Head of Year

Dorset Council; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A local education authority is seeking a Year Lead for Dorchester Middle School, responsible for managing the achievement and pastoral provision for a year group of students. The ideal candidate will possess Qualified Teacher Status and have a strong background in teaching and leadership. Responsibilities include overseeing student progress, liaising with support staff, and ensuring the delivery of the pastoral curriculum. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and is located in the beautiful town of Dorchester.

Benefits

Excellent working conditions

Supportive environment

Opportunities for further development

Qualifications

• Motivated and innovative with a focus on English.
• Must have skills in managing and leading students' attendance and progress.
• Experience working in a school environment is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage achievement and pastoral provision for a year group.
• Monitor attendance, achievement, and behavior of students.
• Oversee all aspects of pastoral organization and management.

Skills

Teaching across the curriculum

Leadership in pastoral care

Communication skills

Education

Qualified Teacher Status

Job description

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About the role

Year Lead - With Teaching Responsibilities - FTE1.0

Teacher's Main Pay Scale & TLR 2.1

Required: September 2026

The Governors of Dorchester Middle School are seeking to appoint a full time, permanent Year Lead and KS2 Teacher with a focus around English and the ability to teach a full range of subjects across the curriculum.

The successful candidate will be a skilled, motivated and innovative teacher. This is a position for someone who aspires to join a committed team in a school with a strong, inclusive ethos.

The Year Lead role is:

• To lead and manage the achievement, progress and pastoral provision for a year group of students.
• Track and monitor attendance, achievement and the behaviour of students within your appointed year group to ensure that successes are recognised and any barriers to learning are quickly addressed.
• Take a lead responsibility in co-ordinating appropriate intervention for students within your year group whose attendance or behaviour is a concern.
• Co-ordinate the delivery of the pastoral curriculum, and liaise with other Year Leads where necessary, to ensure continuity and progression of pastoral provision throughout the school.

The responsibilities of the Year Lead role will also include:

• Lead by example in all areas of the pastoral curriculum
• Monitor attendance, behaviour and welfare within their year group
• Take responsibility for the pastoral care of students in the year group, liaise closely with other Year Leaders to ensure continuity and progression across the Key stages 2 and 3;
• To be responsible for transition across and between Key Stages including KS1 and KS3, working closely with our feeder and Upper schools and SLT.
• Establish good relationships, encourage good working practices and support.
• Lead, support, motivate and direct support staff working within the year group.
• Oversee all aspects of the pastoral organisation and management, including preparing agendas and chairing meetings, in order to ensure that school policies and practices are being delivered.
• Liaise and co-operate with SEN/inclusion staff and outside agencies on the academic, pastoral, social, vocational and behavioural needs of students in the year group
• Co-ordinate assemblies and effective use of tutor periods, SMSC, collective acts of worship and British Values.
• To work closely with the Pupil Voice Co-ordinator.
• Work with KS Leader to facilitate enrichment activities for the year group.

Applications can be made or downloaded via: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/jobs-and-careers. Individual CVs will not be accepted. You can find further details about the school, its facilities and these positions at the school website: https://www.dorchestermid.dorset.sch.uk/. For more information, please contact Miss Kelly Shutts, Phone: [phone] or email: [e-mail]

Closing Date: 1st February 2026 - Interview Date: TBC

Further Information

Dorchester Middle School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert and this will be paid in 12 equal monthly instalments. In the first year of service this salary may need to be adjusted to ensure you are paid accurately to reflect your holiday entitlement. A similar adjustment may be made at the point your employment ends to ensure that you are paid accurately for the number of days worked in any academic year. The pro rata salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and paid annual leave entitlement for an employee under 5 years' service.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ's guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Dorchester Middle School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share.

Dorchester Middle 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. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

About Us

Dorchester Middle School is a member of the Wessex Multi-Academy Trust and also part of the successful Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) of local First, Middle and Upper schools who share resources, planning and expertise in order to enhance continuity across all stages of the children's' education.

We are located in the beautiful county town of Dorchester. We can offer excellent working conditions, a supportive environment and opportunity for further development both within the school and across the Wessex MAT. Dorchester Middle School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.