoral relationship with their students.

The successful candidate will be knowledgeable, enthusiastic and dedicated to the holistic
approach to learning that we pride ourselves in at Merchant Taylors’. Therefore, you
should be prepared to contribute fully towards the School’s extracurricular and co-
curricular programmes.

The Department
The Classics Department at Merchant Taylors’ has a history of excellence and we are proud to
be one of the few schools in Merseyside still offering the full range of classical subjects: Latin,
Greek and Classical Civilisation. We believe in the fundamental importance of providing pupils
with a traditional classical education and we feel that it provides a solid foundation for further
studies, whatever they may be. It enriches their education and enhances their study in many
other academic disciplines, whether they be arts or sciences. We hope to instil in our pupils
curiosity about the world we live in and encourage them to make connections with the past, as
well as developing sophisticated linguistic and communication skills.

The department is keen to encourage pupils to see the importance of the study of the past as a
means for understanding the present, and to this end we run regular Classics trips abroad and
across the country. Recent years have seen trips to London, Chester as well as joint schools’ trips
to Greece and the Bay of Naples.

Listen to us talk more about how we teach this subject by visiting

https://www.merchanttaylors.com/senior-boys/departments-curriculum/classics-latin/

Classics at KS3
Latin and Classics are compulsory subjects for the first two years. Pupils begin their classical
education at Merchant Taylors’ with an introduction to the Greek gods and mythology through
Tales of Change, an oral retelling of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This immerses pupils in ancient
culture, drawing upon existing mythological knowledge and extending imaginations. Pupils then
progress onto studying the Latin language for the remainder of Year 7 and Year 8. We use the
exciting new course, Suburani, which is very similar in style to the CLC, but focuses on the life of
a young girl in Rome’s Subura. It has extensive online resources, with a comprehensive teaching
guide and rapidly expanding digital activities. In Year 9 pupils can opt for one or more of the
classical subjects, all of which continue to be popular choices.

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Classics at GCSE

Latin and Classical Civilisation are offered at GCSE level at both sites, with Greek also available,
using the OCR syllabi. The availability of classical language courses, offering pupils the privilege
of reading Greek and Latin authors in the original, is one of the distinctive features of the school.
In the teaching of Greek, the department also aims to open pupils’ minds to a further dimension
of classical heritage. Stronger ability pupils can take on the GCSE ‘Gratin’ course, in which
exceptional and hard-working linguists gain two GCSEs. These pupils follow an accelerated and
intense course in Years 10-11 of Latin and Greek. Those who are more interested in the cultural
side than the linguistic one are able to choose Classical Civilisation for GCSE. Currently, we offer
the “Myth and Religion” option for unit 1 and “The Homeric world” for unit 2. Students explore
a wealth of visual, archaeological and literary material which means the course is vibrant,
diverse and appeals to students with a range of different interests.

Classics in the Sixth Form
Both Latin and Classical Civilisation A Level courses are taught using the OCR syllabus.

Classes consist of a small but dedicated and scholarly cohort of classicists and the mixed gender
sets allow for lively discussions and a convivial atmosphere. While students who wish to study
Latin must have taken the subject at GCSE, there is no pre-requisite knowledge required for
Classical Civilisation, and we regularly welcome new, curious students who have not studied the
Classics before.

In Classical Civilisation students are taught Homer, Virgil, Greek Art and Love and Relationships.
For Latin, the students are currently studying the Tacitus and Virgil set texts. We aim to share
the teaching of each unit according to the interests and specialisms of the staff across both sites.

The library is well-stocked and students are strongly encouraged to peruse the subject and
develop their own areas of interest. We foster close links with university departments through a
programme of visiting speakers and trips, and also offer a range of in-house talks and activities
led by members of staff and senior pupils. We are also forging strong links with the Liverpool
branch of Classics for All North, sharing ideas and expertise across local schools and
collaborating on new projects such as the Merseyside Ancient Worlds series of talks. A number
of pupils have gone on to read pure Classics or Classical-related degrees at universities, including
Oxford and Cambridge.

The department is proud of its consistently outstanding public exam results and of the
numerous ways in which pupils develop a real love of Classics during their time at the School.

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Benefits

The successful candidate will be able to take advantage of a number of benefits which include:

•  Working as part of a committed and talented team of professionals

•  Extended holiday periods

•  Membership of the APTIS Pension Scheme [Aviva Pension Trust for Independent

Schools]

•

Life insurance benefit as part of pension scheme membership

•  Discounted School fees for your children attending the School after completion of

probationary period

•  Access to our on-site fitness suite

•  Access to our employee assistance programme providing a 24-hour counselling and

advice line

•  Borrow books from our school library

•  Support for your continuous professional development

Terms and Conditions

The successful candidate will be rewarded on the Merchant Taylors’ teachers pay scale with a
salary commensurate with their experience and skills. Management roles will be rewarded
though the additional payment of a management allowance.

This a full time position on a permanent basis.

The role will be subject to a probationary period of three academic terms.

Safeguarding Statement

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young
people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants will be
required to undergo safeguarding checks appropriate to the post, including checks with past
employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The post is exempt from the
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants
to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are
"protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with
children.

Applications

For more information about Merchant Taylors’ School, Liverpool why not visit our website
https://www.merchanttaylors.com/

If you would like to apply for this very rewarding role please go to

https://www.merchanttaylors.com/join-our-team/teaching-vacancies/

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Closing date: Monday 3rd November 2025 at midday however, we reserve the right to close the
vacancy early so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.  Completed application forms
should be returned to recruitment@merchanttaylors.com

Interviews are currently scheduled to take place on Week commencing Monday 10th November
2025.

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