Head of Year - Maternity cover

Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 3AQ

13 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP

• Closing date

  1 November 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  16 October 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Full time equivalent salary: £31,868.00 - £34,394.00 Annually (Actual) This is a fixed term role until 31st October 2027.

Head of Year - Maternity cover job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Year to join the pastoral team to cover a maternity leave at Whitcliffe Mount School.

Under the leadership of a new and ambitious Headteacher, we are seeking a Head of Year with the passion, enthusiasm and commitment to empower our students to embody our core values: Work Hard, Model Kindness, Aim High.

Overall purpose of role

To provide effective pastoral leadership for a designated year group, promoting a safe, positive and inclusive environment in which all students are supported to be happy, successful and achieve their full potential. The Head of Year will lead strategies to support students’ behaviour, attendance, wellbeing, personal development and achievement, working collaboratively with students, families, staff and the wider pastoral team.

The postholder will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team and pastoral colleagues to contribute to continuous school improvement and support the development and implementation of relevant whole-school initiatives.

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

• Promote and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture in which every student is valued, supported and encouraged to achieve their personal best.

• Support the development and implementation of effective pastoral strategies to promote high standards of student progress, behaviour, attendance, wellbeing and personal development.

• Provide clear guidance and support to staff regarding behaviour expectations and strategies for supporting identified students.

• Identify barriers affecting individual students’ attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and achievement, exercising judgement in determining and coordinating appropriate interventions and escalating concerns where necessary.

• Monitor and analyse behaviour, attendance, punctuality and wellbeing information for the year group, identifying trends, individual students and cohorts requiring intervention and providing regular reports and recommendations to relevant leaders.

• Support and work collaboratively with form tutors to promote consistently high standards of behaviour, attendance, wellbeing and outcomes for students within the year group.

• Help ensure the learning, pastoral and SEMH needs of students are appropriately supported, with particular consideration given to vulnerable groups, disadvantaged students, those who are underachieving and students with low attendance.

• Coordinate timely referrals and interventions, including Inspire, wellbeing and appropriate SEMH support, and monitor their effectiveness for students within the year group.

• Monitor the consistent implementation of the school’s Behaviour Policy, including the quality and use of behaviour records within Arbor, and use available data to identify trends, priorities and students requiring additional support.

• Promote high standards of attendance and punctuality, working with colleagues, students and families to implement appropriate strategies and interventions.

• Work with the Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral) to monitor the effectiveness and suitability of alternative provision and external support arrangements for students within the year group, escalating concerns where appropriate.

• Use relevant data and information to identify individual students and cohorts requiring intervention or additional support, contributing appropriate evidence to discussions with middle and senior leaders.

• Coordinate and contribute to appropriate student placement, transition and support arrangements, including managed moves, school partnerships, directed off-site provision, FAPs, appeals and ICAF processes, maintaining appropriate records and liaising with relevant professionals, students and families.

• Manage sensitive and, where appropriate, challenging discussions with parents/carers regarding behaviour, attendance, wellbeing, safeguarding and other pastoral matters, seeking appropriate senior or specialist support where necessary.

• Work in accordance with the school's safeguarding and child protection procedures, liaising closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead and taking appropriate action in response to concerns relating to students within the year group.

• Coordinate and support Parents’ Evenings for the year group, ensuring effective communication with parents/carers and staff and promoting high levels of engagement.

• Develop effective relationships with external agencies and other professionals, coordinating support for students with identified needs as appropriate.

• Act as staff lead for My Support Plans where required, ensuring plans for students within the year group are appropriately implemented, monitored and regularly reviewed.

• Promote and celebrate student achievement and success, including through assemblies and effective communication with parents/carers.

• Support effective transition arrangements between year groups and key educational stages, including Year 6 to Year 7 when responsible for Year 7 and Year 11 to post-16 provision when responsible for Year 11.

• Work collaboratively with other Heads of Year to ensure consistently high standards in the operation of the school’s detention arrangements.

• Take responsibility for professional development and continuous improvement, reflecting on practice and developing the knowledge and skills required to perform the role effectively.

• Undertake other reasonable duties commensurate with the nature and level of responsibility of the post, as directed by the Headteacher or Senior Leadership Team.

Refer to job role attached for essential criteria

For more information, get in touch with:

Julia Wood, Admin Manager

Tel: 01274 851152 ext 1307

Email: Julia.wood@sharemat.co.uk

We very much encourage and welcome potential candidates to visit during the academy day. Please call or email to make an appointment.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

About Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1228 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/whitcliffe-mount-a-share-academy

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.

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