2 days remaining to apply

  • Job start date

    1 September 2025

  • Closing date

    28 March 2025 at 3pm

  • Date listed

    3 March 2025

Job details

Job role

  • Head of year or phase

Visa sponsorship

Visas cannot be sponsored

Key stage

Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5

Working pattern

Full time: Full-time

Contract type

Permanent

Full-time equivalent salary

Mainscale/Upper Pay Range

Additional allowances

TLR1.3

What skills and experience we're looking for

A rare opportunity has arisen to appoint a permanent Head of Year at Gillingham School. As Head of Year 9 you will have responsibility for the academic progress of each student alongside students’ day to day welfare, attendance and safeguarding.

You will be responsible for leading the Year Team including two Assistant Heads of Year, a Pastoral Manager (non-teaching) and ten Tutors. Heads of Year at Gillingham School work closely with their Senior Leadership Team Link.

Each year team is at the heart of our school improvement work, and the post provides a perfect combination of curriculum led academic improvement alongside the importance of high quality pastoral care.

The post is an excellent opportunity for ambitious colleagues who are ready to make a transformational difference to lives of very many students. Significant whole school improvement responsibilities will provide exceptional professional development opportunities for the successful candidate.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Pastoral Care: Ensuring the well-being of students, addressing behavioural issues, and safeguarding concerns

2. Academic Progress: Monitoring and supporting the academic performance of students, identifying underperformance, and implementing interventions

3. Attendance and Punctuality: Working to improve student attendance and punctuality, often in collaboration with other staff members

4. Behaviour Management: Overseeing student behaviour, implementing disciplinary measures, and promoting positive behaviour

5. Communication with Parents: Acting as a key point of contact for parents, keeping them informed about their child's progress and any concerns

6. Leadership and Management: Leading and managing a team of form tutors, providing support and training as needed

7. Assemblies and Tutor Time: Organising and overseeing the content and delivery of assemblies and tutor time activities

Interested colleagues can contact Paul Nicholson (Headteacher) or Colin Gordon (Assistant Headteacher) for an informal discussion about this post. Alternatively interested candidates are able to arrange a visit, please contact the school via Mrs Mare Pont (Headteachers’ PA) mpont@gillingham-dorset.co.uk

Gillingham School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.


What the school offers its staff

An excellent induction programme exists for all colleagues who join our school and are entitled to rich professional learning and ongoing professional development. High quality research informed professional development is a professional entitlement for all colleagues. Located in an attractive rural setting but with good travel links (e.g. Bath, Exeter, Salisbury), Gillingham is an ambitious, popular school which offers excellent resources, outstanding facilities and a happy working environment.

Commitment to safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and will require the disclosure of any criminal convictions.

Gillingham School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs are not accepted.

Visas cannot be sponsored.
How to apply
If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

About Gillingham School

School type
Local authority maintained school, ages 11 to 18
Education phase
Secondary
School size
1706 pupils enrolled
Age range
11 to 18
Ofsted report
View Ofsted report
Phone number
01747822222

Welcome to Gillingham School in North Dorset, set in the heart of the beautiful Blackmore Vale.

Founded by benefactors in 1516, Gillingham School is proud and privileged to offer a quality and enjoyable educational experience that is open to all young people from the town of Gillingham, its surrounding villages and indeed, to young people further afield in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset.

At Gillingham School, we recognise that children have many abilities, talents and personalities. Knowing that each student is different and that they learn in many ways, we aim to develop their abilities, raise their expectations and to provide the support that is necessary for success. By offering a wide range of experiences to our students both in and out of the classroom, students will receive a broad spectrum of learning.

'Docendo Discimus,' our school motto, means 'through teaching, we learn' and this recognises that learning is a shared, life-long process. The partnerships between students, teachers and parents are vitally important in ensuring that all students aspire to achieve the best possible chances for their future.

Gillingham School, furthermore, is a friendly, welcoming and inspiring school. Characterised by good behaviour, respect towards other and enthusiasm for new experiences, the positive ethos of Gillingham School has been a feature here for years and we remain committed to sustaining this into the future.

It is our privilege as teachers to welcome children into our school and to watch them learn, grow, develop and mature into the young adults who will eventually leave us and become the next generation of our community and our country. It is a delight when we meet former students some years later and hear how they have progressed, how far they have come and how Gillingham School helped them achieve their goals.

I was delighted to have been appointed as Headteacher in September 2017.

The unique and incredibly special ethos immediately resonated with me as I stepped through the doors and I am thrilled to have become a part of the school.

Gillingham School is a very happy school and we want our children to feel safe, secure and content always. Partnerships are very important to us and Gillingham School has a history of working with all members of our local and wider community in order to provide the best possible education for our students. This is something that we pride ourselves on.

Arranging a visit to Gillingham School

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email mpont@gillingham-dorset.co.uk.

School location

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