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Head of Year - Complex Needs
Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 3AQ19 days remaining to apply
Start date details
ASAP subject to notice periods.
Closing date
17 May 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
27 April 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £32,348.00 - £34,913.00 Annually (Actual)
Head of Year - Complex Needs job summary
Overall purpose of role :
Our aim as a school is to help students to be happy and successful in their time with us and their future lives. We believe success means students achieve their personal best in a variety of areas: academic study, appreciation of and participation in culturally enriching activities, relationships with other people, tolerance for others, healthy lifestyles, taking responsibility, physical activities and development of skills for the future. We want our students to lead rich and rewarding lives. This role is designed to help achieve these goals by developing strategies and working effectively with others to create a safe, happy and positive climate where success is celebrated and all students are helped to achieve their best.
As a Head of Year with a particular focus on vulnerable pupils, you will be required to meet the general requirements of this post. In addition, you will be required to fulfil any reasonable expectations from the Headteacher. The post will require you to work in partnership with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, governors and staff to ensure the continuous improvement of the school. You will be responsible for specific tasks and the development of whole school initiatives, which will be determined in consultation with the Assistant Headteacher (Behaviour and Attendance) and pastoral team.
Safeguarding requirements:
This post requires the post holder to work in settings with children and young adults. Any employment offer is therefore subject to the results of an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Key outputs:
* Help to develop a culture in which every student is valued, encouraged and supported
* Support the Assistant Headteacher (Behaviour and Attendance) and pastoral team in establishing the vision and strategies for excellent student progress, behaviour, attendance and support
* Communicate behaviour strategies and expectations effectively to all staff to help meet the needs of identified students
* Develop strategies to help overcome obstacles staff may experience in students achieving their personal best
* To identify barriers students may face in improving their attendance and /or behaviour and act on them
* To monitor behaviour, attendance and wellbeing of students and provide regular updates for the Assistant Headteacher (Behaviour and Attendance) and pastoral team
* To support the form tutors to help them achieve the best possible standards of behaviour and outcomes for their tutees
* Help ensure the learning and special educational needs / vulnerabilities of individual students are met, particularly vulnerable groups, such as disadvantaged students, underachieving students, young carers, children that are looked after or previously been looked after and those with low attendance. This will include making timely SEND referrals and support for students in your allocated cohorts
* To monitor the implementation of the Behaviour Policy and behaviour logs across your allocated cohorts through Arbor, provide evidence through data analysis for middle leaders, SLT and strategic SIP meetings to discuss students of concern
* Working with other staff, ensure attendance and punctuality have a high profile throughout school. Lead on strategies to help support high levels of attendance and punctuality across all students in your year group
* Working with the Deputy Head (Pastoral) to oversee and quality assure the alternative provision/external support provided for specific students in your allocated cohort
* To discuss/share sensitive issues with parents/carers, for example, behaviour, uniform, wellbeing, safeguarding, attendance etc.
* Working with the Designated Safeguarding Lead to effectively implement the School’s Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures, by following up any minor logs of concern
* To attend Parents’ Evenings for where required to support students and families in your allocated cohorts
* To develop effective working relationships with outside agencies, parents/carers etc to best support students with specific needs
* Act as the staff lead for My Support Plans where required for students in your cohort and review these regularly
* Celebrate successes amongst the students, through effective communication with home/delivering assemblies
* Evaluate own performance and undertake professional development to help achieve the highest possible standards in the role
* To undertake any other duties associated with the role, as may be decided by the senior leadership team/Headteacher
* To support the transition of students from one year group to the next
* To ensure high standards in detentions, working with the other heads of year to ensure consistency
* To ensure high standards in Reflection, working with other heads of year to ensure consistency and strategic oversight of the isolation provision
*To deliver targeted interventions with allocated students to support improvements in academic performance, attendance, behaviour and wellbeing
* To work in collaboration with the Inclusion team and SENDCo to support the complex needs of those students within your allocated cohorts
* To lead on the new student induction process for identified students
* To work in collaboration with the Inclusion team and SENDCo to support the complex needs of those students within your allocated cohorts
* To lead on the new student induction process for identified students .
