Head of Year
The Oxford Academy, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 6JZ31 days remaining to apply
Start date details
September
Closing date
12 April 2026 at 1pm
Date listed
12 March 2026
Job details
Job role
- Head of year or phase
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- Main or Upper £32,916 - £51,048 Plus TLR 2(3b) Amount - £8,611
Additional allowances
Main or Upper £32,916 - £51,048 Plus TLR 2(3b) Amount - £8,611
Head of Year job summary
About You
Are you a resilient and compassionate leader who believes that strong pastoral care is the foundation of academic success? We are looking for an experienced professional who is motivated by the ‘challenge and privilege’ of supporting young people to overcome barriers and reach their full potential.
We are looking for a Head of Year who is:
A Champion for Student Agency: You believe in empowering students to lead, much like our Student Council representatives who recently guided discussions at the local Delegates' Assembly on vital community issues.
Relationship-Driven: You understand that ‘exceptional care’ starts with building lasting bonds with students and their families, ensuring every child feels they belong in our community.
A Strategic Mentor: You take pride in leading a team of tutors, fostering a culture of high expectations and consistent routines where both staff and students can thrive.
Community-Minded: You value our local connections, from supporting initiatives like the Oxford Hub Pre-Loved Uniform Shop to celebrating our students’ diverse contributions at events like the Community Iftar.
Growth-Oriented: You are eager to use data purposefully to track progress and are committed to your own professional development through our bespoke CPLD and coaching models.
To meet our current curriculum needs, we are particularly looking for individuals who can also contribute to our English and Drama departments.
The Role
As Head of Year, you will be the driving force behind the academic and personal progress of your year group. You will lead a dedicated team of form tutors to ensure that every student is ‘strong, courageous, and does the work’.
Key Responsibilities:
Holistic Leadership: You will manage student review processes, using data to set ambitious targets and ensure high levels of attendance and engagement.
Building Culture: You will model the Academy’s values of Commitment to Others and Commitment to Learning, creating a safe and inclusive environment where ‘students behave well in lessons’ (Ofsted 2023).
Wider Student Experience: You will encourage your year group to engage in opportunities beyond the classroom, whether that is participating in the Amnesty International Club, national debate championships, or sports fixtures.
Parental Partnership: You will be the key point of contact for families, fostering the strong, warm relationships that define The Oxford Academy and ensuring parents are active partners in their child's education.
Why Join Us
This is a pivotal time to join The Oxford Academy. We offer a supportive environment where staff well-being is a priority and leadership is distributed and celebrated.
When you join us, you gain:
Bespoke Leadership Support: Work closely with our Instructional Coach and Senior Leadership Team to refine your practice and lead your team effectively.
A True Community Ethos: Be part of a school that doesn’t just work in the community but with it, evidenced by our choir performing at local events and our active participation in regional leadership assemblies.
A Culture of Opportunity: Join a Trust that believes we are ‘better faster together’, offering extensive networking and career progression opportunities across the River Learning Trust.
Impactful Work: Experience the professional reward of transforming outcomes for vulnerable learners and seeing your year group grow into confident, aspirational young adults.
Our School
At The Oxford Academy, we offer pride, aspiration, and opportunity to every member of our community, with improved learning outcomes and a clear moral purpose. Many of our students face significant barriers, and we are committed to ensuring that both students and staff achieve highly through sustainable, meaningful improvements that make a real difference.
Do you want to work in a school that:
Is friendly and community-centred, where staff genuinely feel part of a team?
“The school is mindful of staff workload and well-being. It provides high-quality training and support. Staff recognise this and feel valued and respected.” (Ofsted 2023)
Places staff well-being at the heart of everything we do, understanding that thriving staff create the best conditions for our most vulnerable learners to succeed.
Employs a full-time Instructional Coach who works with staff to develop practice through specific teaching goals that maximise student learning.
Has an ‘aspirational and appropriate curriculum for all’ (Ofsted 2023), designed to raise expectations and broaden horizons for every young person.
Has students who behave well in lessons (Ofsted 2023), allowing teachers to teach and students to learn.
Prioritises high-quality bespoke CPLD and collaboration opportunities across a successful and highly respected multi-academy trust, equipping staff with the expertise needed to transform outcomes for disadvantaged learners.
Community and Connection
The Oxford Academy is an important part of our local community and we are deeply committed to serving and reflecting the families we work with every day. Many of our students face significant challenges, and we know that strong relationships, trust, and local understanding make a real difference. That’s why we actively encourage people from our community (including parents, local residents, and those with strong ties to the area) to join our team.
