Head of Year
The Swan School, Oxford, OX2 7WP4 days remaining to apply
Start date details
September 2025
Closing date
28 April 2025 at 8am
Date listed
2 April 2025
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
- MPS/UPS + TLR 2(3)
Head of Year job summary
About the role
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be part of shaping an exceptional comprehensive school in the early stages of its journey. The Swan School has the highest expectations of what its students will achieve. As a Head of Year, you will take responsibility for the pastoral leadership for one year group within the school (KS3 or 4). This will involve setting the ethos for the year group, using data to establish priorities, inspiring students, and ensuring that all students get the very best pastoral support that they need to excel in their education. You will lead a team of tutors and pastoral support staff to achieve this aim. In order to support students, you will also collaborate with other teaching staff and inclusion support staff.
Heads of Year at The Swan School work closely together to develop the very best practice and benefit from being part of collaborative networks across the River Learning Trust. Significant time is given to pastoral professional development in the school, including weekly pastoral briefings, year team meetings, and deliberate practice of relentless routines.
This is ideally a full time role but flexible working may be considered for the right candidate.
What skills/experiences are required?
The successful candidate will share our ambitions for our students and be passionate about the role that schools can play in breaking down barriers to help students to achieve more than they ever believed possible. You will be a highly motivated team player some with experience of leading in a school context (though this does not need to be a formal leadership position). You will be able to demonstrate how you have made an impact on students in your current context and have a creative vision about how you would apply your previous experience to this new role. We are looking for teachers with a passion for pastoral work in schools, strategic thinkers, and reflective practitioners who are keen to keep developing.
We would welcome applications from teachers with experience of teaching in secondary school setting who are ready for a pastoral leadership position. This role is open to any subject specialism, however applications teachers who can teach the following subjects would be particularly well received: English, maths, history, DT, business studies, computing, French.
About the school
The Swan School, part of the River Learning Trust, is Oxford’s first new secondary school for over 50 years, and opened in September 2019. When full, we will have approximately 1,200 students on roll, of whom around 300 will be in the Sixth Form. Our students are drawn from a local catchment area and the school is at the heart of the community.
Learning from the most successful approaches at the best schools, The Swan School provides a uniquely challenging and structured experience in a caring and disciplined environment. The ethos is academic; we regard an excellent academic education as the entitlement of all young people, no matter what their background or previous experiences of learning. Students are inspired and nurtured, acquiring the knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. They will learn to be confident, resilient and ambitious, and will have high expectations in terms of their own achievements and their contribution to wider society.
Student outcomes at The Swan School are exceptional - our first cohort of GCSE students achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.55, placing The Swan in the highest category of schools across the country. In 2023, the school was graded by OFSTED as outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and Sixth Form.
The Swan School is part of the River Learning Trust, which facilitates collaboration, professional development, and opportunities across a wide range of other highly successful schools.
How to apply
If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about this post, please contact us via headteacher@theswanschool.org.uk or on 01865 416070. You are advised to visit theswanschool.org.uk/work-at-the-swan/ to find out more about working at The Swan. We would be delighted to arrange an opportunity to visit the school and or speak to existing members of staff.
Applications for this post should be made through the My New Term recruitment portal. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the application process.
The deadline for applications is Monday 28th April 2025, with interviews likely to be held later the same week. Please note that applications will be considered as they are submitted and the school reserves the right to withdraw the advert early if a suitable candidate is found.
This is ideally a full-time role but part-time or flexible working may be considered for the right candidate.
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About the River Learning Trust
Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.
OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.
OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.
OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.
Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.
Safeguarding
The River Learning Trust and The Swan School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. All staff must ensure that the highest priority is given to following the guidance and regulations to safeguard children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. Employment will also be conditional on the receipt of at least two acceptable references (one from current/latest employer) and evidence of the formal qualifications required for the role. This role includes regulated activity relevant to children. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. You should contact the school if you are unsure if this role includes regulated activity relevant to children.
- For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link
- The Swan School's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy can be found here
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 are not accepted.
About The Swan School
- School type
- Free School, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 862 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Swan School website
School location
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