Expertise in Role Required (At selection - Level 1)
Essential Criteria:
* Be qualified in GCSE English and Mathematics (Grade 4/C)
* Experience of working with children of mixed age ranges preferably in a school environment
* Experience of promoting high standards of attendance
* Experience of working with families
* High level of Safeguarding understanding
* Understanding of relevant policies/code of practice and awareness of relevant legislation
* Understanding of child development and learning including Special Educational Needs
* Experience of providing support and advice to students and their families
* Experience of planning, monitoring and evaluating work
* Experience of short, medium and long term planning at an operational level
* Ability to work as a member of a team and/or independently
* Experience of delivering defined projects to a deadline and managing a complex workload
* Is willing to work flexibly within scope of overall hours, e.g. early morning visits and occasional evening meetings, deliver assemblies
Desirable criteria:
* Experience of dealing with sensitive issues
* Experience of leading assemblies or similar for groups of students
We very much encourage and welcome potential candidates to visit during the Academy Day. Please call or email to make an appointment.
Julia Wood, Admin Manager
Tel: 01274 851152
Email: Julia.wood@sharemat.co.uk
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
This post requires the post holder to work in settings with children and young adults. Any employment offer is therefore subject to the results of an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). People who may have contact with younger children are also required to complete a declaration about family or other members of their household. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of identity and qualifications and offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references. For applicants who work or have recently worked in a school, one of the references must be from the Headteacher.
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 Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1244 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy website
SHARE Multi Academy Trust comprises of Woodside Green Primary, Heaton Avenue Primary, Luck Lane Primary, Millbridge Primary, Royds Hall, Shelley College, Whitcliffe Mount School and Thornhill Community Academy. A central team provides operational support.
We believe in helping staff and students achieve their personal best and are keen to recruit the very best talent to our trust.
More than six hundred people work hard across the trust to ensure we provide the very best education and service across all our schools, from invigilators joining us for a few hours a year, through flexible part-time work to many full-time teaching and support roles.
There are many reasons why you will enjoy working for the trust. You will be surrounded by supportive people, working together with a common goal for all of our students, aiming to value and support all colleagues in order to help them achieve their personal best.
If you decide to join us, we will ensure you have what you need to make a positive difference in your education role. We will seek out your ideas and ask for your opinions regularly using staff voice.
Our CPD commitment is second to none and the training and developmental opportunities on offer will empower you to make improvements in all aspects of your role. The training you receive will help you fulfil your potential whatever your stage of career.
For teachers and leaders, we offer fast tracked, first class developmental opportunities led by one of our academies, Shelley College, which is the Teaching School Hub for Kirklees and Calderdale. This includes National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), lead practitioner positions and trainee senior leadership positions, which build upon our middle leadership programmes.
Whitcliffe Mount School
Whitcliffe Mount Academy is a large secondary academy in Cleckheaton, within close commuter distance of Huddersfield, Bradford, and Leeds. The academy is committed to supporting all pupils to achieve, develop and thrive so that they can be happy and successful.
The academy is a proud member of the well-regarded and high-performing SHARE Multi-Academy Trust and is part of the Teaching School Hub for Kirklees and Calderdale. Whitcliffe Mount provides staff with a wealth of support and a wide range of opportunities to collaborate, network, and share best practice.
Whitcliffe Mount has a wonderful academy community and is a great place to work, where all team members play a vital role in making a positive impact on the life chances of others.
The academy is proud to offer:
- A supportive and ambitious environment where all students are encouraged to go beyond what they think they can achieve and to enjoy learning, helping them to lead successful, healthy and happy lives.
- A vibrant place to work which equips staff to deliver their best every day, under the strong belief that Valuing People, Supporting Personal Best is the key.
- A commitment that staff are happy, engaged and well supported at work, taking pride in students’ attendance, behaviour, progress and development as well as their own.
- Excellent training and guidance relevant to individual job roles, so expectations are understood and staff are motivated.
- Great benefits, as an employer of choice, including outstanding CPD, supportive line management, and meaningful networking opportunities across the trust to aid personal development.
- Supportive leadership, encouraging healthy work-life balance.
- A high-quality teaching and learning environment, alongside good facilities.
- A culture where children are happy, settled and confident, accessing a broad and balanced curriculum which provides a memorable educational experience for pupils and staff.
School location
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