For us, being part of the community goes far beyond geography. It is about building meaningful connections, understanding students’ lived experiences, and providing the support that helps them thrive. By welcoming local talent and colleagues who share our belief in removing barriers for disadvantaged young people, we ensure our values stay aligned with the aspirations of those we serve.
When you join The Oxford Academy, you are not just becoming part of our school, you are joining a team that cares deeply about its community and works tirelessly to improve life chances for all students, especially those who need us most.
We want every member of our community to feel safe, valued, and respected, not just as an expectation, but as a lived reality. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone belongs, and we warmly welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds who share this commitment to equity and inclusion.
Employee Benefits
Health & Wellbeing
Free annual flu vaccines
Free onsite gym available for staff use
Access to an Employee Assistance Programme
24-hour access to a free counselling helpline (including family and debt advice)
Flexible working solutions
Reduced teaching time
Financial
Teachers’ Pension Scheme
Eligible for a Blue Light Card - Hundreds of offers/discounts on local and national stores
Cycle to Work Scheme
The Oxford Academy sits outside the ring road and is less affected than other schools by the new Oxford Congestion Charge. We also offer ample onsite parking
Staff house offering low cost housing for overseas teachers in their first year of employment
Career Progression
Opportunities for CPLD both within The Oxford Academy and within the wider River Learning Trust
Developmental performance management conversations
Networking and development opportunities across the River Learning Trust
Apprenticeship opportunities
Investment in your career, internal and external talent solutions
The River Learning Trust
At RLT, we believe we achieve more together than alone. Our schools are united by shared principles, collaboration, and a belief in the power of education to change lives.
Our Vision: for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously, and sustainably — to be better faster together.
Our ‘Why’: children and young people only get one go at school — we aim to ensure it’s the best possible one.
Our ‘How’: through the highest support and challenge for each other, underpinned by shared principles.
Employees benefit from extensive continuing professional learning, strong wellbeing and staff networks, and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS). For more information, see our “Working in RLT” guide.
Safeguarding and Recruitment
The River Learning Trust and The Oxford Academy are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates. Please see our website for up to date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour Policies.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered
Next Steps
We warmly encourage teachers considering an application to visit the school and see our community in action. A visit will give you the opportunity to meet staff, experience our learning environment, and gain a clear sense of the impact you can have here.
To arrange a visit, please contact our Reception team at enquiries@theoxfordacademy.org
You can also find further information about The Oxford Academy on our website.
Final Note
At The Oxford Academy, we believe in ‘courage, compassion, and curiosity’. We have a strong track record of offering exceptional care to our families and students, providing a supportive environment where both staff and students are encouraged to make a difference beyond the classroom. Whether through our Amnesty International Club, debate championships, or various sports fixtures, this is a unique opportunity to join a team passionate about supporting our most vulnerable learners and building strong, lasting relationships with them.
Due to specific curriculum needs at this time, applications from teachers specialising in English, Drama, and Business Studies are likely to be prioritised.
The school reserves the right to consider and interview candidates before the closing date and may make an early offer to an exceptional applicant.
Further information about the job
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.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About The Oxford Academy
- School type
- Academy, Church of England, ages 11 to 19
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1113 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Oxford Academy website
The Oxford Academy is a warm, friendly and vibrant school that is built on an ethos of high expectations for all and a belief that every child will be successful - academically, personally and as a lifelong contributor to the wider world.
Our inclusive Christian values underpin all that we do. Staff at our school have a firm belief in the power of education to shape children’s lives for the better. The Oxford Academy is centred on a culture of excellence where we respect each other, are self-motivated, determined, responsible, have a thirst for learning, and a strong sense of pride in belonging to the Academy.
We are committed to providing educational opportunities of the highest quality for all our students and we believe in educating the whole child. We aim to deliver a broad education that is ambitious, varied and stimulating in a caring environment that creates well-rounded individuals who excel and benefit from our approaches to teaching and learning. At the Oxford Academy, we are inclusive and a school for all in our community. We work to meet the needs of our students - whatever it takes.
The Oxford Academy is driven by raising aspirations, expectations and achievements for all. We are very much outward facing and seek to engage with local, national and international partners, in order to build an ambitious network of support for the children in our care. Our fundamental aim is to create vibrant and dynamic learning experiences, so every child has the opportunity to become an ambitious, confident learner.
Our website will enable you to discover more about the Academy; I hope that you will quickly gain a sense of the rich potential of our students and staff, their achievements and the wider life of our school.
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